Question Where should I place Graco Turbo Boster in rental truck

U

Unregistered

Guest
In a few weeks I am renting a 22 foot Penske Truck and moving my 13 year old son and 8 year old daughter from NC to CO for a job transfer.

My 8 year old uses a Graco Trubo backless booster seat and I am looking for advice on the best place to put her seat.

Would it be better for me to put her seat in the center and have my 13 year old on the outside or would it be better to put her seat on the outside by the window and have my son in the middle? Would it be best to not use the seat and put my daughter in the middle with just a seatbelt?

I am a single mother so I need to find the best way to make it work for the 3 of us in the truck.
 
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murphydog77

Admin - CPST Instructor
Staff member
Hi. Do you know if all seating positions will have lap/shoulder belts? Head restraints? I think if there are l/s belts in all positions, I would put the 8 yr old in the center. Also check for proper head restraints in all positions. The booster may boost the 8 yr old up high enough that she may be above the seat back and you may need to switch the kids around. Good luck on your move!
 
U

Unregistered

Guest
Thanks for the info. Not sure about the seatbelts and head restraints in the truck. I am renting from Penske because I understand their truck are newer and more reliable than Uhaul. Hopefully it will have lap/shoulder belts for all 3 seats. I checked the website and it just says the truck will have a 3 person bench seat. No mention of the seat belts or headrests.

I guess if there is a lap belt, the only option is to put my daughter by the window since I believe the Turbo Booster needs a lap/shoulder belt.

From what I understand from your post, If the center seat has a lap/shoulder belt and my daughter is below the top of the headrest, then the center seat is preferred for the Turbo Booster.

If my daughter is above the headrest in the center OR if the center has only a lap belt, then I have to put the Turbo Booster by the window and have my 13 year old in the middle.

Also.. if the Turbo Booster does not work in the center seat, should I consider having my 8 year old ride in the middle with just a seatbelt? She is probably big enough to just use a seat belt but likes the booster because she can see better, and I am in no hurry to stop using it when she likes it.

Just wondering what all my options are for seating my kids. Hoping all goes well with the move!
 
U

Unregistered

Guest
Called the Penske location I will be renting from and found out all of their trucks with 3 passenger seating have a lap belt in the center position with l/s belts for the driver and outside passenger. They also told me the headrest will be the same height for both the outside passenger and center positions.

Since the I think the Turbo Booster has to be used with a l/s belt, I believe there are only 2 options for seating.

1) Put my 8 year old daughter in the turbo booster on the outside with the l/s belt and have my 13 year old son ride in the center with the lap belt.

Or

2) If my 8 year old can pass the 4 parts of the 5 step test not dealing with the shoulder belt and can keep her feet planted firmly on the floor, then put her in the center with just the lap belt and have my 13 year old on the outside.

Assuming that my 8 year old can pass the all of the steps on the test for the center seat of the truck, woudl it be better to put her in the center with just the lap belt or keep her on the outside in her Turbo Booster and put my 13 year old in the center.

I know if my 8 year old cannot pass all the steps, the ONLY option is to put her on the outside in her Turbo Booster and put my son in the middle.
 

murphydog77

Admin - CPST Instructor
Staff member
I would put the 8 yr old in the booster outboard and put the 13 yr old in the center in the lap-only belt. The 13 yr old has a more mature bone structure so if anything does happen, that should hopefully help. But the chances of anything happening are slim!

Would you be able to have either of them stay behind with a friend or family member and fly out once you've arrived at your destination? I know Southwest is having a big sale right now.
 

wendytthomas

Admin - CPST Instructor
Staff member
Does UHaul have seats that would seat your whole family safely? I'd hate for you to have to choose which child sits in the safe spot and which one doesn't. That's not a fair decision for you to make, since this vehicle cannot seat all three of you safely. If your eight year old fits in a high back booster that doesn't require a headrest, that'd make it easier for you to buy a high back booster and just get a truck that has three lap and shoulder belts, but maybe from another company. Is that an option? We could help you find a booster that would keep her safe. Then your son could be safe on the side, and you safe driving. At least as safe as anyone can be with the three of you across one row from North Carolina to Colorado. :) There's only so much magic we can help you work here.

Wendy
 
U

Unregistered

Guest
I can try to check with UHaul this weekend and see if they have any trucks that would have l/s belts in all 3 positions.

