Help: Carseats (I know this has been asked before)

KRT

DD will be 4 in early November and only weighs 27 pounds (Yes!  She is a peanut!).  DS will be 1 in December and I need to transition him from his infant seat to DDs convertible carseat (rear facing for him based on new recommendations) because he is getting to heavy for the infant seat.

Can someone please recommend their booster seat.  I need one that is for kids 25 lbs and up.

b06.25.05

I would get the Graco Nautilus -- then she can stay in a 5 point harness longer.  At 27 pounds, she really shouldn't be in a high-back booster yet.  The benefit of the Nautilus is that is converts from a harnessed seat to a high-back to a backless booster, so it will be the last seat you will probably need to purchase for her.  We have two for my 3 year old (37 pounder) and he/we love them. 

AgrippaRidesAgain

b06.25.05:

I would get the Graco Nautilus -- then she can stay in a 5 point harness longer.  At 27 pounds, she really shouldn't be in a high-back booster yet.  The benefit of the Nautilus is that is converts from a harnessed seat to a high-back to a backless booster, so it will be the last seat you will probably need to purchase for her.  We have two for my 3 year old (37 pounder) and he/we love them. 

DItto this.  DS is in a Nautilus and I am planning on keeping him in it for a long time.  He's little too.  Not as small as your DD, but at almost 3.5, he's around 28 lbs.  The Nautilus should last him for pretty much forever.  We'll be getting one for DD after she hits 2 also.

penguingrrl

At under 30 lbs she has to be in a five point harness. There is no belt positioning booster rated for kids under 30 lbs. You have a few options, which all convert to high back boosters later.

Britax Frontier: this seat is likely overkill for you. It is a harness up to 20 inch torso height and 80 or 85 lbs then becomes the highest high back booster on the market, getting  most kids to a height to skip a backless booster and go straight to the car's seat. Known to fit most kids as a booster very well.

Graco Nautilus: this seat harnesses to 18 inch torso and 65 lbs then becomes both a high back and backless booster. But, this seat is hit or miss in terms of belt fit for a booster, and tends not to fit slimmer children well. 

Evenflo Maestro: harnesses to 18 inches and 50 lbs, which will probably be great for your daughter's purposes. It becomes a high back booster, but is outgrown as a booster very soon after the harness is outgrown for height. You'll need to plan on buying a dedicated booster later, but this seat and a separate graco turbobooster combined will cost less than a nautilus or frontier.

Recaro Prosport: I don't know much about this seat, but it's also a well rated harness to booster

There are a few other harness to booster seats on the market (cosco makes one and the evenflo chase are the two that come to mind, I think there may be others as well) but those are known for either having very low top harness straps, low weight limits or a very poor booster fit, so the ones I listed are the best bets and them in descending price order.

kmhunt11

We have 2 Graco Nautiluses and love them.  The one in my car still has 5-point harness, and the one in DH's car we've converted to the high-backed booster and use the seatbelt.  Both options work fine.  DD is 3.5 and 33 pounds- normal height and relatively slim.  The Nautilus also converts to just a booster (no back), so you really never will need to buy another one.  

KRT

You all are awesome!  Thanks so much for the info!

fjaril

We have the Recaro Prosport and LOVE it.

We tried the graco, but couldn't get it tight enough in our car. I also much prefer the seat belt style latch clips than the weird metal hook on the graco.

The harness is rated up to 59 inches and 90 pounds and the w/out the harness the booster is rated to 59 inches and 120 pounds. 

We have three!

https://www.amazon.com/RECARO-ProSPORT-Combination-Harness-Booster/dp/B003S8750Y

alake

My girls are four and five and a half.

Youngest: 34 pounds, 37 inches, and 13 inch torso

Oldest: 44 pounds, 42 inches, 14 inch torso.

They ride in Frontier XT's.  We love the car seats.  We move tomorrow from Canada to Florida, and if I could we would be bringing their seats with us.  It isn't allowed.  We have ordered to different types of seats for the girls.  For in my truck, they are getting a Prosport in Hannah each.  They both are harnessed.  The older one could be in a booster, but she doesn't want to be in one.  In my fiancee's truck they will be riding in Frontier 85's in Cowmooflage.  I have let them choose the seats that they are moving into.  They are at the age where there opinion counts.  Nautilus's are fine seats, but I find that the tightner will stop working after a while.  These were the seats that our girls had before there Frontier's.  We used them until they stuck, and switched them up.  They will be boostered until they don't want to be in their harness anymore.  car-seat.org has lots of information on car seats.  I hope that helps.

jlw2505

Before you make the decision to switch DD to a booster, make sure she is mature enough to handle it and only you can decide that.  Booster seat fit has to do way more with height than anything.  You want to make sure you have a back booster and that shoulder strap sits on her shoulder  not on her neck and that your DD stays put and is not moving around a ton.  If she is a mover, you might want to consider getting a 5 point harness ones that will later switch to a regular booster seat.  My older DD uses the basic Graco booster seat that we got at Target and we will use the same one with younger DD when she is ready.  This is the one that the back can be removed later when the girls get to be tall enough (which is not going to happen for a long time as they are not the tallest kids out there).  Oh and with the height, you need to see them in the seat as the height is from waist to shoulder not just the general height while standing as a child who has really long legs might still not be tall enough for the booster seat.