5 pt. vs booster
If you look at the seat belts race car drivers use, you will see that they use a 5 point harness, because they are the safer than just a three point shoulder belt. However, obviously they are not driving in the same everyday conditions that normal driving entails. A 5 point harness technically is safest, but a booster with a shoulder belt is also very safe. Money is not necessarily an issue. If you want the most safety, a 5 point is probably best. But there are other things to consider, like convenience. Do you want to have to buckle up your child every time you get in the car, or would you like your child to be able to buckle him or herself? With a 5 point harness, you most likely would have to buckle her up every time, because a child probably can't do it correctly. Even if she could do it, would it be tight enough? Most likely not. Do you want to be buckling her in when your child is 8 years old? Many children don't reach 80 pounds until they are over 10 years old. I have a sister-in-law who is very petite and weighs only about 70 pounds. She may never reach 80 pounds. Obviously she can't sit in a car seat for the rest of her life, especially when she herself is driving. I also have a niece who is 8 years old but weighs less than 60 pounds. She would probably be safest in a 5-point carseat, but that would be a major time issue for her parents to have to buckle her up. With a booster seat, she can do it herself. My own daughter is 5 years old and just over 40 pounds. As I have two younger children who are also in car seats, I chose a booster seat which she can buckle herself so that I am not facing the task of buckling up three kids every single time I go somewhere. She knows she must use the booster seat and the seat belt must be pretty tight and she has no problem using it. I feel like she is very safe in a booster. If you are considering the Britax Huskie because of the 5 point harness, ask yourself if you really would use it all the way up to its highest weight limit. If so, then that would probably be a good choice. But, if a year from now, you decide that you want a seat in which your child can buckle herself, then you will have to buy another seat. Only you can decide if it's worth it to you. Graco just came out with a booster seat, the Turbo, which is very similar to the Britax Starriser/Roadster, but for about half the price. Either of those would be one which your child could buckle herself, because they let the shoulder belt slide, instead of getting "locked" in a position that would not be tight enough. As long as your child is mature enough to use a booster seat correctly, she should be safe.