I decided to rent from Penske because I remember from riding in UHauls when friends were moving several years ago that the trucks were old and dirty and sometimes were unreliable. It has probably been 15 years since i have been in a Haul, so maybe they are better now. Figured Penske was the best option for the long move since I have heard they have the newest and most reliable trucks. I know the headrests will be fine in the Penske since they told me they are all the same height.

What would be some high back boosters that may work for my daughter and would they work with a lap belt? It would need to be a larger one as she is getting close to not needing a booster seat and may already be able to pass the 5 point test. I have not tried her in a seatbelt yet since she likes the Turbo Booster since she can see better. How expensive would one be? Would it be possible to rent one since I will only need it for 3 days? I donated her old car seat to Urban Ministries several weeks ago when I was decluttering, but doubt she could still fit in it. And information on high back boosters would be appreciated so I know what options I may have and can figure out if they would work.
 

wendytthomas

Admin - CPST Instructor
Staff member
Zero high back boosters work with a lap belt. They all require a lap and shoulder belt. For the same reason all tweens/teens/adults require a lap and shoulder belt. Without upper body restraint, the top of our bodies go forward at highway speeds and we can be killed or have lifelong spinal or head and neck injuries.

It'd be the same for your eight or 13 year old. You'd have to choose which child you want to be in the position where that can happen.

The least expensive seat that doesn't require a headrest and is super tall is the Evenflo Spectrum. It should work there. It's $55. I wouldn't rent a seat. Two reasons. First, it's probably more than $55 to rent one for three days. Second, you're trusting her life to an unknown seat. Did they bleach it between uses? Has it been crashed and they didn't tell anyone for fear of having to replace it? I know way back when (on my honeymoon), I hit a fire hydrant and we did a return and dash and hope they didn't notice the dent. We didn't have a carseat in the car, but for the same reason of not wanting to pay, we didn't mention it.

This is the best video I can find of a lap belt versus a lap and shoulder belt. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s3KXZQu4niA I believe the near one is using a booster as well, but it's hard to tell. The far one clearly is. It's a nice comparison, though, to show how much the shoulder belt does, and why a lap belt only should simply not be an option for anyone in your family. Put a dashboard in front of one of your children, and you can understand why we're so scared for you.

Fifteen years is a long time. I'd definitely check out the UHauls and see how they look.

Wendy
 

jjordan

Moderator
I know you already have your moving plans set, but friends of ours recently moved and used ABF, where you pack the trailer but they drive it. Then you could drive your own vehicle and know that everyone is safe. I think you pay based on how much space you use in the trailer.
 
U

Unregistered

Guest
Thanks for the info on the Spectrum. Planning on stopping by Penske, Uhaul, and Budget (another company in my area offering one-way rentals) this weekend to look at their trucks and hopefully see if the Turbo Booster would work in any of them. I am hoping that maybe the person at Penske gave me bad information when he said the center seat does not have a lap/shoulder belt.

If I cannot find anything to rent with a lap/shoulder belt in the center, are there any harness seats that would work for my daughter? She was 60.3 lbs and 50.9 inches when she went to the Dr in February. I hate the thought of putting her in a harness since I know it would probably be uncomfortable for her to have to stay so still for over 20 hours. Would probably have to stop more frequently so she can get out of the seat and move around if I did put her in a harness.

Also, considering having my son stay with a friend for a few weeks and then fly out since Southwest has non-stop flights to Denver from Raleigh which is about an hour away from us. Would prefer to have him in the truck with us so there is someone to help keep my daughter entertained. Would need to find someone for him to stay with and figure out the cost/logistics of a 13 year old flying alone.

Hoping to find a truck with a lap/shoulder belt in the center, but trying to figure out what my options are if i cannot find out.
 

wendytthomas

Admin - CPST Instructor
Staff member
She would fit in the Chicco MyFit (if she wasn't over 65 pounds), Britax Pioneer (if she's not over 70 pounds), Britax Frontier. She'd fit in the Britax Pinnacle, but I wouldn't want to sit next to the side impact wings! I'd be uncomfortable. The Frontier and Pinnacle require tethering over 65 pounds, and I'm not sure what the tether situations are in the trucks.

Wendy
 
U

Unregistered

Guest
Thanks for passing along the harness options! Would the ones with a higher weight limit give my daughter more room and be more comfortable for her than the one with a lower weight limit? Really hoping that i do not have to go with a harness seat since I think it would not be very comfortable for my daughter to be strapped in it for 3 days. Will probably look into having my son stay behind and fly out later if the harness is the only option for all 3 of us in the truck.
 

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