Thanks to this board I just ordered my car seats...

[postmodernmommy]

Many thanks to this board- with its help I finally decided on what to do about car seats and just ordered them now. After they arrive and are installed I'll post some reviews and pics.

This is what we decided:
We're going to keep DD in a 5pt harness for much longer. She currently is 4 years old (just turned yesterday!), 38 lbs, 38.5 inches. We have two cars used 60/40 that each need their own car seat, no switching back & forth. We also need a high back booster for those infrequent times when she is in someone else's car, we fly & rent a car, etc.

We bought two Britax Regents, both in Sahara color. It's a hit financially but the rewards in safety completely outweigh any short term financial issues.

Since we had previously done a "test run" with a Recaro Young Style high back booster we went with that one as the extra seat in the Shiny Charcoal color. I know the Britax Parkway has a higher weight limit but I liked how plush the Style was, how deep the TSIP was and I liked how both the back and neck areas adjusted to customize the fit completely. If I have to put her in a booster I feel good having her in this one.

Now I'm gearing up for a whole new world of installation- she's been in her RA since 6 mos of age and I can install & uninstall that seat in my sleep, I'm hoping all will go well with the Regent, especially in our little Toyota Echo. If not I'm sure this board will help ;-)

Thanks again to everyone on this board for all their info. It's certainly a great resource.

Amy :)

[Joolsplus2]

Oh fun...you'll love your seats, I'm sure. Post back if you need installation assistance, too. And don't worry about that extra twenty pounds on the Parkway vs the Young Style...seriously, 80 pounds is an average 11 yo and and average 11 yo can fit just fine in most cars with no booster at all!
Julie CPS Tech and mom to 3 in seats
http://www.cpsafety.com/articles/RFAlbum/SarahMA.aspx