car seat issue

You should probably switch to one of those convertable ones with chest restraints for small children and the lap belt for older ones. This is the kind we use, because we have 3 still small enough to use that kind. one is still an infant at 18 months and very tiny and we use the 5 point harness restraint on her and the other 2 are now into the lap belt. That way, we can use the same seat for all three, and not worry if we are using the correctone. You can probably get a good one at a second hand baby supply store for very little money. I think we got all three that we have for about $25 each. and they are still new enough to be accepted by the carseat laws. If my daughters are going on a long trip together, they strap all 3 kids in with the shoulder harness, just for safety's sake.

I know that this must truly be a pain. I also had a two door car when I had my daughter and it was heck trying to get my daughter in and out of the car from the back seat into and out of her car seat. If I was you, I would call my local law enforcement and explain the situation to them and see what they advise you to do. I know you want your daughter to be safe but they should be able to guide you in the proper prcedure for your child's weight, age and height. good luck. I hope they can help you figure something out that will be less painful for you both.

Both of our booster seats say 30+lbs. My son got his first one at 2 1/2 when he was like 35lbs. The one we got also had harness straps and he used those until he was 3 1/2. He was over 40lbs by then and started using the car seat belt with the booster. My oldest moved into his old seat last summer when she was 6. She only weighed 33lbs. She used the harness straps until recently. She will be 7 this month but is still only 35lbs but I got tired of listening to her scream for the entire car ride about the straps. My 4yo is 38lbs and still uses a 5pt harness--either a booster or her old convertible seat (depending on what car we are in). I would go look at a booster with harness straps in it. Ours is an Evenflo (all our seats are). I think we got it for less then $50 about 3 1/2 years ago.

I would switch her over to a booster seat, the ones with the straps what go over her arms and between her legs. That is what my son is in and he is two, he is big for his age sp I swithed his car seats a few weeks ago. And I think at 3 the regular booster seat that uses the car's seat belt would be okay too. You might be able to go to your local fire department and see if they have a car seat for you, they check car seats for free here in the US to make sure it is installed properly in your car.