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booster seats for kids 4+?

SoonToBeMrsDTSSoonToBeMrsDTS member
in D.C. Area Babies

DD is 5 and 38 lbs. I've been holding out on the booster seat until she hits 40 which I'm hoping is before this baby gets here because she can't unbuckle her 5-point carseat and I'm going to have to put her seat in the back of my van. 

I have been reading about the different booster seats and I keep reading/hearing conflicting things. Some say that the backless ones are safer and some say that belt-positioning high-back ones are safer. Anyone have any advice or recommendations for a good seat? 

Married 7.9.05
DD1 9.24.06
DS 7.1.08
twins due 9.7.11 lost twin A at
DD2 4.7.12
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Re: booster seats for kids 4+?

  • preissless1preissless1
    This link seems to have some good discussion/answers about it.  I think that the high back boosters provide more protection in the event of a crash on the head supports & side shell.
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  • ArtslvrArtslvr

    We still have DD #1 (well over 40 lbs.) in her Britax Frontier. 

    Both my girls (almost-5 and almost-3) are in the third row of our minivan - with 1 year old DS in the second row - and while it takes a few minutes to get everyone buckled in, it's doable. 

    We have the second row middle seat out, with DS's carseat (rear facing) in one of the second row seats and slid/pushed towards the middle.  That makes some space on one side of the van for me to plant one knee and reach back to un/buckle DD #2.  I then walk to the other side to reach back and buckle in DD #1- on that side I have to actually crawl up into the van and stand bent over to buckle and unbuckle her because there is a seat there on that side of the second row, but we have the back of that seat always bent down so the seat is kind of a half seat.

    It's a PIA but I haven't wanted to make the switch to the backless kind yet.  I don't have any real rationale as to why.

    Wife, Musician, Fed, WW-er, and Mom of three little kids - not necessarily in that order.
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  • amh_navyblueamh_navyblue

    I don't have the minivan/third seat issue, but we have both girls (ages 2 and 5) in the Graco Nautilus 3 in 1.  We got our first one for free through DH's work that DD#1 has been in since she was about 2.5 y.o. and when we bought a second car late last year, we bought 2 more for the new car.  The benefit of this seat is that it offers the 5 point harness, then transitions to a high-backed booster and then ultimately a regular booster, so for a $140 or so, you have a car seat that lasts pretty much as long as you need something (once you're out of the rear facing stage).  When we were setting up the seats in the new car, I did some pretty thorough reading of the instructions for the booster seat option since I figured DD#1, who is tall, might be ready for a non-5-point harness set up. Turns out that she's not. In considering what seat for your LOs, you have to consider both weight and height (along with age since at least in VA, you are required to have kids in some sort of car seat/booster seat until they are 8).  Remember that seat belts are built for adults, not kids. The booster seat without a back is helping to raise the kid up to be better protected by the seat belt.  A booster seat with a back will help position that seat belt, so I would say that the high backed seat is offering both better protection in the case of a crash because there is more seat around the kid AND because the seat belt will be better placed.

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