Idiot proof booster seat?

mom2kk

New member
For YEARS I have been on my brother’s case because he refuses to correctly buckle his child in her 5 point harness, RF and now FF. He’s an engineer and I’ve explained to him about the laws of inertia and how his kid isn’t immune to them in a crash and he knows that but refuses to be a parent and protect her. He continues to ignore it. He’ll buckle the bottom but never the top and leaves the straps loose enough they don’t even hardly touch her shoulders. His only excuse has ever been is bc she doesn’t like them tight. :(:( Soooo...my question is though, she’s finally old enough for a booster, and while I’m a full believer in 5 points til they’re outgrown, in this case I can’t help but think if I get her a HBB the room for error decreases and her safety will be better. She’s 4, 38” and 44 lbs. What HBB do you think is most fool proof at getting across her and used correctly by him would you think?
 
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jjordan

Moderator
The thing about boosters is that it is largely the child's responsibility to use it correctly - which is why we normally recommend delaying boosters until age 5-7 so that the child is mature enough to be responsible for his/her own safety. In the case you are describing the child may well be more ready for that responsibility than the dad, but you'll need to teach her rather than relying on the dad to make sure everything is going well. Basically all highback boosters work the same way - shoulder belt goes through a guide and the lap belt needs to be put in a certain place too. A Graco Turbobooster would be an inexpensive option that fits small kids well, but there are other good options too.
 

MommyShannon

New member
Ugh, there’s no great answer. I can’t imagine most 4 year olds will make sure the seat belt is tight enough, especially since she’s used to loose straps. My kids are used to tight straps, so they know to tell me if they can’t get the seat belt tight. If the belt gets twisted, it won’t retract well. If the shoulder strap is put under the arm too soon, it won’t retract well.

The easiest to me is actually a Graco Nautilus (or whatever they’re calling their combo seat now) in booster mode. It’s heavy though, so I prefer it to be connected with LATCH still. The belt guide is a lot better than the turbo booster. We have a lot fewer twisted belts and the belt very rarely slips out. The other plus is that the belt goes behind the arm rests. Every other seat we’ve had requires the shoulder belt to go under the arm rest. I don’t think all require that, but all of ours have. The Nautilus belt path is automatic, no routing. The key is just to teach the child to pull on the shoulder belt to tighten everything down.
ETA: So many kids stick the shoulder belt behind their back. If he allows that “for comfort” this still won’t solve anything. Maybe point out that having the guide at the correct height and the belt routed correctly, actually keeps the belt off her neck and comfortable.
 

abigaylebelle

Active member
I haven’t found highback boosters to be easy for kids to set up and use on their own. I know my 6 year old, who is very safety conscious, still gets the belt twisted in the shoulder belt guide pretty regularly.
The only seat I know she can use 100 percent correctly is the harmony youth backless booster. I don’t like the idea of a 4 year old in a backless booster but it might be the most likely to be properly used, which is a step up in safety from her current situation.
 

mom2kk

New member
Thank you everyone. They live 800 miles from us so I don’t get any time with her to try to teach her, unfortunately. This summer she may come for a few days, and she’ll be able to watch/imitate her 9 & 12 year old cousins (my kids) in their HBB, so maybe I better wait and make it a big deal and introduce first time here even if the time is short, so she only knows it done correctly to start, til he screws it up after they leave ��. She’ll be 4.5 by then, maybe a bit more capable and or bigger.
 

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