Booster Seat or 5 pt. harness for tall skinny boy

[hoodedyank1]

Hi, I've been a member for a long time but have not needed to review our car seats for a few years. So here we are again, my son is 5.5 yrs old & he is 4 ft tall & 42 pounds. My question is; he is currently in the Graco Cargo which he loves. His shoulders are just slightly below the top belt slot or just even. But the weight does say 40 pounds. Does he need to come out of the seat now?

The second part of my question is that my son is definetly a wiggle worm tpye kid but I"m looking for a booster seat or 5 pt harness that runs under $150 & preferably under $100. Any suggestions? I've seen lots of ideas out there but I don't know what would be best for him. He stays on the thin side but is tall for his age, so I'm afraid we'll always out grown height on harness chairs. We have a mercury grand marquis, I don't know if that matters.

Thanks for assistance.

Jean

[Joolsplus2]

Right, you must stop using the harness 2 pounds ago, absolutely 40 pounds is the top limit. You could try using it as a booster, especially if your shoulderbelts lock and you can clamp him in there. The belt guides also clamp the shoulderbelt on to him when used properly, so that might help him stay in place. If you want to keep him harnessed your only real choices with taller top slots and higher harness limits are the www.safeguardseat.com or the Britax Regent. If you don't like the Cargo as a booster you could consider the Britax Parkway or Monarch which are easy to use and fairly constrictive and side impact protective.

:)
Julie CPS Tech and mom to 3 in seats
http://www.cpsafety.com/articles/RFAlbum/SarahMA.aspx

[hoodedyank1]

Thanks for all the info...

I definetly would not use the current seat as a booster. What about the Graco booster or the fisher price boosters that are suppose to be made by britax?

THanks.

Jean

[Joolsplus2]

The Graco Turbo and the new Fisher Price are not as side impact protective as the Parkway or Monarch or the Recaros.
Julie CPS Tech and mom to 3 in seats
http://www.cpsafety.com/articles/RFAlbum/SarahMA.aspx

[hoodedyank1]

Hi thanks for all the info...


I was just reading some review & some people said the REcaros was too small for someone 42 pounds & 4 ft, what do you think? Also Would you rate the parkway,monarch & recaros all equal or is one better than the other? How long do you think a child should be in a 5 pt harness?

THanks.

Jean

[Joolsplus2]

I think 5 is a pretty good age to go into a booster, personally. You kind of have to judge if he'll be able to sit properly in one, too (I'd use the Cargo as a booster for a few days and see how he does... is it a constant battle to get him to keep the shoulderbelt on, does he fall asleep and fall sideways really bad?).

There's a couple Recaros, I only mentioned them because they are tested for side impact...the Start is great for big kids, but very expensive, I can imagine the Young Style is maybe a tad small for a much bigger kid, and the Young Sport would be bad, it only harnesses to 40 pounds.

Oh, the Jane' Indy or Indy Plus (with rigid LATCH) is also a really nice booster I forgot. I think the Monarch is tallest and can also be used backless if you want to (when he's much older, the belts still don't quite fit him without a booster, and hopefully if you have side curtain airbags to add side protection).

:)
Julie CPS Tech and mom to 3 in seats
http://www.cpsafety.com/articles/RFAlbum/SarahMA.aspx

[hoodedyank1]

Good idea, I will try his curtain seat as a booster & see if he can handle that & then decide if we should buy a booster or 5 pt harness.

My major concern is the side impact b/c we're in a sedan so each child is on a window. My car does not have any side impact airbags. :( I will check out all these boosters then. I like the Parkway, but I must admit if I'm going to buy a booster I would like it to be the last car seat we buy. With that in mind is a Parkway a good choice. I have checked outthe Indy yet, I will do that.

THanks again.

Jean

[hoodedyank1]

Ok so I've done some more research....

Here are some more thoughts. I think the choice is between the britax parkway or the monarch. Which do you think is better?

Also any thoughts on the compass?

THanks.

Jean

[hoodedyank1]

Sorry one last thought DH just advised me that his office provides the cosco summitt convertible seat free of charge. Should I even consider that?

Jean

[Joolsplus2]

Nix the Summit idea...it has only a 40 pound weight limit and 2 inch shorter top slots than the Cargo, and no side impact protection when used as a booster (Your Cargo was a way better harnessed seat, so you didn't miss anything, lol).

The Monarch is super-new (not a lot of reviews from actual users..I hear it's really well padded), but I do like all the side wings for extra protection. The armrests make it a touch harder to buckle than the Parkway (no armrests, but kids find it very comfortable), but armrests aren't a major deal killer in most cases.

The Compass B510 has some quality issues with the cover, and is not near as tall as the Britaxes, so won't fit as long, but it's otherwise nice, side impact protective, wide, and has liftable armrests, which is a plus.
Julie CPS Tech and mom to 3 in seats
http://www.cpsafety.com/articles/RFAlbum/SarahMA.aspx