curious about your opinions

bakinlove · Oct 11, 2013

my son is 4 years and 10 months, he just started preschool this fall and they go on monthly field trips, I work and hubby has the two girls during the day so can't always go on the field trips with him. DS is a good booster rider, not perfect but good, especially on short trips which most of his field trips are. I feel like he is safer being in a HBB in someone else's vehicle than he might be if I sent his harnessed seat. My concern is that I can't be certain his car seat will be installed correctly since I am not installing it myself, but I can be confident that a booster will get put in and buckled, and DS knows to make sure it goes through the guides. Is my thought process accurate here?
Thanks!

cryswilkins · Oct 11, 2013

I think a properly used booster in this situation is a viable option provided your DS meets the weight requirements and can sit properly.

Sent from my iPhone and probably NAK, please excuse my typos.

cookie123 · Oct 12, 2013

Will he ride on a bus or are random parents driving?

mrosehughes · Oct 12, 2013

If it's on a bus, I'd probably be absolutely fine with it.

If parents are driving, I'd probably work hard to get to know some of the parents to see if there are any who you'd feel more comfortable with. I agree that a properly used booster is better than an improperly used FFing seat, but if your son is only sitting a booster properly some of the time, I wouldn't expect a random parent to know to correct a new booster rider. If you could meet with whatever parent will drive your kid in the morning prior to the fieldtrip, you could install the seat and set the harness tightness, etc, so that all that needs to be done is buckles, in which case I would trust someone to do that over a new booster rider.

ketchupqueen · Oct 12, 2013

Boosters generally shouldn't be used on buses. I wouldn't want someone installing my seat, but I'd want to make sure the booster was properly used (lap-shoulder belt, head support appropriate, didn't adjust it wrong, belt not locked, belt didn't stick in guides, 100% on seat if required, etc) too. Is there a way to check whose car he'll be in and check it out ahead of time? My other concern is if three CRs are in the back seat and don't fit what happens?

bakinlove · Oct 12, 2013

So far it has been the same mom, whom I got to meet, she drives a mini van with only her 2 children in it. I got to see her boys seats and we had a mini discussion on car seats. I was also able to tell her that he sometimes needed reminders about sitting properly. After the first trip she said he was great and that he had no problems riding nicely. I don't have the option of dropping him off and installing the seat so that is not possible, my DH does the drop off and if he had his way he would be boostered 100% of the time and all our kids would FF at 1. Technically he isn't a new booster rider, he has been riding in a booster for short trips for 4-5 months now, he just is a 4 y/o and will occasionally forget and bend over to get something or stretch to reach his sister.

curious about your opinions

bakinlove

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cryswilkins

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cookie123

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mrosehughes

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ketchupqueen

CPST and ketchup snob

bakinlove

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