which scenario?

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carseatmama007

New member

• Jan 18, 2016

• #1

Which scenario would be better for 7yo DD?

Background, all 3 positions in our backseat are available for use, and we have 6 LATCH hooks. However, the middle seat doesn't have a headrest, and the middle seat and driver side seat have off center LATCH that will not work with a booster.

My options are
(1) Use the center seat, with a lightweight unlatched booster and no headrest support

-or-

(2) Use the passenger side seat, with a heavier latched booster and headrest support

-or-

(3) Keep her in her 5 point harness in the center

I really like the Clek Oobr and the Diono Monterey. But neither are going to work in the center. If I want her in the center, it's look like I've got to get something like the Turbobooster, which I'm not thrilled with. She has one as a back up in her grandparents car, but I can't imagine that being her full time seat. It feels really flimsy, going from a Radian.

I was hoping we'd have a new car with a center headrest and normal LATCH before it was time to booster, but here we are at 7yo and still no new car on the horizon lol. I need to make this decision, and option #3 feels like a temporary bandaid.

 

Nedra

Car-Seat.org Ambassador

• Jan 18, 2016

• #2

How does she feel about staying in a harness? You said in another thread that she had enough growing room to last her until the 2018 expiration. It seems like the easiest option would be to just keep her in the harness in the center. By the time she is 9 years old, she could probably go straight into a backless booster and by then maybe you'd have a different car anyway.

If you (or she) would prefer to booster, then I would probably just use a LATCHed booster on the side as long as your vehicle has side curtain airbags. If you want the center and the LATCH doesn't work for boosters there, you or she will need to buckle the empty booster whenever the car will be driven without her in it. Even a lightweight high back booster has the potential for being a projectile.

What car do you have?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

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carseatmama007

New member

• Jan 18, 2016

• #3

Ah forgot to mention, no side curtain air bags It is an '06 Chevy Malibu.

Yep her Radian expires in exactly 2 years. I've got to see just how much growing room she has. She is several inches away from the top of her ears being above the top of the car seat, but I'm a little iffy on letting her shoulders go above the top slots (though I know Radian does allow that). I need to see just how close she is to that point. She's been complaining about her harness being "tight" lately, and I'm wondering if it's the straps pushing down on her shoulders some because I haven't tightened it any more than usual.

I'd be fine buckling in an unlatched seat, but I know DH would never do it, and he takes the car to/fro work every day without her in it :thumbsdown:

Such a pickle! Maybe I'll just have to convince DH to get a new car

 

1mommy

New member

• Jan 18, 2016

• #4

I've heard of parents masking the decision to borrow center lower anchors for boosters only because the seatbelt actually restrains the child, the latch is just for a booster not being a projectile. Something to think about.

 

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jjordan

Moderator

• Jan 18, 2016

• #5

I would probably do option 1 since the center is safer and you dn't have side curtain airbags. My dd's primary seat was a turbobooster for several years so that part doesn't bother me.

 

Brianna

New member

• Jan 19, 2016

• #6

I also have a Malibu with overlapping lower anchors, and I would be completely ok with borrowing the nearest anchors to use for a booster in the center seat.

 

Keeanh

Well-known member

• Jan 19, 2016

• #7

Brianna said:

I also have a Malibu with overlapping lower anchors, and I would be completely ok with borrowing the nearest anchors to use for a booster in the center seat.

Click to expand...

I agree ^^

Is she the only one back there, or is this a 3-across? If you like the Monterey, put it outboard. If you go with a parkway or recaro (fairly similar to the Monterey), and want her in the middle, grab the closest unused latch anchors.

 

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carseatmama007

New member

• Jan 19, 2016

• #8

She is in the backseat alone. I had not thought about borrowing anchors. I'll have to check out the placement of the buckles and see if I could get two anchors to work.

 

Last edited: Jan 19, 2016

1mommy

New member

• Jan 19, 2016

• #9

Keep in mind boosters don't need to be tightly latched, just remove the slack.

 

momtoo3

Well-known member

• Jan 20, 2016

• #10

I'd get a recaro performance booster (no headrest required) and use it in the center borrowing latch. It was my pick for ds3 (7 yrs) because it didn't require head support behind it and he is in the middle seat in our yukon.

 

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carseatmama007

New member

• Jan 20, 2016

• #11

Can anyone tell me more about this vehicle headrest issue?

I'm just wondering why some of the manufacturers act like it's fine (Britax, Graco) and then there's Diono that says it's not fine at all. What are the manufacturers basing this on? I know the issue surrounds whiplash, but is there some sort of testing they're doing? I just don't see how the flimsy plastic-y headrest of the Turbobooster is OK without head support but the Monterey is not. It makes me nervous now to use ANY seat without head support, even if they say it's OK. Are some just not testing for this issue and some are?

 

Keeanh

Well-known member

• Jan 20, 2016

• #12

carseatmama007 said:

Can anyone tell me more about this vehicle headrest issue?

I'm just wondering why some of the manufacturers act like it's fine (Britax, Graco) and then there's Diono that says it's not fine at all. What are the manufacturers basing this on? I know the issue surrounds whiplash, but is there some sort of testing they're doing? I just don't see how the flimsy plastic-y headrest of the Turbobooster is OK without head support but the Monterey is not. It makes me nervous now to use ANY seat without head support, even if they say it's OK. Are some just not testing for this issue and some are?

Click to expand...

I suspect no-one is testing because there aren't any standards. Personally, I ignore the Diono thing and use my Montereys without support if necessary. But I wouldn't tell anyone else to do that, and wouldn't recommend buying one with the intention to do that (I bought mine before this issue came to light). The Recaro & Britax boosters are so similar to the Monterey that I would just go with one of them in your case.