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Toddlers: 24 Months+
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booster seat for 4 year old

rmrmrmrm member
in Toddlers: 24 Months+
Would love any suggestions as a starting place for my research . . .both of my kids are in britax convertible seats right now.

thoughts about backless vs those with backs? I assume the ones with backs/sides are safer but i'm having trouble seeing my son as an 8 year old in one of these.

Thanks!
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Re: booster seat for 4 year old

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    JENandJEHJENandJEH member
    At 4, I would be looking for a combination seat which is a high back booster that has a 5-pt harness that can be removed when they're ready to use as a booster.  DS1 was in a 5-pt harness until he was 1 month shy of 6 years old.  He wasn't mature enough to sit properly 100% of the time in a booster until then.  He was in a Graco Nautilus.  At almost 7, he's in a high back booster.  He doesn't mind it at all and actually likes that he has the sides for when he falls asleep on road trips.  

    I would look at the Graco Nautilus, Harmony Defender, and Britax Frontier/Pioneer.  If you're on Facebook, check out Car Seats for the Littles.  They are a wonderful wealth of knowledge and can help you find the best seat for your child/vehicle/price range.
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    rmrmrmrm member
    thank you! that is really helpful.
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    tbmadeamistaketbmadeamistake member
    The diono radians are also great for older kids and convert from the harness to the seat belt when used as a booster.

    Married DH 7/30/11

    CSC arrived 5/7/12 

    CHC arrived 6/2/14

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    JENandJEHJENandJEH member
    Just a note about the Radians - they are great seats BUT are typically outgrown as a booster the same time the harness is outgrown by height.  Just something to be aware of if you like that seat and plan to use it as a booster after using with the harness.  (Many seats are touted as being longer lasting than they truly are...kids are built different and a lot of times, kids with long torsos will outgrow seats earlier than expected based off of manufacturers stated limits.)
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    ASmallWonderASmallWonder member
    Hiya, car seat technician here :)  You definitely want a combination seat, as mentioned above but if your kiddo still fits in the convertible forward facing, that's every bit as safe as a combination seat so you may not need to switch at all at this point.  Kiddos don't have the maturity to sit correctly in a booster until closer to 6 years old, despite the age and size minimums listed on most boosters.  
    Formerly known as elmoali :)

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    g8trkimg8trkim member
    We have a Nautilus and really like it. DS will be 5 in April and we plan on keeping it with the harness for as long as we feel appropriate. Sometimes he sits in his sister's convertible too which has a 65 lb weight limit. There's really no reason for you to get a new seat unless it's expired or you need it for a younger kid or something.




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