I need a hwh seat with lock offs narrow if possible

So Fiona is going to be going on Field trips on the church van at preschool next year, the teacher said it was fine for me to install her car seat, the kids are required to bring their boosters along, I mentioned that it was a seat with a harness and needed to be installed. I would not be comfortable with her using a high back booster for the trips, she will be 4 to start the year off (5 in Dec) but she is skinny mini and I worry about submerging. she only weighs 32 lbs now..
So I was going to use the GN for the trips but I was just thinking, this is a pretty old van, I doubt it has locking seat belts and I am no good with locking clips, I do not want to be the crazy parent on there fiddling with the locking clip for hrs each month.. so I was thinking a true fit, but chances are they will need 3 across the back row (which is where they put the kids in the harnessed seats she said.

What else is there?
OH ETA she is very tall, she is 41 inches and almost out grown the marathon that we have ffing even. she can do it but it is close. so that isn't something that would work.
 
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Maedze

New member
The GN Elite has lock offs.

Does she still fit by height in a Cozy-Cline (the old SS2?). Those have them too.

Otherwise, you're looking at the True Fit, or the Marathon or clone.

ETA: Now that I see she's outgrown the MA, I'd say the GNE is your only option.
 
our last resort would be a parkway slide guard, which is the booster I have picked out for her for when she is 6 and we booster train her. since she is such a tooth pick I want that one for her.
 

steph_s

New member
our last resort would be a parkway slide guard, which is the booster I have picked out for her for when she is 6 and we booster train her. since she is such a tooth pick I want that one for her.

The pkwy sg has a minimum 40lb weight limit that she hasn't met yet.
 

MomToEliEm

Moderator
Do you think they would let you look inside the van to see how the setup is? How many lap belt only spots are there? They might want to save these spots for the harnessed seats since they can't be used with the boosters. If they put you in a lap belt only spot, see how the lapbelt locks. I have found the lap belt install in my husband's truck to be really easy since the seatbelt locks at the buckle and doesn't use the retractor thing.

Before paying a lot of money for a new seat, it might be good to see if you really need to be worried. The van may be newer then you think and the seatbelts might lock or you might find the lap belt only seating position really easy to install a seat in.
 

ketchupqueen

CPST and ketchup snob
Staff member
If she's only 32 lbs. look at the CozyCline/SS2. It's narrow, has lockoffs, is cheaper than the Nauti Elite if you shop the right places (last I checked) and the top slots are HIGH-- as high as a Radian or higher-- even though it only has a 40 lb. weight limit.
 

Qarin

New member
Learning to use a locking clip might be the more economical solution...

Or, if the van is truly that old, it likely does not have lap/shoulder belts in all positions, in which case your harnessed seat would best be installed in one of the lap-only positions, leaving the lap/shoulders for the booster riders, in which case you need neither a locking clip nor built-in lockoffs.
 

Maedze

New member
If she's only 32 lbs. look at the CozyCline/SS2. It's narrow, has lockoffs, is cheaper than the Nauti Elite if you shop the right places (last I checked) and the top slots are HIGH-- as high as a Radian or higher-- even though it only has a 40 lb. weight limit.



Did the shell change? They're high, but definitely not 17".
 

ketchupqueen

CPST and ketchup snob
Staff member
Do you think they would let you look inside the van to see how the setup is? How many lap belt only spots are there? They might want to save these spots for the harnessed seats since they can't be used with the boosters. If they put you in a lap belt only spot, see how the lapbelt locks. I have found the lap belt install in my husband's truck to be really easy since the seatbelt locks at the buckle and doesn't use the retractor thing.

Before paying a lot of money for a new seat, it might be good to see if you really need to be worried. The van may be newer then you think and the seatbelts might lock.

Good points. That too. ;)
 

crunchierthanthou

New member
I'd do a Maestro with the Combi lock-off that is supposed to be available this summer. :cool: It's sooo much quicker and easier than a traditional locking clip.
 

ketchupqueen

CPST and ketchup snob
Staff member
Did the shell change? They're high, but definitely not 17".

You're right, I looked at my pics again and they're not the same as a Radian-- I think they're similar to a Marathon. My bad. Still pretty high, a petite kid should be able to fit.

CozyClines are running around $120-130 but there are still SS2s available, from $110, btw.
 

Maedze

New member
100_0036.jpg


This picture is about 2.5 years old :)
 

ketchupqueen

CPST and ketchup snob
Staff member
Did you compress the bottom? I found the bottom padding compressed a LOT on the one I was photographing, making it 16+ inches.
 

Maedze

New member
If there are lap/shoulder belts in ALL seating positions, it's not an old vehicle. Certainly new enough to have locking belts.
 
Well, they should wait while you put it in then. :) Not a big deal.
I might do that if nothing else works out. I am tempted to just use the gn and make them wait. maybe work at getting faster with the lc this summer..we are working on teaching Fiona how to buckle the gn herself right now as she is not great at it, she actually got her self in earlier but could not get it tight enough on her own, she could not get out though lol

I just worry that if I am the parent taking too long installing her kids car seat, they will want to have a word with me about holding up the field trip and ask me to find another solution.
 

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