Graco Safeseat booster or Britax Parkway?

[Cindder]

My son is 43" tall and 40 lbs. so I was thinking about getting a booster seat. He is currently in a Marathon. My question is which car seat is safer and do I need to spend $250? My girlfriend bought the Graco Safeseat for $50 and says it is just as safe as the $250 ones. I noticed that the Graco doesnt have a 5 pt harness yet the hanress seems like it is a good safety measure.

I will spend whatever is needed to keep my children at their safetest. Thanks for all your help!

[Aunt to sweet baby boy]

How old is he? What is his torso height?

your friends seat must have been a booster because i do not think any of their other seats are under $100. A child who is in a booster must sit properly and be mature enough not to move around. If the child is over 4 years of age then it is technically allowed for them to be in a booster, but we like to see children in 5 pt harness seats as long as possible because a harness is so much safer than being in a booster.

let us know his age and torso height. Is he outgrowing the MA or do you need it for another child? Do you have any space constraints in the car or travel by plane frequently?

thanks

Ilana, aka Nana to my sweet nephew Avi

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[Cindder]

Hi, my son turned 4 in February. His toros height is "17 inches (assuming torso means not including head) and the top of his head is starting to rise above the MA. I started thinking about booster seats because they look to be more comfortable than the MA he is currently in. The seat my friend got is a booster from Graco. ToysRus sells it for $49.99, but there is no harness as it seems most boosters just use the seat belts.

Regarding space, I have a minvan and 3 small children (3yr old twins) and all of them are in MA's.

Thanks for all your help!

If he should indeed move to a booster, what do you recommend?

[kellyotn]

A 5-point harness is safer than a seat belt booster. WE would be safer in 5-points. ;)

Regarding his height, are his shoulders still AT or BELOW the top slot? I'm pretty sure having his head peak over the top is fine. I think its to the tops of his ears. Check your manual to be sure.

The MA is really padded and comfy. Unless he's just REALLY cramped into it I'd think its the most comfy ride out there.

Generally speaking, cost doesn't necessarily buy more safety. Your friend is right. But, it can buy ease-of-use, high quality feel and longevity. It can also buy additional safety features. Since seats only pass or fail gov tests, its hard to say if these safety features make a seat "safer", but the Parkway DOES have side impact protection and that does to me seem "safer", but I'm not the gov. ;)

Its like cars, they all pass the same gov tests too, but some are clearly "safer" per the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (the guys who do those crash tests on Dateline). We need to have them test seats instead of Consumer Reports. ;)

I'd try and keep your son in his MA for as long as you possibly can. Moving to the booster stage is demoting him in safety. Let him get a bit older and more mature. Max that MA out.

Then if you like the Parkway and its side-impact, go for it. If you like the Graco, it seems nice too. (I'm really not up on boosters yet, hopefully there are real reviews out there on it.) Recaros are great quality too, and husbands love them - Recaro makes racing seats.

HTH