Now my 5 yr old (43 lbs, 44 inches) absolutely hates being harnessed after a recent long drive so we've just bought a backless turbo booster since it's narrower for the 8th seat, he's mature, never sleeps anymore- so far so good but I'm keeping a close watch. I prefer to have him in the middle since it's safer FF. After placing him in it, I noticed how much narrower that 8th seat is in the back compared to the front and it hangs off the sides about 3/4 inch each side near the back. Is that ok? I read the whole manual and didn't see anything about side hang in the backless booster (I know the Nautilus booster mode has to be on the seat 100%- but 80% was fine in harnessed mode, but this one does not say for the backless booster). It's also a lot harder for him to buckle the seat belt in this center jump seat since the belt latch part is a bit deeper. What to do? He's about to start kindergarten with the drive up drop off (which I've never experienced) and being faster in and out was a plus- but maybe not so. Thanks for the help!
If I understand correctly, you are concerned about the back corners of a backless Turbo booster being over the edge of the 8th seat in the second row center? As long as the lap and shoulder belt fit are good, I think that using the booster there should be just fine as long as the manual doesn't mention anything about overhang. Obviously, the seat belt buckle could be a convenience issue and there's not much getting around that. I often find my 6-year old gets into and out of his 5-point harness faster than his booster!