top 3 booster seats in market, as far as safety!

switchex

New member
My son, is now 35 lbs and 40 inches tall. He needs to transition from his existing convertible to a booster (or another convertible that can accommodate a bigger child). So many options out there but my main concern is safety. Does any one know what are the safest booster seats in the market? i could not find anywhere on the web where they have rated seats by safety rating ... thanks.
 
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cryswilkins

New member
You will not be able to find ratings on boosters. They all have to pass they same safety standards, so they are all safe. How old is you son? At only 35 lbs I would not feel comfortable with him in a booster. I would go for a higher weight harness seat, the Britax Marathon, Boulevard, or Decalthalon (65 lbs), the Sunshine Kids Radian (65 lbs), The Apex 65 (65lbs), and the Britax Regent (80 lbs) are all great choices.
 

wendytthomas

Admin - CPST Instructor
Staff member
At 35 pounds and 40 inches he sounds kind of young. You'd want a higher weight harnessed seat, not a booster.

Every seat out there is as safe as another provided it's used properly. So you won't find seats ranked by safety. They all pass the same testing.

However, the seats with higher slots and an over 40 pound weight limit are what you want. That leaves you with:

Britax Marathon/Decathalon/Boulevard: FFs to 65 pounds/17" top slots.
Britax Regent: FFs to 80 pounds/21" top slots
Sunshine Kids Radian: FFs to 65/80 pounds (different versions), 18" top slots
Recaro Como/Signo: FFs to 70 pounds, 19" top slots
Evenflo Triumph Advance: FFs to 50 pounds, 17" top slots
Apex 65: FFs to 65 pounds, 17" top slots, booster to 100 pounds

Those are it, and they range from $100 to $300.

How old is your son, what seat is he in now (the 40 inch limit is a guideline, as you can tell it's torso height that is important, not overall height, your son may have outgrown his seat, or may have room left), and where are his shoulders in relation to the top slot? That may help us determine if he's a light child relative to age, if he has a long or short torso, etc. Also, what is your budget, and what car do you drive? Do you have any other children younger than your son who would use a seat after your son has outgrown it?

Wendy
 

1girltwinboyz

New member
Ditto too young for booster seat. My boys are in MAs and FPSVs now.I hope to keep them in those until 5-6ish. IF you can afford it the MAs are the caddy and the FP are the stripped down model but both safe and comfy for my boys so far. :thumbsup:
 

lovemyfamily

New member
WAY too young for a booster. In my state it isn't even legal. It is 40 lbs. and 4 years. I say get a higher weight convertible to keep your little guy safe.
 

joolsplus3

Admin - CPS Technician
My son, is now 35 lbs and 40 inches tall. He needs to transition from his existing convertible to a booster (or another convertible that can accommodate a bigger child). So many options out there but my main concern is safety. Does any one know what are the safest booster seats in the market? i could not find anywhere on the web where they have rated seats by safety rating ... thanks.

Do you mean booster with just a seatbelt, or booster, as it's commonly called, the kind that has an internal harness and then you use with a seatbelt (that's the impression I got...?)

How old is he, and what seat is he outgrowing?
 

switchex

New member
Thank you all for your replies. My son currently is in Triumph 5/DLX. I believe he can still use it since his shoulders are below the highest point. However, since I eventually need to buy him a bigger chair, I might as well buy one right now. My 2 week old daughter will end up using his Triumph soon anyway. I am still trying to understand if some seats are safer than others (although they all pass the same safety standards). Has there been any official testing by any private or government organizations that has tested car seats? Britax is known to be safe but is it really? Or is that just what the company claims?

anyway, what did u guys mean by "My boys are in MAs and FPSVs now" what is MAs and FPSVs ?

Also, if money no object which of the five recommended by Wendy below should I pick?
 

katiesmommy

Active member
anyway, what did u guys mean by "My boys are in MAs and FPSVs now" what is MAs and FPSVs ?

MA is the abbreviation for Marathon and FPSV is the Fisher Price Safe Voyage Deluxe.

Also, if money no object which of the five recommended by Wendy below should I pick?

If money were no object I personally would go with the Regent. Your child is too big to rearface any longer and the Regent would last the longest.
 

heyruthie

New member
My son currently is in Triumph 5/DLX. I believe he can still use it since his shoulders are below the highest point. However, since I eventually need to buy him a bigger chair, I might as well buy one right now. My 2 week old daughter will end up using his Triumph soon anyway.

This actually isn't true. Carseats are one of the things that it's better to wait as long as possible before buying a new one. For the following reasons:

#1--Each step "up" in carseats is a step down in safety (such as going from a convertible to a booster.) So, you want to wait as long as possible before doing that. Keeping your child in the seat as long as you can (until they either outgrow it by weight or by height) keeps them the safest, the longest.

#2--The longer you wait, the newer the date of manufacture for the seat you buy. If you buy a new seat now, and keep it in your garage for 6 months, it's that much older. A sizeable portion of the seat's lifespan will be spent doing nothing, since seats last only 5-6 years. You basically want to buy carseats when they are "fresh."

I have a 8 month old baby, who is waiting to move into her older brother's Britax Roundabout (when she outgrows her Graco Snugride.) However, I'm waiting to buy him his new seat until the last possible minute, so his seat is brand-spankin' new when he moves into it. That way, it will last my family quite a bit longer.
 

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