Point me in a direction, any direction please! (boosters)

[SweetTeach]

Trying to figure out what booster to get for my 4 yo. He's very tall and heavy, 52 pounds and 44 inches. We have a Volvo station wagon. Is there a thread here that discusses pros/cons of different boosters? I'm overwhelmed ATM and trying to use the recent safety rating thing that came out in Dec as a starting point but I feel like I don't have enough info to really make an informed decision.

Any thoughts?
Thanks in advance.

[npl]

Firstly, do you need a booster particularly? Is he ready for a booster full-time or would a high-weight harness seat be more suitable for him? I had kids who were ready to be in a booster around age 4, but I hear that many kids are not developmentally ready to sit correctly for a whole car-ride without a 5-pt harness.
I like the Graco Turbo-booster (high back) because it's really easy to adjust. We can switch the same one between 3 kids of v. different sizes really easily by adjusting the headrest, and it's easy to get threaded correctly. Even my 10yo and 8yo are now able to do it themselves. But, we bought them because we needed something super-narrow to fit 3-across in our sedan with a convertible. Not sure how well your kid will fit in it, as mine started to fill the seat width-wise at around 60lbs - they still fit, but not much room to grow if they get wider! (But, not an issue for us, because the older can fit in our van without in some positions, and the middle kid will, soon!)
Hope someone else can point you in the direction of other boosters that might be suitable, but I'd seriously consider taking him to try one out.

[Twinklefae]

For a big, tall kid I've heard the Sunshine Kids Monterey recommended. It has higher weight/height restrictions than the Turbo Booster.

The most important thing is the fit of the booster. The lap portion of the belt should be on the thighs, and the shoulder portion over the shoulder.

That said, what seat is he in now? Is he outgrowing it?

[chickabiddy]

The IIHS booster ratings were *not* safety ratings -- they were ratings of how well the boosters fit the 6yo test dummy. Your child seems not to be shaped like the test dummy, so those ratings would not be relevant to you.

Is he just-turned-four or closer to five? What seat is he in now and how does it fit him?

[Maedze]

At his age, I would not recommend a belt positioning booster for a primary seat. I've honestly never met a 4 year old boy with the maturity to sit correctly in a booster 100% of the time.

He would benefit from a combination seat that makes a good harnessed seat now and a good booster later The Graco Nautilus and the Britax Frontier are both decent options for that