Question Best harnessed booster for 3rd row Dodge Caravan

U

Unregistered

Guest
I tried to post this yesterday but think I may have posted to the wrong forum since I am not registered. My apologies as I figure this out.

I could use help in trying to figure out the best seat and location for my 6 year old son in the 3rd row of our Dodge Caravan. He is 43 lbs and 43 inches currently and I would like to keep him harnessed as long as possible.

Our van only has one top tether (and latch) in the center position (slightly offset toward the drivers side). I cannot seem to get a good install using our Radian RXT in the center position and the ProSport that we have is very tall and blocks our ability to see from the rearview mirror. We would like to either move him to the outboard position in order to improve our visibility but there are no top tether points.

If I put him in a Frontier 90 until 65 lbs is it safer to not harness it or to put it in the drivers side outboard and tether it to the center tether point?

Or should I continue to use the Prosport but put it outboard using the seatbelt install? The manual for that says if either the top tether or latch is not available, you must use the seatbelt installation. So am I correct to assume it is safe to use until he reaches the maximum shoulder height without the top tether?

Or is there a trick to getting the Radian to install in that center position?

I'm willing to purchase a new seat if needed. Was thinking the Frontier makes the most sense but want to make sure before purchasing.

Thanks for any help.
 
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tiggercat

New member
Hello, and welcome.

These are all great questions to be asking!

Can you tell me what year your Caravan is, and whether or not the 3rd row has stow n go? My suggestions will vary depending on that information.
 

tiggercat

New member
Its a 2011 Grand Caravan with stow & go.

That makes life difficult.

So, you cannot retrofit tether anchors for the side seats, and your existing tether anchor can only be used for the centre seating location. Further, a FF Radian install is going to be very challenging/impossible in the centre seat.

If you like the FR90, using that in the centre (install w/ seatbelt) would be a good plan. Do try before you buy, as the only seating location my FRct (same seat in Canada) doesn't work is my 3rd row centre of my 02 Caravan! I think with a lap/shoulder belt like you have, it should be ok, but try first :)

ETA: In the USA it is permitted on most seats to install with the seatbelt and no top tether. It is safer to use the tether, though, and reduces the risk of injury to your child by decreasing the amount your child's heas moves forward, so do your best to find a solution that allows you to tether.

Otherwise, at 6yo and over 40lb, he may be ready to sit in a high back booster. It is a matter of him being mature enough to sit correctly in the seat without moving out of position.
 
U

Unregistered

Guest
Thanks so much for your advice.

I did try the Frontier in the center back position and it does not give any more visibility than the ProSport did. I did not actually install it to see if the fit was tight, was just looking for visibility purposes.

Is it safer to put him into a booster (probably a Parkway) than to use the Prosport or Frontier outboard NOT tethered but using a seatbelt installation? I realize at 65lbs the Frontier does not allow for use if not tethered but by that time my 3 year old would be able to buckle herself so we could swap her to the back and give him a captains chair.

He's a pretty mature 6 year old but we take frequent 3 hour drives during which he still falls asleep at times so I worry about the booster.
 

tiggercat

New member
Thanks so much for your advice.

I did try the Frontier in the center back position and it does not give any more visibility than the ProSport did. I did not actually install it to see if the fit was tight, was just looking for visibility purposes.

Is it safer to put him into a booster (probably a Parkway) than to use the Prosport or Frontier outboard NOT tethered but using a seatbelt installation? I realize at 65lbs the Frontier does not allow for use if not tethered but by that time my 3 year old would be able to buckle herself so we could swap her to the back and give him a captains chair.

He's a pretty mature 6 year old but we take frequent 3 hour drives during which he still falls asleep at times so I worry about the booster.

I am not the best person to advise on tether use or lack thereof. I'm in Canada and all of our forward facing seats are required to be tethered by law. So I, personally, would never chose a harnessed seat without the tether.

What about something like the Evenflo Titan 65? It is just as tall in terms of harness height as the FR90, but sits much lower. I've had one in my 3rd row centre and had good visibility out back. It is also nicely priced at under $100. The sureride is the same seat, slightly more padding, for slightly more money.
 
U

Unregistered

Guest
Thanks so much for the help!

We looked at the Sureride but my son couldn't do the crotch buckle by himself on that one.

I checked with both Recaro and Diono and both the Prosport and RXT do pass the safety tests not tethered. I'm sure they are better tethered but at least it gives us the option.

I called Britax and they told me it would be okay to use the Frontier in the drivers outboard position and top tether with the anchor in the center position as long as the angle was not more than 20 degrees. I checked and it looks like it is very close to 20 degrees to me (I did not have a protractor so folded some paper diagonally twice to give me 22.5 degrees and then used some yarn to trace the lines...the yarn crossed over the center of the anchor. I'm not going to fuss over 2 degrees.)

SO I ended up ordering a Frontier and plan to place it drivers outboard tethered in the center. If there's any reason why I should NOT do this, please let me know. Last resort is to use the Frontier in a captains chair and put my daughter in the back seat and just deal with having to climb back to buckle her. But she would be in the Recaro and it would not be tethered or tethered in the same manner. So not sure if that is any better?
 

tiggercat

New member
Thanks so much for the help!

We looked at the Sureride but my son couldn't do the crotch buckle by himself on that one.

I checked with both Recaro and Diono and both the Prosport and RXT do pass the safety tests not tethered. I'm sure they are better tethered but at least it gives us the option.

I called Britax and they told me it would be okay to use the Frontier in the drivers outboard position and top tether with the anchor in the center position as long as the angle was not more than 20 degrees. I checked and it looks like it is very close to 20 degrees to me (I did not have a protractor so folded some paper diagonally twice to give me 22.5 degrees and then used some yarn to trace the lines...the yarn crossed over the center of the anchor. I'm not going to fuss over 2 degrees.)

SO I ended up ordering a Frontier and plan to place it drivers outboard tethered in the center. If there's any reason why I should NOT do this, please let me know. Last resort is to use the Frontier in a captains chair and put my daughter in the back seat and just deal with having to climb back to buckle her. But she would be in the Recaro and it would not be tethered or tethered in the same manner. So not sure if that is any better?

The tethering set up you have described is not permitted by Dodge. There is a specific reason that they do not permit tethering for the outboard seating locations on SNG seats. I don't know what it is, but I have heard it theorized that it has to do with the strength of the seatbacks or some other physical limit. I would not tether the outboard seat to the centre anchor.

I'd probably get a sureride and put your son in the centre and just climb back to buckle/unbuckle him. I've always double checked my kids when they buckle themselves, so I guess I don't see the convenience of a child buckling/unbuckling themselves as worth decreasing their safety by putting them in a position without a TA.
 

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