Please, no lectures. Just suggestions for a booster.

[thenewmrssmith]

First off, I have made up my mind about this, so please don't feel the need to "educate" me. I am fully aware of what is safest, but I have made a decision and now I need help to make sure that decision is carried out in the best and safest way possible.

My daughter is 4 and has just hit 30 lbs. She is 39" tall. She's in a Marathon, and will continue to be in it for the foreseeable future.

However, I am going to purchase a belt-positioning booster as a secondary seat. We are expecting a new baby, and I will be relying more and more on others to transport her to and from preschool and other activities. I simply cannot and won't ask them to install a harnessed seat; most of them have more than 1 child of their own to deal with and it's not going to happen.

My pediatrician is very comfortable with this decision, as my daughter's height and maturity are acceptable to use a booster occasionally for short trips. Again, this is only a secondary seat, and she will stay in the Marathon when riding with me.

So, what suggestions do you have for a lightweight comfortable booster appropriate for a petite child? Thank you very much for your answers.

[mommyto4]

Check the Britax Parkway or the Recaro Young Style. Both seem like they would hold a smallish kid pretty well. The Recaro may actually be a better choice considering her size. It looks like it would kind of snug around a little one a bit more than the Britax. I don't own either of these seats though so I'm not an expert on either one. They both seem to get good reviews here though.Make sure that you check weight/height requirements on both.

[momtoB]

I concur, and you might also look at the Graco CarGo, which has EPS foam around the head and also provides SIP. All these seats are pretty highly recommended from what I've seen.

ETA: OOPS! I meant the Turbo Booster, not the CarGo. My bad, sorry!

[j4m4d8]

I wouldn't go with the CarGo. My daughter is a little bigger than yours and the sides push the shoulder belt forward so that it doesn't touch her body, if that makes sense. If you are looking for something you can just pick up at your local store, then a high backed TurboBooster would be a better choice. It fits small children better than the CarGo.

The Parkway is likely the easiest for people to use correctly.

[Joolsplus2]

Oh jeez, i thought you really didn't want us to educate you about not putting a 2 yo in a booster... phew, she's 4!
I'd go Parkway... fits small kids great, stands alone out of the car, and no armrests for people to get the belts wrong on.

:)
Julie CPS Tech and mom to 3 in seats
http://www.cpsafety.com/articles/RFAlbum/SarahMA.aspx

[mommyto4]

If Julie says, "Parkway", I'd go with the Parkway. I really trust her opinion. Albee Baby has the Parkway in the cougar print for $79.99 right now. That's $20.00 off the regular price.

[Joolsplus2]

And trust me, I don't say that as a tech, just a mom who's turbo falls apart and gets misused at Grandma's house ALL the time. Oh, the Compass B510 might be ok, but the B500 is really too tall for shorter kids (it's nice it folds up and the armrests pivot for proper buckling).

:)
Julie CPS Tech and mom to 3 in seats
http://www.cpsafety.com/articles/RFAlbum/SarahMA.aspx