Narrow booster?

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mommaon112903

New member
The Sunshine Kids Radians (SKR)s are the narrowest 5-point on the market.

What is the child's weight and torso length? The SKRs have a top harness slot approx 17/18", FF to 65lbs, but can be tricky to install depending on the vechicle(s).
 

lms6241

New member
I am putting it in a 2500 extended cab Ford. I use a Britax Parkway in it now. I wish her Marathon would fit but the seat is too narrow.
 

lms6241

New member
Does she not sit maturely in her Britax Parkway? What is the reason you don't want it anymore?


She sits fine in her Parkway but I would like to keep her harnessed for as long as possible. She has trouble buckling herself in the Parkway and I worry when she is with others they may not buckle her in properly.
 

Maedze

New member
She sits fine in her Parkway but I would like to keep her harnessed for as long as possible. She has trouble buckling herself in the Parkway and I worry when she is with others they may not buckle her in properly.



There's no reason to keep her 'harnessed as long as possible' unless she has specific special needs. A 5 year old in a booster is very, very, very safe and we have no evidence showing a harness would be safer.

If you are worried about others buckling her in, a harnessed seat is far more likely to be misused than the Parkway, which is nearly fool proof.
 

lms6241

New member
If you are worried about others buckling her in, a harnessed seat is far more likely to be misused than the Parkway, which is nearly fool proof.

I do the car seat install so I know that is done correctly with the harnessed seats and she buckles herself in, including the chest clip in her Marathon. She has not been buckled in properly in the Parkway a few times. The shoulder strap guide wasn't used and the few times I've let her buckle herself in and there was way to much slack. I know I won't always be there to correct improper buckling.
 

Maedze

New member
I'm confused.....you're concerned about other people buckling her in, but if she's in the Marathon it's not a problem because you do it yourself?

I feel like I'm missing a piece of the puzzle here :eek:


If you send her off in someone else's care with a harnessed seat, that seat is FAR more likely to be misused than a booster, particularly a Parkway. She is old enough that you can teach her how to use the belt. When I send DS, almost 5, to a friend's house, I use a booster, not his harnessed seat, because that's far less likely to be used incorrectly, particularly as he knows how the belt needs to lie.

There's nothing *wrong* with a harnessed seat at her age, but if you want narrow, your best bet is the Radian. That will be outgrown sooner rather than later, and will NOT be a cure all to the correct-use issue.
 

lms6241

New member
I install the MA in others vehicles and she is able to buckle her harness properly. I know if I let others install the MA in their vehicle it doesn't get installed correctly. I have shown my FIL the proper way to install the MA several times and he takes the MA LATCH clips and clips it to the middle seat and back seat seatbelts, so I always install the seat myself. To me the Parkway is a no brainer but for some reason neither FIL or dh can grasp the booster concept. She has come home with the shoulder belt behind her or behind the booster seat. She has riden in the Parkway a hand full of times, it's our back up seat and she isn't in that truck very often. I'm sure as we use it more she'll get the buckling down and it won't be an issue.
 

capeKO71

New member
My son has the parkway - and I guess the biggest thing is to start the routine - he knows it has to go through the belt guide, and he knows he has to pull tight... can you just keep teaching her? And make it routine?

Otherwise - the Radian would probably work. When you say narrow... do you mean that the depth of the seat is too shallow for the marathon? Is the physical seat a full size seat? If it is, you could try the Nautilus - because it's not very deep - but it does need to sit 100% on the seat with no overhang. Then at least you could use it as a booster later.
 

mommaon112903

New member
With Josef's parkway I leave the belt guided thru, so there is never a worry if the belt is guided thru or not. Not sure if this is something you could do or not.

At her age, she should be able to be shown the correct way to buckle up, ie shoulder belt in front not in the back. :twocents:
 

lms6241

New member
When you say narrow... do you mean that the depth of the seat is too shallow for the marathon? Is the physical seat a full size seat?

The depth of the bench is narrow.


With Josef's parkway I leave the belt guided thru, so there is never a worry if the belt is guided thru or not.

Somehow my dh and fil remove the belt from the guide when they help her out of the vehicle. I have no idea why they do it. :confused:

I had it in my mind that having her harnessed as long as I can was best. It makes me feel better having her harnessed. I feel like she is more secure and the 5pt harness spreads the impact out more on her body. I mean, there's a reason race car drivers have harnesses and not regular seat belts, KWIM?

After doing more seaching on this site it seems the Parkway (older style is what I have) is an excellent booster. I will start putting it in my car and get her more used to the buckling. Our Marathon doesn't expire until March so we have time for me to get used to the idea of her not being harnessed.
 

Maedze

New member
I had it in my mind that having her harnessed as long as I can was best. It makes me feel better having her harnessed. I feel like she is more secure and the 5pt harness spreads the impact out more on her body. I mean, there's a reason race car drivers have harnesses and not regular seat belts, KWIM?

Harnessing is good. For EVERY child under 4 and 40, it is the only option. For a child over that, it's the only option if the child can't sit maturely in a booster. But for a 5 and a half year old, assuming she is able to sit maturely in a booster, there is no evidence that a harness is BETTER than a booster.

Comparing our driving to race car driving is a bit of a red herring. The crash forces experienced in a race car crash are the kind that would blow your pick up truck to bits, and leave no survivors even if everyone in the vehicle were wearing 12 point harnesses.
 

mommaon112903

New member
I had it in my mind that having her harnessed as long as I can was best. It makes me feel better having her harnessed. I feel like she is more secure and the 5pt harness spreads the impact out more on her body. I mean, there's a reason race car drivers have harnesses and not regular seat belts, KWIM?


Race car drivers also wear what is called a HANS Device which literally attaches their necks to their body which is connected to the seat itself. They do not have a seperate car seat, the seat IS the multiple-point harness. Like others have said for a child under 4yrs/40lbs a harness is the ONLY choice because they can not use the booster properly nor do they fit properly which can cause severe interal injuries and even death.

Josef will be six at the end of November (bet you couldn't guess that :p) and will be in a booster full time sooner than later. He has been in a booster full-time in DH's car (which is the secondary car) since mid-March and is now in a Parkway in my car over 80% of the time. I feel very safe with him in his boosters :D
 

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