Which booster has the best geometry?

melniemi

New member
Ok, so this goes along with my son submarining under the seatbelt when we slammed on the brakes to avoid hitting 3 deer that had a death wish.

Maybe if the seatbelt was lower on his hips, closer to his thighs, he would've stayed upright. Maybe he was already slipping a little and I didn't notice in my glance back. I don't know.

Anyway, which boosters keep the belt the lowest and snuggest on the hips?

I think I will be locking the seatbelts every time we get in the car now anyway, but if I can get a better seat, I will try!

Thanks!
 
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Kecia

Admin - CPST Instructor
Honestly, it can really vary depending on the child and the geometry of the belts in the vehicle. Best thing you can do is go someplace with a good selection and try them out in your vehicle with your child.

If you don't find anything that you're really happy with, you might want to consider the Bodyguard. I know it's been discontinued for a while but it's still available in a few places and the lock-offs for the lap belt could really help prevent that from ever happening again. I believe Jenny (scatterbunny) has one. You may want to pick her brain about it.

HTH! Good luck with your search!

Kecia
 

melniemi

New member
Thanks. We don't have any local stores with a good selection. We have a small Wal Mart and Shopko. So I can see Turbos or Big Kids! Target is 1.5 hours away and anything bigger or a specialty shop is at least 2 hours away. I am kind of hoping there is just a 'good' booster that will keep him in place! I'm surprise he slid under the belt when he is bigger than his bro and lil bro stayed upright.:confused:

I'll look into the bodyguard. In the meantime, I'll lock the seatbelt!
 

NVMBR02

New member
I know nothing about booster seats, but bestbuybaby.com has the bodyguard. I don't know the DOM or if it is even a good deal. I got a good deal from them on a stroller that I bought a year ago though.
 

Wineaux

New member
Compass has always had super belt lockoff mechanisms for their infant seats, but I don't know if their boosters use those same mechanisms. You might want to check those out. I know a lot of folks really like their Compass HBB's.
 

Victorious4

Senior Community Member
No lock-offs on Compass boosters.

Perhaps seat depth could help in this situation? The Compass B510, Graco Airbooster or Evenflo Confidence are deeper than the Turbo....

I have taught Leila to tug the lap portion of the belt quite tight everytime: with lightweight locking belts, she is then locked in tight yet rarely complains (maybe only because she feels "exposed" without the harness?) or with ALR belts the lap portion usually loosens a smidge when engaging the retractor, but still stays snug enough that I don't worry about submarining (we just don't pull the shoulder portion tight unless for some reason she hasn't maintained proper positioning, which really only happens when other kids are sitting next to her)

Also, maybe the Recaro Young Sport used in booster mode could help? It has a recline feature & the lap belt guides kept the belt lower than the Turbo for my SD (don't think this booster adjusts very tall, though)
 

MagnificentMama

Senior Community Member
My DD's monarch has a lap belt that actually sits on her lap. It's just the way the "arm rests" are designed. They're very low and you have to feed the seatbelt under the armrests to get it to properly buckle. It doesn't sit near her abdomen at all, only across her hips/thighs.
 

scatterbunny

New member
I just looked back through my pics of H in the Monarch, Parkway, Bodyguard, B510, AirBooster and Start (hope I'm not forgetting any), and really none seemed to position the lapbelt where I would consider "too high", but like Kecia said, that can really depend on vehicle belt geometry. Vehicle belts that are anchored forward of the bight will naturally fit lower on the lap than vehicle belts anchored in the seat bight. I do think there has been a time or two I noticed the lapbelt riding too high on H in both the Parkway and B510, though I can't remember which specific vehicle. :confused: Like Tiffany, I always make sure H has pulled her shoulderbelt enough so that the lapbelt is nice and tight, and my Windstar has locking latchplates so I don't worry too terribly much that it will loosen. However, the Bodyguard is wonderful in situations without locking latchplates. That's the booster I sent with my mom over Thanksgiving when I was out of the state. Her vehicle has locking shoulderbelts, but I felt much better with the BG's lapbelt lockoffs, too. I figured it was the best of both worlds, locked lapbelt and shoulderbelt. :) The lapbelt lockoffs position the belt DEFINITELY across the upper thighs versus the lower belly. I really, really like the BG, the only problem we have with it is quick pick-up/drop-off, like at school, because H can't consistently lock the lockoffs herself.

I liked the positioning of the belts with the Graco AirBooster and Monarch quite a bit, and the AirBooster offers more leg support for long-legged/taller kids, so I'm leaning toward that one in the future, but I also love the Recaro Vivo because of the "cut-outs" for the lapbelt. Seems like that would hold it in place very well and prevent submarining. But the Vivo isn't very deep. :(

On the subject of using the Recaro Sport reclined in booster mode, is that allowed at higher weights? I know the recline mode of our Recaro Start must be discontinued at a certain weight (don't remember offhand, I just remember H is already over that weight so she must use it upright).
 

Victorious4

Senior Community Member
On the subject of using the Recaro Sport reclined in booster mode, is that allowed at higher weights? I know the recline mode of our Recaro Start must be discontinued at a certain weight (don't remember offhand, I just remember H is already over that weight so she must use it upright).
I don't remember :eek: We actually didn't use the recline when my SD tested it out (it was DD's primary seat then) & the belt was still positioned more on the hips than in the Turbo -- I'd venture a guess that if the Start doesn't allow recline, then the Sport probably doesn't either ... but I would give them a call to find out: unless someone here can check their RYSport manual :confused:
 

Elizasmom

New member
We have a Vivo that positions the belt very low in our van. It's on my DD's thighs. I'll try to post a pic. Also, I have a theory that it may reduce submarining because the lap portion of the belt is enclosed within the belt guide. It's a rather unique design. My daughter is bad about sliding down in every booster we've tried, but less so in the Vivo. Even so, we're looking forward to trying the Monterey. I think he sliding problem is related to the need for more leg support.
 

melniemi

New member
Thanks for all the input. I'll try to get some pics of him this week. These holidays have made things crazy around here! We head out of town again tomorrow.

The belt seems to be on his hips and he does pull it tight - I check it. I hope the Monterey lives up to the hype. I'm not sure about Sunshine Kids though?? Seems shady sometimes, like they say what we want to hear rather than what may actually be true.

Well, I'll see what you all think about the pics when I finally post them:whistle: - or rather take them!

Thanks and happy new year.
 

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