Trying to decide on a booster seat

My 2.5 yr old 30 lb daughter is currently in the Britax Roundabout. My 8 mo son needs to come out of his infant car seat. I was thinking of moving him into the roundabout and getting her a booster with a 5 point harness. We live in Manhattan and was hoping that the booster could then also be used for taxis without the back when she is a bit bigger. She currently uses a sit-n-stroll. Which booster would be the best for us. She only rides in the car 1x per week (Honda accord), so light weight for taxis would be nice. Any other txi suggestions would also be helpful. I need something for my son and 2 sit-n-strolls isn't appealing. Thanks

The only harnessed seat that converts to a backless booster is the Safety 1st Prospect/Cubb or the Safeguard GO.
When I was in NYC, all the cabs I took had LATCH. A top tether is required to the GO, and though it can be used with a seatbelt, I would want to.
Can you spend a few weeks examining your taxis (you probably already know this though) to see how often you get a non LATCH taxi? If you almost always get LATCH, I would go with a Safeguard GO. Another nice feature of it is that it is very small and lightweight, you could throw it in a back pack (the back of it is more like a vest than a car seat, which is why it requires the top tether).
Otherwise a Graco CarGo and you'll just have to buy a backless booster down the line. They're cheap anyway.

Can you imagine asking a NYC cabbie to WAIT while you install the Safeguard GO...and then asking Oh and by the way where is the rear tether? I'm originally from NY and don't think it would fly!! I do agree though that getting a $20 backless booster for use in cabs in addition to whatever HBB you get is a good idea though.

I've never even ridden in a taxi but I watch tv and I always thought that most taxis were fords. Correct me if I'm wrong because I have no personal experience but if they are you shouldn't have a problem with the rear tether as long as the taxis are newer. Ford tethers are pretty straighforward and easy to use.

gwenvet said:

Can you imagine asking a NYC cabbie to WAIT while you install the Safeguard GO...and then asking Oh and by the way where is the rear tether? I'm originally from NY and don't think it would fly!! I do agree though that getting a $20 backless booster for use in cabs in addition to whatever HBB you get is a good idea though.

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If she installs a carseat (the Sit n Stroll) in a taxi already, why would the GO or any other seat be any different?

And are you suggesting she use a backless booster now, for her 30 pound 2.5yo? NOT a good idea, if I'm understanding you correctly. Her daughter is much too young and small yet.

I also think the GO is the best choice if the taxis will have LATCH. If not, the Graco CarGo or Evenflo Bolero or Generations. Those don't convert to a backless booster later, and only the Bolero and Generations actually make good highback boosters later, but the CarGo is an awesome harnessed seat.

Nope, didn't mean to suggest that she use a backless booster now, just that I couldn't imagine installing a seat that required tethering. I didn't know that Ford was so straight forward with their tether...my only reference is my station wagon (where we have to crawl through the back to get to the tether) and our minivan. Sorry for the confusion.

LOL--I guess I just think installing a seat is what takes time; hooking up a tether is nothing compared to a seatbelt installed seat.

Thank you for responding. It took me a while to get back here. I am now registered. Most taxi's are fords and do have tethers. I alway use the seat belt with the sit-n-stroll because I have been unsure of the tether. But I can learn to do it. At this point I have the taxi turn on the meter when I am installing the seat.

I am going to look into the ones you have suggested. Should I have a different car seat for our car? I am thinking of the Regent based on what I have read here. Is that the right way to go for my 2.5 year old?

Thanks

What is a harnessed seat? Can my daughter use it without the rest of the carseat at 2.5? Are they very light? Thanks

The Regent is a great seat, but not for a taxi. It's huge to try to carry around.

What year is your Honda? Do you want one seat for your car and another for cabs?

whoa, i would not want to deal w/ a regent and taxi's.

no. not at all. too heavy, too bulky, too wide.

just, no.

a marathon is the easiest high weight seat - too date - to install, but again, pretty heavy.

i'm not up to date on combination seats - 5 pt boosters, so hopefuly someone else will have more info on those. but no, no, no to the regent in the taxi.

dont taxis have the same hard plastic divider as police cars?? if so then you can NOT use a car seat, because of head excursion

Naomi, a harnessed seat is a carseat like the Sit n Stroll--a seat shell with a harness. Most only go to 40 pounds, or when the child's shoulders go over the top slots. A few go to 65 pounds or when the child's shoulders go over the top slots.

