Totally hypothetical question.....would you use a booster past the expiration?

I was just thinking about this the other day. If the booster is just there to position the child correctly in an accident, what could be the harm in using it even like a year past the expiration? The plastic isn't going to be what's holding the child in like a regular carseat, so what do you think?

I think with boosters, the main reason for them to expire is due to changing regulations and safety standards. Without expiration dates on them, older less-safe boosters may stay on the market for a long time. Shield boosters were very popular a few years ago. Luckily many are starting to expire now so hopefully fewer are being used. If these shield boosters didn't have expiration dates, they could stay on the market for a long time. Studies have proven that they are not the safest booster for the child so they stopped being made.

Boosters may still be affected by plastic degradation. The lapbelt portion of the booster (typically the armrests) need to be strong enough to keep the lapbelt down during a crash. If they were brittle they may break off raising the seatbelt up on the child's belly. The shoulder belt positioned on a seatbelt may also break off if the plastic is brittle causing the seatbelt to not fall correctly on the child at the right time.

Now if I was faced with a booster expiring and I knew that the design of it hadn't changed from seats made today, and I knew it wasn't stored in extreme conditions, I may use it for a little while past the expiration date. I don't think I would advise anyone else to do it, but I would be comfortable with a parental decision to use it for a short time until I found the perfect booster to replace it with.

Only in an extreme emergency with no other choice. Otherwise, no way.

Just as my every day seat..then no.

But if I was in a pinch for some reason and my choice was an expired booster that positioned a seatbelt correctly vs no booster.....I'd pick the booster. As long as it wasn't eons since it expired.

I'd try not to though. I guess since we don't have a crash video to show an expired booster, I don't want to risk finding out

I think it would depend on the booster. I'd be a lot less worried about the arm rests degrading and falling off on a Clek Oobr than the guides on the Clek Oto, for example (the Otos are rather thin). But, yeah, if it were a choice between no booster and an improperly fitted l/s belt or expired booster and properly fitting l/s belt, as a parent I'll choose the expired booster.

If, hypothetically, I had to choose between a 1-year-expired booster and 1-year-expired harnessed seat (assume both fit my child), I'd choose the booster. But I would not use an expired anything unless it was an emergency -- like a hospital emergency, not like a ran-out-of-eggs emergency.

True enough, there probably is less risk with an expired booster compared to an expired harness seat -- however, the lap belt positioners (armrests or notches) do help absorb some crash forces.... Considering that the pelvic bones don't finish developing until puberty, I would do whatever I could not to have to use an expired booster unless there were absolutely no other safer option.

I've also thought about this, but NO I wouldn't use any seat past the expration date.

Boosters are pretty cheap, esp in the US. If there were absolutely no other choice, I guess I would rather use an expired booster than an expired harness seat, but really with boosters being so reasonably priced, I would hope many parents don't have to make that choice.....

I was actually thinking specifically about the SR/C and the FPSV boosters. They're not making them anymore and there aren't any others that skinny. What happens when they expire and you need a skinny seat for a 3-across?

Or what about the Pkwy? Once it's expired, are there going to be anymore boosters w/o armrests? That comes in handy in a lot of situations too.

What do you think?

So true -- I will probably be very sad when our Parkway expires However, when there is head support and/or a top tether anchor (for lap only belts) the Ride Safer Travel Vest is easier than the Parkway

papooses said:

So true -- I will probably be very sad when our Parkway expires However, when there is head support and/or a top tether anchor (for lap only belts) the Ride Safer Travel Vest is easier than the Parkway

Click to expand...

I hadn't even thought of that! That might work in the 3-across situation I'll need next year.

I'm not really familiar w/the RSTV's. Does the child put the vest on before getting in the car? Or is it just permanently attached to the seatbelt? How easy/quick is it to buckle/unbuckle?

If I were to use it, it would be in the middle position of the 3rd row in our Odyssey....the one with the funky seatbelt coming out of the ceiling.

How would you feel about a child in a RSTV between 2 other seats? That's the only thing about the booster, is that it would provide a bit more SIP. Thoughts on that?

Chex said:

I was actually thinking specifically about the SR/C and the FPSV boosters. They're not making them anymore and there aren't any others that skinny. What happens when they expire and you need a skinny seat for a 3-across?

Or what about the Pkwy? Once it's expired, are there going to be anymore boosters w/o armrests? That comes in handy in a lot of situations too.

What do you think?

Click to expand...

