Car seat

[Unregistered]

Hi I live in lafayette Indiana. I am a mom of 6 and I'm in need of a good safe car seat for my 3 year old. We had a high back booster seat but he's not ready for it. He keeps climbing out of it. I am terrified he will get hurt if we would get in a wreck. With winter coming and ice on the roads what can I do to get help in getting him a car seat to be safe while we were out please let me know. I'm in desperate need thank you

 

[LISmama810]

Hi, there! You're correct that a booster seat typically isn't a good choice for a 3-year-old.

When you say you need help with the seat, do you need help with recommendations, or financial assistance? If you need recommendations, post back with your vehicle, your child's height and weight, and your budget, and we can give you some ideas.

If you need financial assistance, your best bet is probably contacting your local SafeKids group. It looks like there's one in your area: http://www.preventinjury.org/Safe-Kids-Indiana/Chapters-Coalitions If they don't have seats to distribute, they can probably point you to other local resources in your area.

 

[jjordan]

Hello and welcome to car-seat.org! Your sense that your 3 year old is not safe in a high back booster at this point is spot-on. Not only are 3 year olds not mature enough to sit properly in a booster (as you have noticed!), but their skeletons are not developed to the point where the seatbelt's 3 points of contact (shoulder and 2 hips) provide enough protection. A 3 year old needs to be in a harnessed seat in order to be protected in the car. A high back booster is a safe choice for a child who is at least 4 years old (for skeletal maturity) AND is mature enough to sit still in the booster (which usually happens around age 5-7).

So, instead of a booster, you should be looking for a harnessed seat, either a convertible (one that can go forward or rear facing), or a combination seat. Since you won't be using the rear-facing capabilities of the seat, a convertible is probably not the best choice, unless you DO want to have your child rear facing, or if you want to use the seat for another child in a rear facing position (maybe a niece/nephew, babysitting charge, or future child).

Assuming that you do want a combination seat, there are lots of good options, with different features. Generally speaking, spending more money will get you a seat with nicer "finishes," that may last longer, and/or be easier to use properly. A good starting point for your shopping is the list of recommended seats on carseatblog.com.

Since your child is not adequately protected by a booster, I would try to make a quick decision and purchase, and limit car trips as much as possible until the new seat is ready for use. Amazon usually has good prices, and quick shipping (paying for 1 or 2 day shipping is probably a good decision if you can't limit travel for very long).

Please post back if you have questions about specific seats!

 

[1mommy]

I would suggest looking into the Evenflo SureRide, its a convertible so it rear-faces too, but even if you dont need to pass down the car seat to another child in the future, it is an extermly long lasting seat so if you have a tall child it will last you until they are ready for a booster. Its also under $100 which with 6 children I am sure money is tight. It is also called the Titan 65.