Turbo vs. Parkway Booster?

[ajweeks]

Hi, I have an almost 4 year old DS (he'll be 4 in February) who is around 44" tall and 40-41 lbs. He currently is in a MA in our main car and a Graco Ultra Cargo in our other car. I know that the Cargo harness only goes to 40 lbs. so I need to replace it with a booster for that car. From what I've been reading, I shouldn't use the booster feature of the cargo, is that correct?

My next question is what is the best booster for him? I will buy this booster for our secondary car for now and probably switch to use it in our main car when he outgrows the MA (I don't think he has much longer in that seat either--just a few more inches). We already have a backless booster (Strollee McKinley) that we travel with so I can use that as a backup seat in our secondary car when he outgrows the MA.

Which booster is best for a taller child? Which one is the easiest for kids to buckle themselves in because I know that my son will insist on doing it himself. Are kids comfortable in the Parkway w/o armrests?

Thanks for you help.

--Amy

[Aunt to sweet baby boy]

I think you should try out the cargo in your car before you buy another booster. In some cars it is ok, but in others it is not. I think the Parkway is easier for children to buckle themselves into because there are no armrests to fight with but i think it depends on the child. I think children are comfortable in the Parkway w/o armrests because they know no different. Adults are used to armrests so we think that a seat without would not be comfortable but children do not usually complain.

HTH

Ilana

[Joolsplus2]

Kids can comfortably use the sidewings on the Parkway as armrests, and it really is easier to buckle without them. Also, it's bigger than the Turbo, which it sounds like you might need later (taller and wider so it fits bigger kids more comfortably and gets them 'all the way to seatbelt size', while the Turbo tends to top out before kids fit vehicle seats properly (And a big plus, it's actually tested for side impact crashes...the Turbo is probably just fine, but I've seen the crash tests of the Parkway, and the wings really contain the head in a side impact.
This is an interesting article on that... http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2005-09/chop-htb090905.php)

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