Booster seat question

brandy · Aug 19, 2010

I have a friend with 3 in Eddie Bauer Cosco 3 in 1 seats,
her 5 year old is using it as a booster seat, so the straps are out, but she has the tether attached to the vehicle.

This is not correct, right? You aren't suppose to tether boosters?

I told her this and she said she believes it is safer, so that the seat won't move.

Help!

Maedze · Aug 19, 2010

Dorel does not allow the AOE to be top tethered in booster mode. It isn't 'safer', nor is it necessary for a booster to perform optimally.

As as aside, that particular seat makes a very poor booster. If she's interested in safety, she should procure a booster that fits the lap belt correctly, low on the hips and thighs.

canadiangie · Aug 19, 2010

Correct. The 3-in-1 seats do not allow for LATCH'ing or tethering while in booster mode.

As well, the base must be removed from the seat when the seat is being used in booster mode. (assuming her seat is from a few years ago or more)

And finally, 3-in-1 seats tend to make poor boosters. We as techs have speculated about this for years, but recent findings from the IIHS have backed up our suspicions. The purpose of a booster is to position the lap belt *low* over the child's thighs. The scooped out 'belt guides' on the 3-in-1 seat tend to force the belt to ride too high over the tummy. Not good. Additionally, a booster needs to adjust nice and high so that children can take advantage of the high back for as long as possible. The back of 3-in-1 seats is relatively short. There are much better booster options available. One of the most common and ea$y to manage is the Graco TurboBooster. I would suggest she considers a dedicated booster seat such as the TB if funds allow. :thumbsup: