Harness/Booster Recommendations (besides Frontier 85)?

[kbear]

Hi,

I wanted to get your advice on an appropriate car seat that would convert from harness to booster. My 3.5 year old daughter is currently riding in a Britax Marathon, but my 1 year old son needs to switch to that seat because he's outgrowing the Snugride. My daughter is turning four in June and is 39 inches tall, and weighs about 35 pounds.

I've done a lot of research and keep coming back to the same 2 options-Frontier 85 versus Graco Nautilus. I went to Buy Buy Baby to check both seats out (and to have DD sit in them) and definitely preferred the Frontier (Nautilus did not seem as comfortable, I've read a lot of complaints about the placement of the strap by the crotch being uncomfortable, etc).

However, I'm still not convinced that I need to go for the Frontier because I don't plan on harnessing my daughter past age 6 (another 2 years). I would like this to be our last carseat and for it to be an easy switch to the booster mode.
(We have a Honda Accord and wouldn't mind a less bulky seat).

Any recommendations for a safe and comfortable alternative, or should I just go for the Frontier?

[legaleagle]

I'd take a good look at the evenflo maestro and its fancier siblings the securekid 300/400. They are very popular here and on car-seat.org. There's also the recaro prosport but that costs about as much as the frontier.

[mom2binsd]

I'd get the Frontier, it's an awesome seat, and you could pass it along to your younger one once you feel your DD is ready for a booster full time.

[Joolsplus2]

Don't be put off by the fact that it CAN be harnessed a long time, you don't HAVE to. (My seatbelt holds over 300 pounds, I don't feel I need to push those weight limits, just because I can, you know?). It's super comfy, easy to install, and yeah, most important, you can hand it down to the little one later and get years of use out of it as a harness or booster (my kids LOVE it as a booster, once they are about 7 and buckling becomes less of a chore... buckling a booster is somehow harder than buckling a harness, because of all the reaching and feeling, so it's nice to at least have the *option* of a seat that can be used harnessed a little longer, too :))