A booster/belt WWYD...

Carrie_R

Ambassador - CPS Technician
I started this week with my "summer" crew, which is just enough different from my school year crew to throw off the vehicle arrangement. I traded two toddler girls for a schoolage boy, in addition to having my schoolagers full time. This greatly messes up my hard-won 3 across battle in my rear seat. :rolleyes:

Anyways, I 5-step tested my biggest kid back there, and he passes. It's the third row of the Pilot -- so a slightly shrunken down setup -- and the child is 8.5yo, 90lb (give or take) and 55" :eek: Not sure when he grew those inches! LOL! I have him back there with a Monterey and a Coccoro, and have come up with these options:

1) Outboard, with Coccoro center. Pros: fits the belt VERY well. Cons: no support on either side; concerned he won't sit well for longer drives without the armrest guides of a booster. I don't mind reminding him, but he's very difficult to see back there.
2) Center, with Coccoro outboard. Pros: if he falls asleep, he has the Monterey to lean against; also he's least protected (no seat) in the most protected position (center.) Cons: although the belt does still technically fit, I don't really like it. I can't figure out why, except that with the belt coming down from the ceiling, it just seems more "open" -- although it does hit his shoulder at the right spot. Also lap belt is a smidgen worse, although not unacceptable.
3) Outboard, in a booster. My concern about this is that the booster sits a bit (.5"-1") on the buckle stalk, which I know is not allowed. I guess I'm trying to decide if the tradeoff between giving him "false hips" is worth it... how dangerous is it to have the lap belt wrap around that bit? The only booster that I can get to sit there and not totally cause a huge rerouting issue is the Cosco Ambassador; the Monterey fits in that spot as well but sits more on the belt than the Cosco. (It would also be a 6yo in the Monterey.)

I'm leaning towards outboard, probably without a booster, unless it's not really dangerous to have the belt coming out from under it. But I wanted to get others' opinions before I called the whole setup officially set.

If all of these options are really unsafe, I could put the Radian back there again, but the 3yo reallyreallyreally wants to be in the second row and I'd like to honor that if I possibly can. He's been asking politely for months now, and I told him he could move when school was out. I didn't think I'd have this much trouble rearranging seats, though.
 
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Carrie_R

Ambassador - CPS Technician
I'm replying to myself. I doubt it would be helpful, since I've tried every rearranging known to man, but here's what I have:

2nd row, driver to passenger:
5yo, 42", 51lb, Nautilus
3yo, 39", 40lb, RF Radian
almost 9yo, 51", ~60lb, backless Pronto

3rd row,
6yo, 49", 63lb, Monterey
16mo, ?", 26lb, RF Coccoro
8yo, 55", 90lb, belt/Cosco

I also have a Scenera and a MR. I greatly prefer not to have the MR FFing. I could turn the 3yo around, although I'd rather not, but even throwing the FFing RN into the mix it doesn't help anything. I have 25" buckle stalk to buckle stalk in that third row. RF RN/RF MR is the only thing I can really get to puzzle back there.
 

Dillipop

Well-known member
I would put him in the rear seat without the booster. It sounds like he fits there really well and passes the tests. The other setups just don't sound as good to me.

However, I am going to ask how his parents feel about him not being in a booster. I, personally, might have issues with my kid riding without a booster at age 8. But if I could see for myself that he fit, I might be ok with it. But as the child's parent, I'd want to be in on that decision.
 

Carrie_R

Ambassador - CPS Technician
Thanks. That was my instinct, too, but because I was able to wedge the booster back there I wanted a second opinion. Although he passes the 5-step, I do still have concerns about his hips bearing those loads without help from the booster... but I think this is the best option all-around.

As far as his parents go, I have no concerns about them. They are (to put it kindly) very lax about carseat safety; Z has not ridden in a booster with them since he was probably four and the 6 year old rides in one only about half the time, despite the booster law (8) being passed last year and my best efforts to educate them. It's hugely upsetting to me (I actually considered a job change because it's SO hard to watch these kids drive away improperly restrained) but the fact of the matter is, I do what I can do and then just have to let it go.

So his parents (and all of my daycare parents) really leave all of the car seat decisions up to me. Even my more stringent, almost-best-practice parents have a very hands-off approach, simply because they know that I am stricter than I am and know more than they do. I tell them what's going on; Z's parents (or at least mom, dad doesn't care) know that he passes in my third row and may ride boosterless back there. So our agreement really boils down me doing what I think is best, and being left to these decisions on my own... which is why I keep bringing stuff here, because I have no one else to discuss this with who thinks it's important. The parents' resonse is usually "do what you think is best," which on one hand is nice, but on the other hand is frustrating when I want feedback because I can't decide! LOL.

Thanks again for your input; it really helps to have someone confirm my thoughts and feel like I have some backup. :)
 

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