Booster seat for my slight 5 year old

[Lehrs2b]

My daughter weighs 38 lbs and is 47" tall. I want to get her a booster seat. What are the recommendations?

I drive a '97 Ford Explorer and my husband has a 2005 Toyota Matrix.

[Joolsplus2]

My kids' personal favorite is the Britax Parkway, because it has awesome side impact protection, and the lack of armrests makes it really easy to buckle (the sidewings make terrific armrests for comfort, though!). The Recaro Young Style is also a side impact tested choice that has a lot of nice padding and a terrific microsuede cover. The Graco Turbo looks like it might do some good in a side crash, but it hasn't been tested for that kind of impact... still, it's a nice, inexpensive choice (not quite as big as the other two, and may not comfortably get her to post-booster age of 10-12, but a bigger backless booster is cheap if you need one down the road).

I definitely recommend highback boosters, they offer so much more safety in side impacts than do backless boosters, as well as being generally more comfortable and offering a great place to take a nap! Oh, the Recaro Start is a super-duper deluxe booster that runs $349, but is on clearance (only the covers have changed, not the safety features) for $199 at a number of places online, if you want to go all out (it definitely is the highest quality booster available, made on an aluminum frame with upholstery grade padding... the only caveat is that it requires a top tether)

:)
Julie CPS Tech and mom to 2 in seats
http://www.cpsafety.com/articles/RFAlbum/SarahMA.aspx