What are the top rated Booster seats for 4+ year old, 40+ lbs

[heyrocco]

My son is currently using a Britax Wizard which I plan on giving to his younger sister and switch him to a booster seat. What are the top rated booster seats for a 4 year old who weighs approx 44 lbs? I have 3 children (newborn, 18 month old, and 4 year old). I am hoping to get all 3 seats in the second row of our SUV (Honda Pilot or Dodge Durango). If this is impossible then we will have to trade in 1 or our SUVs for a minivan :( . Thanks for you help.

Alyson

[Joolsplus2]

It's easier to buckle a harnessed seat... maybe the Cosco Apex would fit, or the Sunshine Kids Radian? If not, the Parkway is the easiest to buckle next to most other seats (depending on your other seats....) I have two Parkways and an infant seat in my narrow ford escape....
Julie CPS Tech and mom to 3 in seats
http://www.cpsafety.com/articles/RFAlbum/SarahMA.aspx

[heyrocco]

Great, thanks for the info.

If space is not an issue, would you still reccommend the Cosco Apex, Sunshine Radian, and the Parkway as the best booster seats? Also, would it be ok to put my 18 month old (approx 23 lbs) in one of these seats or should I keep her in the Britax Wizard until the is 4 years old?

Thanks for all your help.

Alyson

[heyrocco]

BUMP

[Scatterbunny]

Julie is right, it is much easier to buckle a kid into a harnessed seat than it is into a booster seat, ESPECIALLY in a three-across situation. There's just no room to get your hands in between the two seats to buckle a booster. With a harnessed seat, the harness is right there on the child, easy-access. I'd keep him in his Wizard as long as he fits (until the tips of his ears go over the top of the seat shell, his shoulders go over the top slots, or he reaches the weight limit) because it truly will be easier.

The Cosco Apex and Sunshine Kids Radian are not booster seats.

The Apex is a combination seat. It has top slots the same measurement as the Wizard and also harnesses to 65 pounds, but is forward-facing only and converts to a booster. It is wide, though--about an inch wider than the Wizard and almost as wide as a Britax Husky/Regent.

The Sunshine Kids Radian is a convertible like Britax, same RF and FF limits, but the top slots are slightly taller and it is a much narrower seat, so would work well for you, provided it fits your vehicle. Lots of techs have had issues with installation in pretty common vehicles, so I hesitate to recommend this unless you can try it in your vehicle before you buy it. It would be a good choice for any of your kids. It would keep your middle child RF longer. I would not consider an Apex, or any FF seat, for a child that size. I really don't think an Apex will work for you with three-across, though, no matter what.

The Parkway is the best booster seat (no harness) IMO, to do three-across, because it is relatively narrow (17 inches, versus about 19 inches for the Wizard) and has no armrests to get in the way of reaching your hand in to the buckle. Still, I have a Parkway and have it next to another harnessed seat (a narrow harnessed seat) on a two-seater bench in a minivan, and it's still a PITA to buckle the Parkway, IMO. It's much easier to do a harness up, and takes me less time.