need help with booster seat

[sadie2]

I was hoping you could help with our soon to be seat quandry....

we have a 3 yr old that is rapidly approaching 40 pds. she has been riding in a roundabout. we also have a 9 month old boy who is probably soon to be out of his infant seat.

we have 3 roundabouts (thanks to a wonderful neighbor) between 3 cars (including the sitter who needs seats for both kids).

what is the best and economical way to do this? should we get a parkway for the 3 yr old, and move baby to the roundabout? or is she too young for no restraint? is it worth a restraint if she is almost 40 pds anyway?

target has graco booster on sale for 50 bucks. would that be a good deal?

any help would be appreciated. thanks!!!!!!!!!

[momtoB]

I pass the RA's down to your ds (as long as they're not expired) and honestly, I would try and keep your 3yr old harnessed until at least age four, which is the NHTSA & AAP recommendation (4yrs AND 40lbs). If you're on a budget you can put her in a Cosco/Safety 1st Apex which harnesses to 65lbs and then converts to a bpb up to 100lbs. The one caveat to this seat is the headrest MUST be supported by the vehicle seatback/headrest. It isn't reinforced for crash forces unfortunately. That is probably your most economical choice.

Your other options are the Fisher Price Safe Voyage Deluxe which is a convertible seat made by Britax for FP. It's basically a Marathon without the extra safety features (HUGS, R/F tether), and it only harnesses to 55lbs. Then your choices get a little more expensive: Britax Regent (harness to 80lbs), or the Sunshine Kids Radian and Britax Marathon/Boulevard (harness to 65lbs). There may be a few others new on the market I'm not thinking of right now...

check out http://www.carseatsite.com/recommended_car_seats.htm

hth.

[Joolsplus2]

<nodding in agreement> Yes, keep her harnessed at least a year or two longer, it really is much safer, from a 'risk of head injury' perspective...even if she CAN sit still in a booster (most 3 yo's can NOT), then her risk of head injury is still higher in a booster than it would be in a harnessed seat. Fortunately, there are a lot more seats to choose from than there even were last year, so one should work for you!
Julie CPS Tech and mom to 3 in seats
http://www.cpsafety.com/articles/RFAlbum/SarahMA.aspx