do you lock the seat belt in booster mode?

bekah

New member
I have never known the answer and ds is close to moving into a booster. Do you pull the belt out all the way and then pull it back tight and let it lock into place or do you just leave it and let the locking mechanism work in a crash?
 
ADS

mommycat

Well-known member
The "correct" way is to leave it unlocked - the same as for an adult, the belt ELR should engage if you are braking suddenly or are in a collision.

If the child needs the reminder to not lean over you can lock it as a preventative but the thinking is that if they need the intervention, they aren't ready to use the booster. I can't remember if there are any booster or car specific restrictions against doing this.

When I first saw your thread I thought you were asking who does lock the belts with their own kids. I don't but DS1 often locks it himself when he is getting in, I guess he likes it. I haven't really told him he can't, just that he doesn't have to. I asked him today why he was doing it and he told me "so I don't smack my head in front of me, like this" (leans over his knees). I guess he is listening to me after all! I told him that in a crash it would lock anyway, but didn't make him redo it. Everyone feel free to refresh my memory if there is a reason for me not to let him do this...
 

MommaWhitney

New member
In our class we were told we could. The policemen said they did it to criminals they transport that act up.
I dont have a kid in a booster but I know a few who need that or a harness
 

LISmama810

Admin - CPS Technician
Jillybeans5 said:
Is there a list some where or some other way to know if you have a vehicle that forbids it?

You could read the vehicle manual. ;)

As far as I know, it's only Toyotas, and I'm not sure if it's all models or just some, or what year it appeared (or if it still exists).

I'm also not sure what their reasoning is. I suspect it's not that it would cause a problem, but more to ward off confusion in case people think they're supposed to. But I can't read their minds, unfortunately.
 

BookMama

Senior Community Member
I have never known the answer and ds is close to moving into a booster. Do you pull the belt out all the way and then pull it back tight and let it lock into place or do you just leave it and let the locking mechanism work in a crash?

DS locks it on his own - he seems to prefer it. I don't make him, but I guess I do kind of prefer it - he sits in the middle and is easily distracted by his sisters (playing with DD2 :love:, bickering with DD1 :rolleyes:), so it helps him stay in position.
 

LuvBug

New member
DS does it himself as well. He prefers it and now I'm curious as to if it is safer one way or the other?
 
if anyone finds the list of boosters and cars please link it if possible.. we are in booster locking stage with Fiona, she is booster trained but I like to lock the belt on her since she is still youngish
 

bekah

New member
Well, we have a Toyota (Sienna 05) and a Recaro (Vivo) booster so now I'm really concerned! I guess I'd better read up on it and/or not lock it when he starts riding in it.
 

Kat_Momof3

New member
I agree... it's great for younger riders or, in my case, when you have 3 kids sitting shoulder to shoulder across the back of a 2-door coupe and want to try to give them as little ability to move in the way of how they can prod and poke one another as possible (I've also been known to put my right hand back there (while keeping eyes on the road) and (because each child is able to do this without leaning out of position) demand they each give me a thumb when they won't leave each other alone... I then hold the thumbs for about 2 min... which is enough for their arm to get sore... and remind them that keeping their hands to themselves in their laps is good...

anyway... I stopped locking the belt on Ruthie recently and she hasn't noticed... but she has only JUST hit the age where the Damian was doing it all for himself... and Jeffrey would do it when Damian told him to... so even though I'm now where all 3 will behave like that and I've now told both boys (at first I only told my oldest and, if Ruthie started getting where she was using it to get a little more reach to bother them, I'd have him lock it) and while Damian now leaves his unlocked for the most part (when he's tired, he likes it locked still), Jeffrey declared he prefers it locked because it's snug like a harness was, and he requested AGAIN that I get "them" to "fix" my van so the seatbelts in the back did that, too. But he's also the one that, even in the middle of the day on a short trip, he'll lean his head back, close his eyes, and just rest, though he doesn't doze off... so I get why that might be a bit more comfy for him... one less thing to remember.

Unless the booster and/or the car prohibit it, I don't think it's a bad thing and, again, it's a great tool for certain circumstances. I like to lock it when I'm in the passenger seat of that car because it keeps the lapbelt snug on my hips better I've noticed that isn't an issue for the kids in boosters, and isn't for Damian out of one (probably because I'm bulkier and overweight), so that's another reason I went ahead and gave them the freedom.

I don't remember if the Vivo prohibits it or not, but the way the armrests are with the seatbelt, I probably wouldn't bother... I can't tighten the seatbelt at all if the shoulderbelt is under the armrest already... neither can Ruthie... we tighten it before we thread it under... so the lapbelt definitely stays snug and of course, the sleep issue isn't there in that booster, but of course, that's also the one that's in my van, where I can't lock it at the retractor, anyway.
 

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