Question 2012 Malibu, 2 boosters, suede/leather seats

tocreatefire · Feb 5, 2015

I ended up with a new car (not my pick) which is a 2012 Malibu. The problem is the seat bottoms are not flat and are a combination of leather with the center being suede. We have a Cosoco and Graco Turbo Booster, neither which sit well on the seat bottom. This results in the seats sitting at an angle, moving when the kids get in, not being flush against the back of the seat, or sliding forward in front of the buckle.

My older child is 7 yrs old, almost 70lbs and still has growth room in the Cosoco.This child also has a larger build and is very solid through the hip area (wears 10/12 -14/16). The younger is 4 yrs old, 45 lbs and is one setting off the lowest in the Turbo Booster. This child is medium in build (wears a 6/6x-7/8).

Looking for 2 booster on the cheaper end of the prices. Also looking for suggestions on how to keep the seats around them clean as in front of their seats and under them are brown with dirt and grim and we have only had the car 3mos

AllieK · Feb 6, 2015

tocreatefire said:
Also looking for suggestions on how to keep the seats around them clean as in front of their seats and under them are brown with dirt and grim and we have only had the car 3mos

Do you let the kids eat in the car? Is the dirt from their shoes? We usually keep the kids' shoes off in the car and this helps keep it cleaner. I just toss them on the floor board and slip them on the kids before they climb out of their seats. I also uninstall the seats once every other month or so and have the car professionally cleaned. After the cleaning you'd never even know I had car seats in there to begin with!

tocreatefire · Feb 8, 2015

They occasionally eat in the car but mostly it is from dirty hands and definitely shoes. There just isn't a way for them to take shoes on and off in the car especially in cold snowy New England. The older rides at least 1hr in the car each weekday while the younger spends 2 hrs in the car on weekdays. There is no time to put shoes on and off especially during school drop off. I can't afford to have the car professionally cleaned so that is out of the question.

AllieK said:
Do you let the kids eat in the car? Is the dirt from their shoes? We usually keep the kids' shoes off in the car and this helps keep it cleaner. I just toss them on the floor board and slip them on the kids before they climb out of their seats. I also uninstall the seats once every other month or so and have the car professionally cleaned. After the cleaning you'd never even know I had car seats in there to begin with!

Carrie_R · Feb 11, 2015

For the 7yo, I would look at a Harmony Literider, or other booster similarly shaped. (It might be Harmony Youth Booster now?) The bottom is kind of a tapered "v" shape, so it sits well in scooped/contoured seats. It's a backless booster, though, so it wouldn't be appropriate for your younger child.

At 4, the little one is just barely at the bottom edge of where we recommend moving kids to boosters and could potentially benefit from riding in a larger harnessed seat. A tight install of a harnessed seat would eliminate the tipping/sliding issue you're facing. If you're not interested in moving kiddo back into a harness, I would look for a seat with a contoured bottom. Unfortunately I don't know off the top of my head which high-backed boosters might have that - Harmony does make a folding travel booster that looks to be on the narrow side. Other less-expensive boosters that I know of are going to run into the same wide/flat-bottomed issue that you have with your Turbobooster. Hopefully someone else will have an idea!

Question 2012 Malibu, 2 boosters, suede/leather seats

tocreatefire

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