is anyone up? im confused.

It's been a while since I've been here. I learned all about ERF here... but now as my son gets older, I feel confused. I read this thread: http://www.car-seat.org/showthread.php?t=248949#.Ub1O-zDn8a8 now I feel even more confused. Can I explain our situation and get some opinions?

DS is four years and eight months. We have a frontier 85 in one car and a regent in another. The regent recline bar is missing now because it disappeared while it was being stored in the garage. Anyways... my DS is begging to ride in a booster. Begging. I planned on keeping him harnessed but then I read the above thread and thought... "should I or shouldn't I". I showed DS harness seats babies r us today.. he begged for the red pioneer. anyways here are some ideas I've come up with... What would you do?
1) replace the recline bar on the regent for grandma's car and order a fun new big boy colored cover for the frontier. This would cost about ninety-100 dollar.
2) place the frontier 85 in grandma's car and get a new frontier 90 in a bright color. This would be a good option because the frontier fits better in my mom's corolla then the regent. She also needs a car seat with easy buckles because she has arthritis. This would cost up to 300 dollar... probably less.
3)get a good booster and begin booster training. Or get the secure guard clip and train in the frontier 85
4) another option?
I really could use someone's help... I don't want to make a bad decision... and with all the new seats and information.. I feel a little overwhelmed. Some say too booster some say to extend harnessing? What should I do? also the picture in my siggy is 2 years old. We is 4 years, eight months, 41 inches and about 38 lbs.
I also don't feel like a booster could possibly be as safe as a harness... what if he slides under the belt, or flies over it, or we have a roll over. Someone please enlighten me... is it really just as safe?

YOur link is broken. This thread? http://www.car-seat.org/showthread.php?t=248949

At that age, none of my children were PERSONALLY even ready to BEGIN riding in a booster part time. In general, I see MOST kids be ready for a booster between 5 1/2 and 7 years old. My kids STARTED learning how to ride in a booster very part time at 5 years 9 months and 5 years 7 months. My just turned 5 year old is NOT ready yet.

I work with an organization that promotes "harness until school age" because it's not until 5-6 that the impulse control even begins to develop.

There's no need to harness typical kids until 9, 10, 12 years old. (There are non-typical kids who have that need for neuro-behavioral or physical reasons, but talking typical kids.) Some will benefit from until 6 or 7, while some are ok boostered at 5. But ideally boostering is a gradual learning process while the harness still fits, so that you can put the kid back in a harness and try again in a few months if he's not ready!

I would suggest buying a cheaper seat if you can't/don't want to spend money on a Frontier, such as the Evenflo Maestro or SecureKid or the Harmony Defender or the Graco Nautilus, and let him try a booster in about a year if you think he's ready, and maybe put the booster in the secondary car where he won't sleep much if he is, then when he's ready to sleep well in a booster go full-time. Or, let him outgrow the Frontier you have, if desired, and/or the other seat; we have no evidence that harnessing longer is detrimental any more than we do that boostering kids who are ready at 5-7 is.

But my point is, you don't have to spend $300 and harness him until he's 9 or anything. Nor do you have to put him straight in a booster at 4 (where did he even get the idea that a booster is better than a harness? friends? Maybe have a talk with him...) There's a happy medium to be found, I'm sure.

Thanks so much. It all began this year because he is the youngest in our little group of kiddos that get together and all the boys besides him are transferring to boosters... at preschool too. But Jude is almost a whole year younger! I told him already that he needs to wait until he is six to ride Olin a booster. But that thread through me for a loop... I wish it was more concrete like ERF... like someone could say that research proves that the div point harness is the safest until blank age and blank weight. I think that waiting until six is a good idea. I've had different seats, because I'm a little bit of a carseat junkie. I've never found anything I've liked as much as the britax seats I've owned. They just work really well for both him and myself. I don't mind spending the money... I just don't know which route to go. Keep their regent or not? The Pioneer? Frontier 85? The new frontier? And what the neck is the difference between those and the pinnacle? What about the recaro?

I've been hounding around searching for a red rock, maui blue or coowmoo frontier 85 and I can't find anything! I checked out the Pioneer and it seemed short... and kind of close in price to the new frontier. Buying a cover seems dumb because it is half the price of a new seat... what would you do?

How tall is his torso? How much does he weigh? There are other harnessed seats out there besides the Frontier. Maestro, Nautilus, Defender, Securekid. Or you could even get a Sureride (which is a convertible with a tall harness) and then sell it and get a booster later.

Yep, we have a Frontier 90 and her old 85 as backup because my 5 year old has a VERY tall torso, and we're planning a SureRide for a travel seat to fly with.

If I wee you I'd get a cheaper seat without hesitation for the rarely used car, then a little before six start letting him learn to use a booster part time but keep him harnessed until 100% ready, whenever that is, most of the time.

we went to babiesrus yesterday and checked out some of the newer seats. We had a nautilus before and I sold it because my mom couldn't do the bottom buckle and because it was hard to lift my son over the cup holders. You know, because it had that buckle you have to slide down. I had him try the secure kid and crotch strap seemed short and he was on the second to last harness slot which was at his shoulders, not above. The new graco seats he was on the last harness slot. We also other seats that don't turn into a booster like the complete air, and the true fit, and he was on the last harness slot on those too. He has short legs and a long torso and is super skinny. We had a Radian and I sold it after he was done RF at 3.5. I thought about the Kiddie shield booster but, he is so close to 40 lbs. that we would only be able to use the shield for like 4 months. That wouldn't even get him to five. I haven't checked out our high end baby shop yet, which has the recaros. I tried a maestro with my mom and she said that the buckle was to hard for her. So we sold it. lol we've been through a ton of seats already. The only one I've kept is the Frontier. She has really bad arthritus. So she either needs a seat he can buckle and unbuckle himself (which is hard to find since he has damaged hand strength due to seizures) or one she can buckle and unbuckle. would it help if I took pictures of him in the seats when I go back to the store???

With a torso like that, I'd probably just get another FR and call it a day. 85 or 90 is your choice but I will say that the install of the 90 is friggin awesome!

We rf till 4, the ds went into a booster in everyone else's car. I taught him the rules and he did really well. He stayed harnessed in my car until he was 5 and then he went into a booster in my car as well. I say do what feels right for you, you know your son well enough to know if he'll behave in a booster or not

my brother asked me if I wanted his parkway with the slide guard/ secure guard clip. It's pink but he just bought a Monterey for my neice. What about using that in Grandma's car??

Your son isn't heavy enough for the PW yet. It's lower limit is 40 lbs. If you want him to use a booster, you'll need to get one with a lower weight limit.

If it were me, I'd harness him longer. My absolute booster minimum is 5yo, but that's pushing it IMO. I know it's also my own issue because I'm so paranoid that I would look in my mirror every two seconds to make sure the child is still sitting properly. That, too, makes it dangerous. My 6y2m old I nanny is still harnessed in my car because he will not sit still in a booster.

My brother gave me the Parkway last night. I have a friend who has a five year old, almost six year old, who she wants to booster train. She has a frontier 85 and a maestro. She said that she would trade me the frontier 85 for the parkway. She's headed over now to check it out. Then she can use the maestro for the harness and the parkway for booster training. This would mean I could have a frontier in both cars without spending 300 bucks!!! I hope she wants to trade!!!