The Regent harnesses to 80 pounds, kids don't outgrow this until age 8-10, but it's huge and not an easy seat to move around or transport. It's over 20 pounds. It's a great seat for a primary vehicle, though. It doesn't convert to a belt positioning booster.

There are only two harnessed options that convert to a backless booster seat, the Cosco Cubb and Safeguard Go, mentioned earlier. The Cubb harnesses to 40 pounds then the seat can be taken apart and used as a booster seat with the vehicle's lap and shoulderbelt. The Go requires a top tether at all times and is more of a travel vest with harness attached to a backless booster. So it can be converted to backless booster mode once the harness is outgrown at 60 pounds or when shoulders go above top harness setting.

As long as all the taxis will have a top tether anchor the Go is the best choice. If you can't be certain of that, the Go will be useless and a good combination seat would be my next choice: the Graco CarGo or Evenflo Bolero or Generations.

Those will all harness to 40 pounds then convert to a highback belt positioning booster, the Bolero and Generations make the best long-term highback boosters because they adjust taller. However, for taxi travel you may want to just use these harnessed until she is 4 years old and 40 pounds (BOTH, not one or the other) and then move to the backless booster for convenience. Backless boosters are generally $15-$25.

Do all the taxis have rear shoulderbelts?

We have a Go, which we used for travel with our older daughter until she outgrew it in five-point harness mode. (It was perfect when she got too big for a harnessed seat on an airplane, but not old enough for a plain booster in the rental car at the destination.) It does sound like the Go would be perfect for you (if you can learn to install it reasonably quickly so you don't lose your life savings while the meter is running!) It is super-light and comes with a carrying bag. And because the bottom can be installed with either a seatbelt or with lower anchors, you can use whichever is easier in that particular cab, although as a PP said, you do need top tether anchors. If most of the cabs have top tether anchors, and if it's not a big deal to wait for another cab if the one you hail lacks anchors, then I would think that's your best bet. Especially if you're *also* carrying around a baby and a Roundabout!

I don't think anyone has mentioned the Safety 1st Intera yet. It is a combination seat that can be used as a high back booster or a no-back booster. I think it would be another good option for you to consider because you can take it apart and use the harnessed shell part separate from the base and it makes a very nice, lightweight, and skinny seat to harness to 40 lbs. It also has very tall top slots for a 40 lb weight limit seat, so kids definitely don't outgrow it in height before they reach 40 lbs, like sometimes happens in other convertible seats. And it is very easy to install when it is used without the base (with the base can be another story - that makes it heavy, wide, and possibly more difficult to install.) Once your daughter reaches 40 lbs and outgrows the harness, she can use it without the harness as a high back booster and eventually the base can be used as a no back booster. It can also basically become two seats in one. Eventually you would be able to use the base as a backless booster and the harnessed shell part for your younger child, simultaneously. The Go would be lighter & probably quicker to install, but I think this would be a good option, too. When used forward facing without the base, the Intera is a very user friendly seat IMO. You can see it here: http://www.specialtybaby.com/sa1stincocar.html

Okay, you need one for your car, and one for taxis? You have your son covered, right? Roundabout for your car, Sit N Stroll for cabs?

Daughter- Since she is in it so infrequently, and is fairly small for a 2.5 year old, I think an Evenflo Bolero would work well in YOUR car. It will keep her harnessed until 40 pounds, then makes a nice booster. Or you could pass it to your son harnessed when he outgrows the Roundabout and buy something else for her.
For cabs, I would still go with the Safeguard GO. According to the website (and they show a video of it) it can be installed in less than a minute. All the cabs I used in NYC had LATCH in the two outboard positions, and talking to my friends in NYC, they've never had a problem getting a LATCH equipped cab. LATCH has been standard for over four years now, and looking at how and how much taxis drive, I think it's fairly unlikely to find many that are over 4 years old. The GO will also be very small and lightweight, so you won't be schlepping a big car seat around.
Another option might be a Cosco Tote N Go. It runs about $30 and it's not great, but you can put the thing in your purse when you're not in the car. It's hard to get a good install with, and i wouldn't use it on a regular basis, but it's a decent niche seat that might work out for you.