booster slants

[Unregistered]

I have a grand caravan
I am switching my son to a booster seat and when I placed it in the van on the rear driver side seat (which given the other car seats/booster seats that I have in the van with my four kids it is the most ideal position) - it slants to the right (towards the center) I tried my daughter's booster seat and it does the same not as bad but still slants. Is it safe to place a folded towel to even the seat out?
Wendy

[Pixels]

No, nothing goes under a FFing seat.

If you have LATCH in that seat (or one that you are willing to switch him to) you can try a LATCHable booster. It might help. How bad is the slant? Does it bother him?

[Defrost]

What kind of booster seat, and what's the year/make/model of your van?

How bad is the slant, and does it improve once the child is sitting in it?

[Judi]

How old is the child and what do they weigh?

[Unregistered]

Van: 2007 Grand Caravan
Booster: Full back GracoTurbo booster
Nope does not improve when he sits - his body slants to the right (center) but not that he is falling out of the seat and has to hold himself in but you notice when looking at him and he feels that he is slanted.

Latch would not work in this position as the latch in Grand Caravan 3rd row is of centered and would not allow a seat belt to go around him.

[Unregistered]

How old is the child and what do they weigh?

He is 4 and is 41 lbs

[bree]

He is 4 and is 41 lbs

I know this has been sitting here a little while, so I just want to bump this up for you until someone more knowledgeable comes along.

I don't know the solution to the booster-slanting problem, but at only 4 years old, your son would still be safer in a car seat with a harness rather than a booster. I'm sure you've seen that the minimum for booster usage is 4 years and 40 pounds, which I know technically your son meets, but those numbers are more of a bare minimum than a recommendation.

I've seen most of the techs on here mention that most kids really still need to be harnessed until age 5 or 6. Is there a reason you decided to switch him to the booster (like maybe he outgrew his old seat)?

[Unregistered]

I know this has been sitting here a little while, so I just want to bump this up for you until someone more knowledgeable comes along.

I don't know the solution to the booster-slanting problem, but at only 4 years old, your son would still be safer in a car seat with a harness rather than a booster. I'm sure you've seen that the minimum for booster usage is 4 years and 40 pounds, which I know technically your son meets, but those numbers are more of a bare minimum than a recommendation.

I've seen most of the techs on here mention that most kids really still need to be harnessed until age 5 or 6. Is there a reason you decided to switch him to the booster (like maybe he outgrew his old seat)?

He did outgrow his old seat - the car seat he has only goes up to 40 lbs and he is just out growing it for height - he is a couple of cm more than what is allowed and is starting to mean the buckles are not placed properly at the shoulder for him.

[Pixels]

I agree, at his age he should be in a harness still.

I usually recommend the Graco Nautilus. It has high top harness slots, a 65 pound weight limit on the harness, converts to a high back booster, and then a backless booster, and is not too expensive.

[Unregistered]

I understand the concern regarding the weight etc - I have thought of all that and still considering purchasing a new seat - But even if I keep him in a car seat for another year+ that is not going to change the fact that the booster slants in the vehicle and considering I have two younger kids under him and one just a little older than him - booster and car seats are in my future for a very long time I am still going to have this problem????

[Unregistered]

I agree, at his age he should be in a harness still.

I usually recommend the Graco Nautilus. It has high top harness slots, a 65 pound weight limit on the harness, converts to a high back booster, and then a backless booster, and is not too expensive.

I am unable to find the height on this model does anyone know? - as my husband is 6'4'' you can imagine all my kids are taller than average so how much would that go into play?

[MissKatie]

The Graco Nautilus should fit him for a while in harness mode. After that it turns into a high back booster and a backless booster, and it can be LATCHed in booster mode which would eliminate or at least reduce the tipping problem. That's the way I would go :)

[Pixels]

I understand the concern regarding the weight etc - I have thought of all that and still considering purchasing a new seat - But even if I keep him in a car seat for another year+ that is not going to change the fact that the booster slants in the vehicle and considering I have two younger kids under him and one just a little older than him - booster and car seats are in my future for a very long time I am still going to have this problem????

Possibly. I can't tell you that you won't.

If it's caused by a carseat having been installed there, slightly crooked, causing the cushion to compress more on one side than the other, it might be possible to correct it by installing a carseat there for a while with it tilted the other way to even the cushion out.

I am unable to find the height on this model does anyone know? - as my husband is 6'4'' you can imagine all my kids are taller than average so how much would that go into play?

I'm pretty sure it's 18.5ish inches, depending on who's measuring.

[Defrost]

I'm pretty sure it's 18.5ish inches, depending on who's measuring.

OP, note that this is the torso height measurement, not the overall height. Carseats are required to state overall height limits, but as you've already figured out, they actually outgrow their carseats by torso height more than by overall height.

[Simplysomething]

To answer the question about the slant, and if you will continue to have it...

If you put a harnessed seat in that position, does it lean the same way the booster does? In my mothers car, I have to put my older sons booster seat in the center position, because the outboard positions all slope toward the center of the car, causing any boosters to lean, even with a child in it. The booster we use is also a high back Turbo Booster

Right now, I've got a harnessed seat installed outboard, and it's been there for about two years (give or take) and the seat still slopes.

Based on that, I'm thinking that yes, you will probably still have that problem when your child outgrows the harnessed seat. Does it happen wherever you put him in the van, or just that one spot?