Any Jeep or similar size SUV owners? Booster rec

mbritto4

My DD is almost 4, and is currently in a Britax Frontier in my car and a Britax convertible in MHs Grand Cherokee. Problem is now due to her sister's infant seat only fitting behind the passenger (MH is over 6ft) she's got almost no leg room behind the driver. What car belt booster do you recommend if you have a similar suv? She's over 40lb and 40 inches so according to the carseat tech I spoke to she could get a regular high back booster. My car is the primary so I don't plan to get another frontier. She's started playing with the 5 point system so her days in a 5 point may be limited anyways, because the tech pointed out it's not better for her if she unclips it. I've got a booster my cousin used (still good expiration wise) but she tends to "submarine" and try to escape it without undoing the belt when we tried it in her grandparents car.

penguingrrl

She doesn't sound like she's ready for the responsibility of riding in a booster yet if she's trying to unbuckle her harness and sliding under the seatbelt when riding in a booster. And under 4 it's really not recommended to switch to a booster yet. Not sure what tech told you it's okay to switch at that age and maturity level, but it sounds like misinformation at best, a dangerous situation at worst. A kid is ready for booster when they are at least 4 years old at least 40 lbs and most importantly have the maturity to sit correctly in the booster 100% of the time. While she meets the bare minimum weight requirement, it sounds like she is missing the most critical element of being able to take responsibility for her own safety.

I would recommend an evenflo maestro. It's only $80, harnesses to 50 lbs and a fairly tall height (not as tall as a frontier, but as tall as a graco nautilus) and becomes a booster once she's ready.

mbritto4

It's mostly her getting annoyed by the strap between her legs, then she tries to unlatch it. I'd read some seats were better about preventing submarining so was just curious. The weekend we tried the booster (it's a basic Evenflo removable back one) was the same weekend her sister was born. She usually is good in the car. Her current convertible really does not fit well in MHs car so that's why I'm considering a booster. Will check out that one.

penguingrrl

I would definitely check out the maestro. I'm pretty sure it's much lower profile than most convertible carseats, so it should fit comfortably for her. I definitely think that if as recently as 3 weeks ago she wasn't behaving in a booster I  would hold off. I understand your reasoning that it was the weekend her sister was born and so her behavior was off a bit, she would need to show that she can behave well even if something external is affecting her behavior before I'd let her ride in a booster with any frequency. Most kids aren't mature enough for booster use until somewhere between ages 5 and 6.