4Real Forums: Booster Seats

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Topic: Booster Seats

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CrunchyMom
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Posted: July 05 2008 at 10:22am \| IP Logged

I am expecting a new little in September, and we have been planning to move our 4 year old to a booster and give the baby the Britax Decathalon he's been in (it has infant padding a such we can put back in and we used it when the 2 year old was and infant and then switched the 2 year old to the Roundabout when he outgrew the padding).

So, we will finally have to also move the 4 year old to the back seat of the Odyssey. My 4 year old can line up the buckles on the Britax, but he can't quite manage to make the buckles click or unbuckle. He's a pretty strong kid, too, and has excellent fine motor skills.

We were considering the Britax booster that has a five point harness but can convert to a regular booster. However, I would REALLY like for him to be able to fasten the buckles on his own so I don't have to crawl into the back of the van to do buckles.

Has anyone found a booster that they really like that is easier to buckle than the Britax apparently is?

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Lindsay
Five Boys(6/04) (6/06) (9/08)(3/11),(7/13), and 1 girl (5/16)
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SallyT
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Posted: July 05 2008 at 11:59am \| IP Logged

Lindsay, we have a Graco model (can't remember the name of it now) which had a removable 5-point harness system, so that you could use the harness or convert it to a regular booster (with a back) through which a shoulder belt can be threaded. Honestly, even this one is hard for my 4.5yo to buckle herself. My mother has the little backless boosters, also by Graco, which just lift the child up so that the belt fits properly, and both my youngers can buckle themselves in those with no problem. But that may be less seat than you're wanting. We're kind of underachievers in this regard . . . we do want everyone to be safe, but when our oldest was this age, she was riding with one of those Safe Fit things (or nothing but a belt), and nobody batted an eye . . . Things do change quickly in the child-safety arena.

With harnesses and conventional car seats, I've found that my kids could usually learn to buckle themselves IN with no problem (unless the fastenings were really stiff). UNbuckling is another thing altogether. So even if they could fasten the things on one end, I was still climbing back to free them at the other end. Thank goodness for older siblings . . .

Sally

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Mackfam
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Posted: July 05 2008 at 9:42pm \| IP Logged

Lindsay,
We have our 3 1/2 yo in a Komfort Kruiser Belt Positioning Booster in the back of our Odyssey. We just moved him back because I needed to move my 7yo up to the middle of the van since he's been getting headaches and car-sick when we drive anywhere.

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Jen Mackintosh
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Barbara C.
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Posted: July 07 2008 at 1:18pm \| IP Logged

Any type of booster or car seat will need to be adjusted depending on the clothing for the day in order for the child to be truly safe. So even if he can buckle himself in and out, that doesn't mean that he can adjust the tightness or make sure that the top part of the harness is properly aligned with his arm pits. My oldest, almost six, still needs help with making sure her seat belt is adjusted properly and not twisted or too loose across her abdomen or shoulder.

I also have an Odyssey mini-van and a newborn. We moved both of the older girls to the very back since they are used to being together. I don't know what year you have, but our van has middle row seats that can be slided to separate them or put them together. We put the baby in the seat directly behind the driver and slid the other seat next to it (in the middle position). That made it a little bit easier to access the very back from the open door. Plus, when we are buckling kids in and out we put that middle row seat-back down to give more room to maneuver.

I also put the toddler's seat closer to the access path since hers is more complicated to adjust. I can kind of kneel on the running board to reach her straps.

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Barbara
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