need advice

Unregistered · Mar 8, 2007

My son is 31 lbs and almost 39" tall he is almost to tall for his carseat Graco comfort sport which goes to 40". I really don't want to buy a ton of carseats but the booster ones seems to light. Should I stick w/5 point harness? I don't want to spend over $100 if possible. He will be 3 yrs old in June. TIA

Victorious4 · Mar 9, 2007

The minimum recommendation to move kids into a booster is 4 years & (not or) 40 pounds -- according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration + American Academy of Pediatrics (unfortunately, many Peds are not aware of their own AAP policy statement)....

There are often various ways to rearrange finances to afford a safer seat, maybe we can help with some ideas? I personally have gone so far as selling an item of furniture for the sake of my child's safety

The lower priced extended harnessing seats include the Sunshine Kids Radian & Cosco Apex. Higher priced options include the Britax Regent & Recaro Young Sport.

Radian is difficult to install (have a technician help you)
Apex is flimsy & therefore requires tall vehicle seatbacks or adjustable vehicle head rests
Regent has the highest weight & height limits
Recaro only has 40# weight limit but taller harness slots than your current seat & becomes one of the safest boosters available

Although the Recaro is expensive, you may save $ in the long run if you compare the option of buying one of the other seats for harness + a dedicated booster eventually. The Apex also becomes a booster, but it does not offer the excellent level of side impact protection as Recaro.

The "best" seat fits the child, fits the vehicle & is always used correctly!
What is your vehicle year/make/model

scatterbunny · Mar 9, 2007

Yes, he needs to stay harnessed for some time to come--until at least 4 years old, preferably 5-6 years old.

What vehicle do you drive (year, make and model)? Are your son's shoulders still below the top slots on the ComfortSport?