Booster or 5 point?

Unregistered · Aug 20, 2004

My 41/2 year old daughter is in a Gaco Alpha Omega. She weighs 37 lbs and her shoulders are just about even with the upper - most slots for the straps in its highest position. I would like to use this current seat with my 21/2 year old son as he is curently in an evenflow 3 point with the over the head safety bar ( which are not as safe as the 5 point). Is she ready for a booster (Graco Turbo )? Should I keep her in the Alpha and use it as a booster? Or should she stay in the 5 point until she gains 3 more pounds? Do the seat belt straps get caught on the guides as a booster? If I keep her in the Alpha I will simply buy another convertable 5 point for my son. - Which 5 points have the highest weight limit for front facing?

joolsplus3 · Aug 21, 2004

If you are using the very topmost slots on the AO, you need to use it as a booster or stop using it...those very top slots are for booster use only, and are not safe when used with the harness (I wasn't sure if that's what you were saying when you said she's in the top slots, but it's a very common mistake...). If you think your 4 yo is capable of sitting still with the shoulderbelt always on her shoulder, then the Turbo is a fine choice, and whil the AO isn't bad as a booster if it fits well, the Turbo just works a little better, IMO

You can call cosco to get a replacement harness for your AO if you want to put your 2 yo in it...they straps are now polyester and much less ropy/twisty.
If you want a higher harness weight seat, the best choices now are the Britax Marathon, Wizard, or Husky. There's another option, the Combi Acadia that will harness to 50 pounds then become a booster, but it's not quite available yet, so I'm not sure how nice it is (it's cheaper than the Britaxes, anyway).

Hope that helps,

Unregistered · Aug 24, 2004

Thanks for your reply - by top slots I meant the 2nd from the top - or the last ones usuable as a FF carseat.

I have the new straps for the Alpha Omega thanks to this board. It is like a whole new carseat! No more tangles!

My daughteris 38 pounds and 4 1/2 - it was tough to tell if the slots were even with or below her shoulders. Given that she was so close to ( or maybe over due to her height) the limits of her seat, I decided to switch her to a Turbo Booster.

Her 2 1/2 year old brother has now moved from an Evenflo Trooper (3 point) to her Alpha Omega. How much safer are the 5 points? Given that I felt he would be dafer and that my daughter would be fine in the Turbo I made the switch. Does this sound like a reasonable decision or should I have left my daughter in the Alpha until I was sure she had outgrown it?