need idiot-proof booster

melaniev

New member
my husband and i are going away in 2 wks and i'm dropping off the kids at my parents, and my mother-in-law is picking them up. that means there's a car transfer for which i will not be present. :(

im thinking about installing my regent in my mother-in-law's car in advance (which would leave me carseat-less possibly for a few days), but I still need something for my parent's car. this has been an issue for a while as my parents do not believe in carseat safety (since they drive a volvo wagon, and "we" did not use seats, they figure that's protection enough).

so basically I need a booster which they will use so it must be as easy as possible, and can transfer from one car to another themselves. harnessed seat is not an option for that reason. :(

my baby is 4yrs, 43" and 39lb.
 
ADS
Can you rent carseats from anyplace locally? We have a local business that rents out baby equipment; cribs, playpens, carseats, etc. You could check your yellow pages, and call and ask about prices. Then, you could possibly put an acceptable seat in *both* of the grandparents' vehicles, and not have to worry about it the whole time you are gone.

Or... Do your ILs support your safety seat use? Maybe you only need to pre-install for *your* parents, since you say your mom is rather unconvinced of the need for carseat safety. If your ILs are supportive, maybe they can be trusted to take the time/effort to uninstall/reinstall everything correctly? A short demo before-hand could make a huge difference.

I hope you have a great trip!
 

mamato2

New member
Best option would be to borrow or rent a harnessed seat that you can install for them. If that won't work then I'd think a Parkway would be a great booster. It is really, really easy to use and has side impact protection. You would need to show them where the seat belt goes (marked in red on seat) and I would show ds as well. At 4 he should be able to tell them if they have it right!
Just make sure they know they MUST use a shoulder harness with it, and perhaps adjust the head 'rest' ahead of time.
The Parkway will come in handy as a spare for you for years to come!!
Good Luck...
C.
 

KristiD761

Senior Community Member
Our local health Dept has a grandparent loaner program for just this kind of thing...you may want to check that out as well...
 

melaniev

New member
i've never heard of any rental or loaner programs. because she is sort of at an awkward stage (tall and skinny), i dont know if they would have what i need either(?)

i am thinking of getting a parkway. of course, my mother's price limit is $30; but if she would put in that I could do the rest.

i did realize though, that I really only *need* to worry about the transfer to the inlaws as I would be able to install my seat in my parents, but the trip to their house is shorter (45 min) and she will only be there for a few hours, then i would be stuck without a seat until I see them next. ugh. there's no way I trust either of them to install a harnessed seat without me.
 

joolsplus3

Admin - CPS Technician
I'd feel pretty good about a Parkway... the hardest thing is threading the belt through the red shoulder slot, and that's not real hard. There's no armrests for grandparents to route the seatbelt the wrong way over/under, so it makes it one of my fave seats for 'booster novices'. It also stands alone when you take it out of the car...the Graco Turbo tends to just fall over....

I don't think renting is a good idea... if you could even find a place to do it, you'd risk getting a filthy, outdated seat with no manual that may or may not have been in a crash (never, ever use a seat with an unknown history) (just reminding everyone of that...plus, I've rented a seat before I knew better, and it was absolutely disgusting :p )
 

joolsplus3

Admin - CPS Technician
melaniev said:
why parkway over bodyguard? too many darned choices. :(
I know dedicated cps techs who can't even figure out the Bodyguard...that's why it's discontinued (and cheap... I know that must make it tempting, it's cheaper...but really, it's much harder to use right)
 

melaniev

New member
ahh .. makes sense, thanks.

i just borrowed my father-in-law's turbobooster "just in case". I still can't decide if i should just get the parkway for my parent's house/car or get an apex 65, which in emergency (if im not there to install it) could also be used as a booster. that is assuming they're at least willing to learn how to do that.
 
With the Apex, or any other convertible FF/BPB, I would be concerned about misuse if the users are unwilling to read the manual and learn how to do it correctly first. Those 5 pt. harness straps must be removed to use correctly as a BPB (in most seats), although that's probably more for the child's comfort than safety, I'd think. Still... I wouldn't trust my own assumption on that. I tend to agree with whoever said that a simple-to-use BPB may be the best option for idiot-proofing. A BPB, used correctly every time, meets the safety requirements and will keep your child safe in a crash. Most are lightweight, portable, and simple to use correctly with little or no instruction. TurboBoosters are pretty easy to use, so if you already have one available from your FIL, I don't see why that wouldn't work for your situation. Not necessarily the best, safest option, but not *unsafe*, considering your child is over 4 yrs., 40".
 

Victorious4

Senior Community Member
The Parkway was what I chose for my parents to use before, but they kept forgetting to loop the shoulder belt through the red positioner....

They now have a Safety 1st Prospect (Eddie Bauer Cubb) -- I took off the harness for them, adjusted the headrest to the proper height & showed my daughter as well as my parents how to lift up the armrests before buckling. There's just a space for the shoulder belt, not a "difficult" (according to my parents, but certainly not to me, LOL) loop like the Parkway -- this means the risk of misuse for them is much lower now....

It's very wide & doesn't adjust as high as a Parkway, but can be used backless eventually. The head wings are deep & filled with EPS foam for added side impact protection, but kiddo's shoulders might be squeezed. It's very well padded & has better cup holders than the Parkway.
 

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