A good car seat/ booster seat for my 2 year old??

Question

I have an Eddie Bower one, but I need another one for my husbands truck, I dont want it to be to expensive aas this is a work truck and it isnt the cleanest vehicle. But I want safety. ANy Ideas?

Answer 1

Well - to be honest you may not like my answer. :( But I wouldn't base how much I'm spending on whether it will get dirty or not. Most will get dirty anyways b/c of the grubby little kid in them a lot. lol Unfortunately those Eddie Bauer 3-in-1 seats are outgrown very early, at 2-3 years old. So my first advice would be to check to make sure your child actually still fits in it. On those seats, you can NOT use the top harness slots. The top headrest position is for booster mode only, the slots are not reinforced and would the child would go flying in an accident if they are using the harness on the highest position. Also, it only goes to 40lbs, after that you must remove the harness and use as a booster. Keep in mind the bare minimum for safe booster use is 40lbs AND 4 years old, and experts say not to use a booster until a child is at least 5-6 years old and 40lbs.

All that said - for a 2-3 year old there are some great options now. You want to get a seat that will become a booster so you won't have to buy another later? Then your main 2 options for under $200 are:

Graco Nautilus - $150 or less depending upon the sales, GREAT seat! Harnesses to 65lbs then becomes a great booster with side impact protection, and later even becomes a no back booster. Will be the last seat you have to buy. Unlike that Eddie Bauer job that makes a cruddy booster b/c it doesn't adjust high enough. :(

OR - the Safety1st Apex65 - $100-$120 - don't as highly recommend this one b/c its not as easy to use and the top slots aren't as tall, so you won't get as much use out of it. (top slots are 17 inches, the top slots on the Nautilus are 19") Also, the vehicle's headrests MUST go at least as high as the middle of the Apex65 headrest in fully extended position. This is b/c the Apex65 back has no reinforced support, so requires support from the vehicle's seatback or your child risks major head/neck injuries.

Answer 2

Well, at my biglots they have a nice tan and black one made by cosco- it's a front facing high backed booster and it still has a five point harness for safety, and it was only 32 dollars. And with the black and tan you won't be so worried about dirt :D They have similar ones at walmart for around 40.

Good luck