Seat belt extenders...

These aren't safe, right?
Dh asked me about these, to make it easier for Hannah to buckle her booster.
I told him no because they are aftermarket products.
He wanted me to ask you about them anyway, specifically [ame="http://www.amazon.com/Seat-Belt-Buckle-Extender-Booster/dp/B005MKX2TY"]this kind[/ame].

I don't think they are a good idea, they aren't made by Toyota and they aren't tested.

Can't be used with a car seat, or booster, no.

Thanks. I didn't think so.
He's been going through every possible scenario, like me, and this is what he wanted to do.
I figured it would be a no. I'm putting the radian back in until we decide what we're going to do.

I agree that that device isn't safe.

Unfortunately, in your tight three-across, I think you're stuck with a harnessed seat, buckling the belt and having Hannah slide around it, or sliding the booster out, buckling it, and sliding it back in.

I've done all three -- but harnessing far and above works out best for me, and in turn for the kids, as I don't get frustrated and cranky.:twocents:

(The only other suggestion might be, once you're ready to move Josh FF, to try a Radian outboard for Abby, with a high-profile seat -- MA or MR -- center, that would allow Hannah easier buckling access under it. Not sure if you could get one of those in with a RF Radian, though.)

We had a roundabout 50 until June when I was able to get Josh's radian 80 for just $97 during the strollers.com sale.
I hadn't tried it FFing in the center with a booster next to it, but I tried a booster in the center once, next to the RF roundabout 50 and it was still difficult to buckle. I don't want to buy another harnessed seat again though, and I prefer the radian FFing over the britax seats because of the low profile and the narrowness.

We haven't decided anything for sure, we'll decide soon. We are for sure not keeping the Evenflo Big Kid, it's just as difficult to buckle. Even with the arm rest out of the way, with the seat next to it, there is just hardly any room to reach down to access the buckle, so I'm still pulling the booster out towards the door, buckling it, and then scooting the whole booster over.
If it's going to be that hard, might as well return it and just do the same thing with the Turbo booster we already have.
Until further notice, I'm putting the radian back in.

We're going to do a lot more thinking about it, probably looking at some vans, and we might get a van now, or in the next year. We'll get something by the time Hannah outgrows the radian, for sure. I'm sure we're not waiting 3-4 more years for a van though. It's already a pain to buckle a booster when we don't have to, it will be even worse to buckle 2 boosters when we do have to.

The one you linked to looks like a gen 3 buckle . Unfortunately, the only answer is to either put her back in a harnessed seat or buckle her in yourself.

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kSbTzYuv_qI"]Deadly Chrysler Seatbelts in Dodge Chrysler Vehicles (Over 14 Million Dodge, Chrysler Vehicles) - YouTube[/ame]

murphydog77 said:

The one you linked to looks like a gen 3 buckle . Unfortunately, the only answer is to either put her back in a harnessed seat or buckle her in yourself.

Click to expand...

:yeahthat:

Also, it's important to remember that any type of seatbelt extender alters the geometry of the seatbelt - it will no longer fit the way the vehicle manufacturer intended/designed it to.

Honestly, I think the best solution in your situation is to keep her harnessed for a while yet - you have a seat that fits the spot, she fits in the seat, etc. I know that you promised her that she could move to a booster when she turned six, but you should be able to explain to her (and she should be able to understand) that it's just not working the way you expected it to, and she'll need to use her harnessed seat until you get a van. :twocents:

Chiming in here. We had a seatbelt extender from our vehicle manufacturer and it came with very specific warnings. One was that it was only to be used if the seatbelt wasn't long enough to be buckled without it. The other was that the buckle must sit at least 6" away from the belly button. You wouldn't be able to accomplish that with a kid even if it was allowed for use in a booster.

Yeah, I didn't want to use one at all, I only posted because dh told me to ask anyway even though I told him what the answer would be.

late to the party, but... it never hurts to ask.

I really would just keep her harnessed until she either outgrows the Radian and you have to use a booster (pita as it would be) or a vehicle with more space.