High back booster and fixed head rests

Megan21475

New member
My daughter will soon be too big for her convertible car seat. I purchased the Graco Turbo Booster for her to use in my mom's 2014 Toyota Camry. Because the head rests are fixed in the back seat, the booster doesn't sit flush against the seat and therefore can't be used. I tried it in my car (2011 Chevy Equinox) and the same problem occurred. I have to send it back. My question is, if they need to sit flush but are all tall what are we going to do? Do I need to look into getting a new car that would work? She will be 4 in November and I'm not comfortable putting her into a backless booster until she is much older. Does anyone know of any high back boosters that might fit the bill? Thanks!
 
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MegBear26

New member
Hi Megan,

At 3yrs old, your daughter still needs to be in a harnessed seat. Most kids are not booster ready until they are closer to 6 years old. There are lots of inexpensive convertible or combination seats that would probably work well for her. Right now, childsource.com has the Evenflo Titan65 on sale for $122 for a two-pack, which means you will get two seats for that price - so you could use one for your mom's car as well. It also has very high harness slots (19") so it will work perfectly for her until she is old enough to use the Turbo Booster and can pass the 5-step test. :) If the $122 is out of your budget, there are other seats that I can recommend as well. Did you have a budget in mind and are there any other children she rides with?
 

aeormsby

New member
I agree, a 3yo definitely needs to be harnessed for at least a couple more years. To stay safe in a booster kids need to be able to stay seated correctly the entire time they're in the vehicle, no leaning out of place or the belt won't be positioned correctly. For most kids that's closer to age 6.

What convertible do you have and how is she outgrowing it? Her size (height, weight & shirt size) will help with some recommendations. There are plenty of options that will keep her harnessed until she's ready for a booster, and some good options that can be converted to a booster in the future.
 

Megan21475

New member
She is currently in a Britax Roundabout 55. She probably has a couple more months in it before she out grows it. I'm trying to plan ahead. She is 35# and about 42 in. She wears a girls 5 shirt. The weight part is not the problem. She's tall for her age. My mom will be driving her to pre-school in the fall. Since the school is only a couple of blocks away (less than 5 minutes) I thought she might be okay in a booster. I was looking at the Graco Nautilus for my car but the same problem remains. When she is old enough to switch to a HBB it won't fit in my car. Sigh. I'm thinking now that I'll just buy 2 Nautiluses and cross that bridge when I come to it. Thank you for your input.
 

Athena

Well-known member
She is currently in a Britax Roundabout 55. She probably has a couple more months in it before she out grows it. I'm trying to plan ahead. She is 35# and about 42 in. She wears a girls 5 shirt. The weight part is not the problem. She's tall for her age. My mom will be driving her to pre-school in the fall. Since the school is only a couple of blocks away (less than 5 minutes) I thought she might be okay in a booster. I was looking at the Graco Nautilus for my car but the same problem remains. When she is old enough to switch to a HBB it won't fit in my car. Sigh. I'm thinking now that I'll just buy 2 Nautiluses and cross that bridge when I come to it. Thank you for your input.

There's nothing wrong with harnessing her and not worrying about boosters for years. In fact, I find a lot of kids lack the impulse control to sit properly 100% of the time in a booster until they're 6-7yo and by then you might have a new car and this time you can try seats in it before buying (what I did this time around to get a more booster friendly car). My top of the charts tall DD, who outgrew her RA55 by height when she was 3, still fits in the Frontier 90 at 6 and loves it so much she doesn't even want to try a booster. And bonus, it turns into a booster when she does. I paid $210 for ours. The Nautilus is also a good seat, but my tall kids outgrew it too soon. HTH.
 

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