This is why we have used our FBSEB until recently. They FIT and my kids are able to be buckled and such easily. We moved them to Grammy's vehicle because anything with armrests end up not fitting in her vehicle the right way. They try to buckle and it doesn't work right and the seat belt end gets shoved under the seat and then what? Grammy's gone to the point of saying they are big enough and don't need them at all. :thumbsdown:

I've allowed family to use "newly expired" seats in a pinch because they were using seats that were way more expired. kwim? Like when Chris' cousin had her 1st baby her MOTHER was using a car seat that her 15y/o sister had used....so VERY OUTDATED....So I gave her one of mine that expired during their use that year but she was so dead seat in that she wasn't purchasing a new one kwim? I figured the baby was safer in my offering my seat rather than having a century sheild one that was 15 yrs old.

Chex said:

I'm not really familiar w/the RSTV's. Does the child put the vest on before getting in the car? Or is it just permanently attached to the seatbelt? How easy/quick is it to buckle/unbuckle?

Click to expand...

Well, no seat is ever really permanently installed but the RSTV is designed with travel in mind, so they do advertize that kids can wear it around town & mine has when we know we'll be going from bus to taxi to friend's car (she tells people it's her "parachute pack" )

Some people don't find it as user friendly as they'd hoped, but my father who has rather extensive nerve damage in his arms prefers it to traditional harnesses & I find it much quicker to "install" than a traditional carseat: the seatbelt just gets fed through the hooks: the important thing to remember is that the lap portion should be snug & you must use the top tether if it's a lap only seatbelt....

It's definitely a NICHE seat -- it has been an awesome alternative in our friend's old van in which we cannot install top tether anchors but which only has lap only belts (I can hook the top tether onto a buckled, unused seatbelt in the row behind her)

When we use it to travel a far distance where we will settle down into a family member's vehicle, I do leave the vest in the vehicle. I leave the shoulder belt in its hook & only remove 1 side of the lap portion from its hook so that she can climb in, buckle up the chest buckles on the vest, then we feed the other side of the lap portion of the seatbelt through its hook to finish buckling. Doesn't take that much more time than a traditional harness now that we've gotten used to it

How would you feel about a child in a RSTV between 2 other seats?

Click to expand...

A highback booster would definitely provide more side impact protection, but I actually prefer my kid to use the RSTV in lieu of a booster when between 2 other seats because it eliminates her tendency to forget correct positioning when sitting amongst distracting friends, reduces forward movement (crash tests more like a harness than a booster) & she is also actually more capable of buckling herself up in the vest than in a booster -- which eliminates misuse by the other adult (if/when I'm not there).

My major complaint is that it can be hot in the summer. Because the lack of side impact protection has only been an issue in vehicles where a niche seat is necessary anyway & a booster would have been less safe (ie. lap only belt) & because the side impact protection issue becomes a non-issue by having her ride in the center. I can't open links right now, but I'm pretty sure the side impact article states that even kids without side impact protection are safer in side impacts when between other seats

It doesn't sound like you would probably want to use it for everyday use then, huh? I'm just trying to figure out what I'm going to do when Baby #5 comes next year. I feel like I don't have any great options except buying a new vehicle, which neither dh nor I really want to do.

I have heard reports of people getting the radian in the middle, back seat with the seatbelt. Have you tried the installation people? They're usually pretty awesome with advice if you can post pictures.

I can't remember if I've talked to the installation people about a RN in the middle of my third row. I have, however, read and followed all the tips about RN installs in the outboard positions in my 3rd row. I have to use all of the tips....reclining the vehicle seat, twisting the belt stalk, having the recline boot down on the RN, pulling it out from the seat a couple of inches. I have to do all that to get a good install in the outboard positions. When I tried it in the middle, I did all of that and it was insanely loose. I twisted both belt stalks (which I'm not sure if that's even allowed) and did all the other stuff. I really don't see how it's possible. But maybe somebody knows another trick that I don't. I'll have to post something there.

Nobody's had a successful install (at least they haven't posted about it in the RN thread) in the 3rd row middle seat w/the seatbelt.

ETA: I have an '05 Odyssey for anyone else looking....Christineka already knew that.

There was a lady on old bbc and I grilled her on it. She has five kids in seats and an '05 odyssey. She put the parkways outboard with the radian in the middle in that back row. The two rfers in the middle row.

Did you ask her how she got the RN in the middle seat? If she used the LATCH, it would work just fine, but I have no idea how she did it w/the seatbelt. So if she did, I'd love to know.....I'd want to grill her.