Highback vs backless booster pros/cons?

[tankgirl73]

My daughter will be 5 in December.  She's not quite 40lbs yet, has been 38lbs and holding for, oh, nearly a year now I think lol... So we're not switching her to a booster yet -- we will use her 5pt harness until she outgrows her seats (Radian in one car and TruFit in the other, at 43.5" she's still got a good way to go) but when she's 40lbs we'd like to get a booster to use when travelling in someone else's car, like her aunt and uncle or grandma, and it will be much easier than moving the convertible!  :)

I think, as I understand it, that high-back boosters are recommended for younger kids and for cars without back seat headrests.  Our cars do have headrests in the back.  So does she count as "young" as boosters go?  She will probably be 5 before we're using it... and even then, it won't be on a regular basis, until she's even older and outgrows her convertible seats.

I'm also aware that you can get high-back boosters that have the option of removing the back to use as a backless.  This might be an option for us, but at the same time, I see it as just one more piece of clutter that will need to be dealt with when we're not using the back... and if it would be okay for us to use a backless from the start anyway, then why bother with that big extra piece if we're not going to use it?

For backless, I think we'd be looking at the Clek Ozzi, I like how it latches in so we don't have to worry about it being a projectile when she's not in the car.  For a highback, maybe just the Turbobooster?  I know it's popular, but that's what my niece used and I've had to put it in our car and I wasn't fond of it.  

[chel]

I loved the tb for my dd1. The only reason we would ever use it backless is when traveling(less to pack) or when dd outgrew the back height wise.
I just like how the back part holds the shoulder belt so nicely.

[TiredX2]

The boosters with backs tend to give a little bit more support.  This comes in handy especially for napping or longer distances.  If you are having the booster just for short, irregular trips the backless one may be fine (especially if it will be in the middle of the car--- I would also be concerned about side impact protection).  When my kids got to booster age I bought several extra backless ones so we could give rides or make it east to take one along for field trips.  With a younger child, though, they're usually more comfy in the ones with a back (you can check in your individual car, though--- for DS he prefered using a back in one car and not the other just because of how the seat fit him).

[tankgirl73]

Thanks!  And you know what, I just this afternoon (while chatting about our options with hubby) remembered that we HAVE a booster seat.  It was given to us by a relative a couple years ago and is just sitting in our storage/junk room.  I'm 99% sure it's still fine as far as expiry but of course I'll doublecheck.

It is a backless, so I'm thinking we'll use that as the "quick thing to put in someone else's car" booster, and then we may end up getting the turbobooster highback as the "permanent" model in my car.  There's a pink one, and she's QUITE insistent that she wants that one and wants it NOW lol... she even went and weighed herself and came back persistently announcing that she was 40.0 lbs (that's fully dressed though).  "I want to use the SEAT BELT!" she says.  "IN PINK!" she confirms.  Heh.