5-point harness over 50lbs

[ztagrl]

120401.1

DS is nearing 50lbs. I have him in the Britax Frontier in our car. MIL wants a seat for her car so she can take him without having to move seats (I refuse to move that thing, anyway! Too hard to install.) She can't/won't pay $200 for another Frontier (She probably won't pay more than $50-60, since she doesn't really understand why she can't just buy a $20 "bumper" seat, but I will pick up the rest), but I would really prefer that he still be 5-point harnessed. She would probably just be driving him around town, and we only live about 4 miles from them. Am I being silly about not wanting him in just a booster? I guess I could go for a high back booster with belt positioner, at the very least.

Anyway, is there a cheaper option to 5-point harness past 50 lbs? Is there another seat like the Frontier that harnesses longer AND converts to a booster?

I did find the Safety 1st Apex 65 on sale. Anyone have good or bad reviews about this seat? http://www.amazon.com/Safety-1st-Apex-Booster-Seat/dp/B000RNM7JW

[bubbaray]

How old is your DS?

[mom2binsd]

I am not a fan of my Apex, the vehicle must have tall headrests and I'm not sure how tall the harness height is, the seat overall is pretty flimsy.

If he's 50 lbs and at least 5 years old I would think with some booster training he would be fine in a good HBB booster like the Monterey, Vivo, Parkway and a few others that provide good fit for many kids with better protection than some of the more readily available boosters, although the Turbo Booster is apparently not too bad.

[ztagrl]

He turned 5 in July. He's ~46 inches tall.

[LisaMom2Allie]

I agree with you, my DD is 6 1/2 and rides in Regents in mine, DH, G-Ma and commuter car. She loves to ride in them and I am so happy, she was in my MIL's car and rode in a backless booster and when we got back into my car she said that she liked 'her seat' much better, it was softer(yeah!) They are on sale at Target for $179 and I don't care how much pressure I get from MY friends(yes, MY friends think she needs to move to a booster---everytime someone mentions it I send them a copy of the Kyle D Miller video) I am keeping her in it until she hits the 85 pound limit so we will have more than got our $'s worth out of them...just a thought!

Anyway, she is now in 1st grade and here comes the dreaded "going home with a friend" time and she will have to ride in a booster :(

[Katigre]

With a 5 year old I would put them in a safe booster seat :).

[Joolsplus2]

A safe highback booster (I would NOT recommend a backless booster, those are only for kids who are too tall for highbacks, and preferably in cars with stellar side impact protection ratings, because highbacks offer SO much protection in a deadly side impact) might be a good option if he's able to sit properly in it and grandma's willing to make sure it's buckled properly and he's always positioned properly in it. If you think a harness is really the best option, I think you can get the Apex for 89$ from albeebaby.com, but it does only have 17 inch top slots, about an inch shorter than the Frontier. It is fairly flimsy as a booster later, I'd prefer something with better side impact protection structure like the Parkway, Monterey, or Recaro Vivo (I think this may still be available for $59, cheaper than some Turbo boosters). Turbos are OK, but I find that so many people misuse them I'm leary of recommending them. Also they are quite short and a bit narrow and won't last as long as the others I mentioned.