Middle (center) seat position concerns

I have a 2001 Suburban which has a 2nd row bench seat and a 3rd row bench seat. I have a 10 year old that typically meets the 5 criteria for not needing a booster but he tends to slouch and I would prefer to error on the side of safety. Here's the problem though. The center position in the 2nd and 3rd rows have only a lap belt. No shoulder harness. No LATCH system.

I would also like a headrest for each of these 2 center seat positions but from what I can tell, there are no booster seats that can be used with only a lap belt.

So - three questions I guess:

1) Are there places (buesinesses) on the web that offer some kind of retro-fit kit to add a headrest to these middle seat positions?

2) Is there some kind of booster that can be secured using just a lap belt?

3) Surely this is a common issue and there is some kind of solution that is eluding me. Please let me know what that might be

Sincerely and "Thank You" in advance,
Jeff

Unfortunately, there is no way to retrofit a seat to have a headrest. There are also no boosters that can be used with a lap belt. The only option you might have would be an ez-on harness with their highback booster. The lap belt is threaded through the harness, providing a five point harness for the occupant. The booster provides the head protection. However, I think you can only use the Kid-y harness with the booster and it has a weight limit of 80 pounds, I believe. Really, those center seating positions are only good for installing car seats. Your son will have to sit outboard, but you can look into the britax parkway booster, which has side impact protection, to see if he still fits. If he does, it might help with the slouching and give him a little more protection.

That's sort of what I figured (no way to add a center headrest). He had been outboard for awhile now but the youngest just graduated out of the center position car seat into a booster. So now the logical place for the oldest is in the center (the middle child is in a booster in the other outboard position).

So please forgive my ignorance regarding the product names / models you suggested. Can you be more specific as to what product(s) you recommend for the center position? You said, "...ez-on harness with their highback booster" but I didn't catch the brand name. It sounds encouraging though.

I sure hope the American car manufactures come around to realizing that people actually do *sit* in the center position of a bench seat and that those people want the safety of a headrest too. I assume it's all just to save a buck that they don't install a center headrest. Oh well. Next time I buy a new car, that will be a requirement.

Thank you,
Jeff

middleseatposition said:

So please forgive my ignorance regarding the product names / models you suggested. Can you be more specific as to what product(s) you recommend for the center position? You said, "...ez-on harness with their highback booster" but I didn't catch the brand name. It sounds encouraging though.
Thank you,
Jeff

Click to expand...

The name brand is "EZ-ON"
Here is the link to their site
http://www.ezonpro.com/index.shtml

www.safetyangel.com has the rideryte booster with the kid-y harness by ez-on for $120. I am pretty sure you cannot buy this seat in stores and it seems like this is the only store that carries it. The booster and harness were originally meant for buses, as are most of the ez-on product line, but they are marketing this one for cars with lap only belts and no head rest. EZ-ON also makes harnesses for special needs such as wheelchairs and full body casts and such.

What age/size/weight is the younger child? How about a seat that harnesses to a higher weight? There are a few options out there that might work.
www.ezonpro.com is the main company that makes the vests, safetyangel is great too.

The youngest (boy) is age 5, ~40 lbs and 44". The middle (girl) is ~57 lbs and 50". The oldest (boy) is ~68 lbs and 58". The two younger kids use boosters (two different brands, don't remember the brands) in the outer seats of the 2nd row. The youngest just graduated to a booster - does this seem OK to the experts? .

I looked at the safetyangel site and found what you all were referring to. I'm guessing that the RideRtye full back booster will not be tall enough to function as a neck restraint (I guess I need to measure him while sitting down from his back side to his head and see).

Also I'm still a little confused by the "Kid Y Harness" - I understand what it is, but on the ezonpro web site, I don't see a product called "Kid Y" - I see "E-Z-ON Tether Mount and "E-Z-ON" Floor Mount. On the page for the tether mount, it talks about weights from 20 to 80 lbs and how all 1999 and new vehicles have "factory installed tether anchors". I'm not sure I've seen this in my 2001 Suburban... what exactly am I looking for? Just a bolt in the floor with a hook to hook the harness to? Then I read about the "Floor Mount" model and it says it has to be used with a vest. I don't really think that will work with my 10 year old. Surely this isn't as confusing to you all as it is to me? Oh, or, maybe I should be looking at the "E-Z-ON 86Y Universal Harness"? Maybe *this* is what the safetyangel site calls the "Kid Y Harness"?

Finally (and thank you for your patience), what exactly are you (joolsplus2) suggesting? Can you be more specific? Again I apologize if I'm being slow to grasp these products.

Thank you again,
Jeff

EZ-on is not showing the kid-y in their product listing. The 86Y is for older kids, 70 pounds and up, I think. It cannot be used with the booster, which is what you will need if you do not have headrests. The Kid-y harness is 30-80 pounds, I believe and goes with the rideryte booster. It cannot be used without the booster. The harness hooks to a tether anchor. Your vehicle will determine where it is located...in a 2001, there may not be one installed, but you can have one installed by Chevy. They will install 1 for free, but it might not be available in that center seat. Also, depending on Chevy's weight limits for their anchors, you might have to use the anchor hardware provided with the ez-on harness. Ez-on is supposed to be very good at telling you how to install their anchors.

However, I would try your eldest in the parkway booster to see if he fits. It adjusts tall and you would have the side impact protection. If not and he passes the five step test, you will probably just have to have him ride outboard in the third row. Also, if he is too tall for the parkway or other boosters, he will be too tall for the rideryte booster, anyway.

Here's a page with the current over-40 pound harnessing options http://www.cpsafety.com/articles/Over40.aspx
If you had a car with all shoulderbelts, you'd be fine, but since you have lapbelts (not optimally safe, can cause severe internal injuries in a crash) and no head restraints, it's easiEST to just use a car seat in those lap-belt-only positions.

We have a small section on seats that harness above 40 pounds, also;-)

http://www.car-safety.org/basics.html#above40

EZOn Kid-Y is at www.safetyangel.com (FWIW, it's not as sturdy or comfortable as the Regent)

You might try the Ride Safer vest in the center for the youngest if he is short enough to not need the headrest yet. It can be used with a lap belt and tether up to 60 pounds. Here a link: http://elitecarseats.com/Safe-Traffic-Systems-Ride-Safer-Vest.pro