Second car seat/booster advice

4.5 yrs old
31 pounds
42 inches
Long torso. Don't have exact measurement but she's in the second from the top slot on her regent.

I'm looking for a seat to use in dh's car once every couple months.
Would you be comfortable using a belt positioning booster?

edit to add:

96 Monte Carlo. No tether or LATCH.

I'm getting the Safeguard Go for my husband's car. 5pt harness to 65lbs, then converts to a booster.

And my DD has about the same exact measurements as your child, and she's exactly 4.5yrs, too. She weighs a few lbs more is all.

I'm going to get the 2007model, though. The 2008s are out and have a few updates, but I think the 2007 will be good enough, and the prices are dropping. Albeebaby has it for $139 now.

Would I be comfterbal using a booster.... No, I wouldnt. Not at 31lbs. A child that small could slip right out of the belt.

Do you have a budget?

Graco Nautilus . (FF harness/HBB/ LBBooster) 20-65lbs for harness. Top slots are 18 inches high. Converts to a high back booster similar to the Turbo Booster, then to a low back booster. 30-100lbs weight limits in booster mode; booster seat guide is at about 19.5".. 19 inches at the widest point (the base) and 13 inches deep. FAA approved. Built in cup holder and side pockets. The base has two settings and can be slightly reclined. Priced around $150. LATCH limit of 48lbs, Does not allow for LATCH in booster mode. Expected lifespan of 6yrs. should be in all walmarts by end of January. PICTURE:
http://i270.photobucket.com/albums/jj111/Brendan0119/2008gracocarseat004.jpg

This is the first time ever that we've needed another car seat. I doubt it will come up that much more either so I really don't want to spend a whole lot on a seat that's going to get used once or twice.

The newest model of the Safeguard Go is $200. It's why I'm going with the older model. I hate to spend another $130, but I did save a hundred by going with the Nautilus instead of the Regent.

However, the Go is supposed to be super easy to install. My husband won't let me keep a carseat in his car fulltime b/c he lugs folks around for business lunches. The Go will set up quickly, and it has it's own case that it folds up into. (size of a diaper bag)

I can then use it for my mom's car or friends' cars... or when we travel.

It seems like the perfect, safe, 5pt option for us.

I would be pretty reluctant to use a belt positioning booster with a child who weighs only 31 lbs. If it fits the child, budget and the vehicle, the Go is a possible option for an occasional use/travel seat. It has a minimum child weight of 30 lbs. for the original version, and I believe the newer Go model has a lower 22 lb. minimum.

The OP didn't mention what vehicle her DH drives. Just to be sure she and any lurkers are aware, the Go requires a top tether anchor in harnessed mode because the top tether essentially is what holds the Go's seatback up in the car. Think of it as a harnessed vest connected to a lowback belt positioning booster, without as much in the way of side impact protection compared to a carseat with a more standard shell. While the Go is designed for ease of install using LATCH, it can also be installed in harnessed mode using a vehicle seatbelt, but not as easily as a LATCH installation, and a seatbelt installation in harnessed mode still requires a top tether anchor.

A child whose shoulders are at the second set of slots from the top in the Regent is likely to be fairly close to outgrowing the Go's harness by height if it's the original Go model. That's the case with my long torsoed, older DD. Her shoulders were just below the Regent's second slots from the top last spring, and she had just enough room for her shoulders below the original Go model's top shoulder harness position when we used it in a rental car on vacation. The newer, pricier Go model is supposed to have a taller top harness position, but I'm not certain how much taller. I think 18" tall is the number I've seen mentioned for the top harness position in other threads about the new Go design. The top shoulder harness position will also vary somewhat depending on the vehicle seat/vehicle headrest contouring when the Go is installed, and the vehicle's top tether anchor location to some degree.