Ok ok, you all talked me out of it
I honestly don't have any idea how she would sit in it at this age.
We started "booster-training" with our dd at about your dd's age, but she was already 41-42 pounds at that time, and we didn't have a ton of seats on the market that would have worked for her height and weight, and in dh's vehicle. So at first, dh only took her to the store a few blocks away, about a 3-minute drive. We always talk about car safety, so she knew what was expected, but of course she wasn't perfect at that age.
We gradually increased the length of the trips as she got older and more capable of sitting still. At 4y3mo we tried going to a booster full-time and it was pretty much a disaster. She did okay for 20-30 minute trips, but nothing longer. We re-harnessed her, and I didn't feel she was mature enough for a booster for long trips until around her 6th birthday. Even so, we recently went back to a Regent for longer trips, and now she's choosing it over her booster more often than not.
Anyway, I just wanted to put that out there, to let you know how my child did in a booster at that age. I really believe the booster-training helped in our situation. If I had kept her harnessed without the option of riding in a booster from age 4-6, and just moved her at 6, she would have been just as wiggly then as she was at age 3-4, because she was testing her limits in a new, more free situation.
And as for a situation like Tiffany mentioned, I completely agree with her: if the caregiver is capable of using a harnessed seat and the child is within the limits of the booster, using the booster would be the safer choice (rather than using a harnessed seat incorrectly).
She's absolutely right about this.
A correctly used booster is safer than an incorrectly used harness, but if they are capable of using a harness then kiddo should not be prematurely graduated.
I was just thinking, if I could get something cheaper that would still last awhile.... are there any cheap(er) higher (than 40 lbs) weigh harness seats that cost around $60-$80?
For $60-$80, there really isn't a seat that harnesses over 40 pounds; the cheapest I've seen the Apex is $80, but I haven't seen that price in quite awhile. The cheapest I can find right now is
$110 at Albee Baby. The Apex requires vehicle head support at least up to the tops of the child's ears at all times (the carseat headrest itself is not strong enough to provide that necessary head support).
However, like a previous poster mentioned, a seat like the Evenflo Chase might work just fine for grandma. It's about $60 last time I checked, has pretty tall top slots and a 40# harnessed limit. If your dd is a pretty consistent grower, she should be 4.5-5 before she hits 40 pounds, and hopefully mature enough for rare booster rides. The Chase has a unique harness adjuster, though, directly on the front of the harness, right next to the chest clip, and some folks don't like that. I just checked on the price of this seat and came up with
$60 for the LX version and
$69.95 for the DLX version.
The
Graco Ultra CarGo is also a nice 40# option, with tall top slots. It has deeper side wings than the Evenflo Chase, and a traditional harness adjuster located on the front/bottom of the seat. The CarGo can be found for $80 (free shipping at Amazon, with the link above).
Neither the Chase or CarGo have adjustable headrests, so they don't last as long in booster mode as some others. The shoulderbelt guides on these also aren't the greatest, and they are located on the wings of the seat, which can position the belt too far away from some slim children. I like to think of these seats as harnessed-only/booster-in-an-emergency seats, but really, booster mode can be okay if it truly fits the child.
The
Evenflo Generations is a bit more, around $100, but it's a step up from the Evenflo Chase in that it converts to a pretty nice highback booster once the harness is outgrown because it has a height-adjustable headrest. It still has the 40# harnessed limit.
The
Graco Nautilus is my first choice for a combination harness/booster, though, because it has taller top slots than any of the other seats in that category, a higher harnessed weight limit, makes a good highback booster and also converts to a backless booster, can be LATCHed in booster mode, and is easy to install and use correctly, in my experience.
My economical side loves the Nautilus, too, because it does so many things, and actually does them
well.
It eliminates the need for another highback and backless booster later. With a $60-$80 Chase or CarGo, you only get to harness to 40 pounds, then most likely will want to buy a dedicated highback booster for $50-$120. You end up spending $110-$200 going that route, when the Nautilus is only $130-$150, harnesses to 65# and also converts to a backless booster.
Is it possible to take grandma seat-shopping with you to try some of these out? I just know that some seats are easier to use than others, and what's easy for me might not be easy for you, so it might be nice to get her opinion on things like the Chase's harness adjuster.