Britax Frontier 85

The Britax Frontier 85, like all Britax car and booster seats, receives rave reviews for comfort, safety and features. One big advantage of the Frontier is its high 85-pound weight limit in five-point-harness mode. The booster seat mode (which uses the vehicle's lap and shoulder belt) works for kids up to 120 pounds and 65 inches tall. Its nine-year expiration date ensures that the seat really will last that long (most seats expire after six years, due to possible degradation of the plastic and other parts and changing safety standards). You can't use this seat rear-facing, but for toddlers and preschoolers who are ready to sit facing forward, CarSeatBlog.com calls the Frontier 85 "the last seat your child will ever need." If you don't need the Frontier 85's extremely high weight limits, the cheaper Graco Nautilus 3-in-1 (*Est. $160) booster seat can keep kids harnessed up to 65 pounds and gets equally good reviews for safety, comfort and ease of use.

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety has some noteworthy coverage of this year's top booster seats. The IIHS is the only reviewer to perform fit testing on the Britax Frontier 85. CarSeatBlog.com has a lengthy and detailed technical review of the Frontier 85, written by a child-passenger safety technician. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration rates dozens of booster seats for ease of use, including the Britax Frontier 85. While owners aren't necessarily experts, user reviews at Amazon.com and Buzzillions.com are a good way to gauge installation, comfort and ease of use.