Re: seatbelt extender safe to use with a booster?

Re: seatbelt extender safe to use with a booster?

I have a problem with the seatbelt receiver being pushed deeper into the seat and it is hard to click. They make short extenders that would fix this problem and not compromise the effect of the belt's protection. Should that be a safe use of the extender?

Re: seatbelt extender safe to use with a booster?

Unfortunately, these extenders aren't approved for use with boosters- or safe for anyone to use. They could detach in a crash and aren't tested with the vehicle belt, would change the geometry, and boosters don't allow them.

You might look at a LulaBloc or BuckleBiter if you have flexible stalks on your buckles and that's why they get pushed down- these products hold the buckle up. A small chunk of pool noodle with a slit to hold it up can do the same thing.

Re: seatbelt extender safe to use with a booster?

Hi! I came to car-seat.org specifically to post this somewhere so that googling folks like myself could find it, and was super jazzed to maybe help out the original poster, but seeing ketchupqueen's reply, I kinda just DIYed the solutions that already exist. :akimbo: That said, I didn't find these devices when I was looking for a solution, so I'll go ahead and post anyway and perhaps it can help some find this thread.

We have a 2017 Subaru Outback which has very short buckle straps in the back seat. We happen to have a Clek Oobr (though I'm sure this issue will come up for other boosters as well). The seat belt buckle kept receding into the seat, and behind the booster, making is a huge pain to buckle. I looked into using an extender, but was concerned about the safety warnings. Armed with a bag full of random stuff I headed out to the car to see if I could somehow prop up the buckle, which didn't work because the strap is insanely short, but this door bumper thing (to keep a door from closing) worked perfectly! It holds the buckle steady and keeps it fully extended. The Oober has rigid LATCH, so the white bumper is kinda wedged in there and steady, but in a non-LATCH system, I'd imagine the bumper could be easily cut down a bit and then secured in a loop. It's now no problem to buckle and unbuckle! I'd definitely recommend giving this a shot over taking a chance with an extender.