Where can i find a car booster seat that can be adjusted in height for a shorter child?

Question

my child is a small, light four year old and im finding it hard to find a booster seat

Answer 1

Actually - if you're finding you can't adjust the seat small enough, that's a great big sign that he is way too small to be in one! The bare minimum for safe (and legal) booster use is 40lbs AND 4 years old. If he is 4, but less than 40lbs, he belongs in a 5 point harness. Also, most 4 year olds aren't yet ready for full time booster use, it is much wiser and safer to wait until a child is 5-6 years old. The spine does not fully solidify until about 6 years of age, and they don't have well enough developed impulse control until then either. A child must:

1)be able to sit up, not leaning forward or to the sides for the entire trip. Part of what a 5 point harness does is put the child in the proper position and hold them there. The seatbelt (a 3 point harness) won't do this effectively

2)have the shoulder belt go across their shoulder, NOT their neck

3)have the lap belt part go across the top of their thighs, NOT their belly.

So, if he too tall for whatever 40lbs harnessed seat you have, you are looking at purchasing another 5 point harness seat that will keep him harnessed another couple of years. Yes, I realize most people find it quite 'inconvenient' to still be doing 5 point harnesses on their kids, but let's be blunt: how much more 'inconvenient' is it to plan your child's funeral, when you could possibly have prevented it?

There are a few great options out there now for keeping kids harnessed as long as possible:

1)Graco Nautilus. This one gets my vote every time. Brand new seat - only in Walmart (by the end of January should be in every Walmart) now, by the end of February its expected in Target and possibly others. $150. Harnesses to 65lbs, has 19" top slots. Will keep most kids harnessed to age 7-8 years. And then it becomes a high back turbobooster and then a low back booster. Also has a cup holder and little pocket for toys. Awesome seat.

2)Sunshine Kids Radian65 - little pricier, but if you need a car seat that is narrow this one fits the bill. Definitely a try before you buy, or check the online return policy where you buy it from - it doesn't always install well. Didn't work in my car b/c I have forward of the bight seatbelts. (My belt buckle comes out from my vehicle seat bottom, not from the crack between seat bottom and seat back like most)

3)Britax Regent - another AWESOME seat, will keep kids harnessed a little longer than the Nautilus, but does not become a booster seat. Its padded and plush and generally easy to install. You can't beat Britax for quality, especially if you will have another child to hand it down to (remembering of course, that it expires 6 years after date of manufacture!) $269 retail, but Britax is having one of their semiannual sales from February 24 - March 2. You could snag a Britax seat for $200 or less including shipping!

So to sit in a booster and use just the seatbelt like an adult (basically a booster just fits the belt to the child,so it's essentially the same), they need to be able to not have the lapbelt cause those injuries, have the head proportionate like an adult, and have a solid spine like an adult. kids under age 5 have higher rates of head injury if they are riding in boosters than kids over age 5 (presumably because younger kids have heavier/larger heads in proportion to their bodies, so they fly forward farther or with greater force, thus incurring greater injury if/when they come in contact with vehicle interior or intrusion?).

Answer 2

Try this site and it will help you.

http://www.aap.org/family/carseatguide.h...