Booster seat Dilemma?! Please help

[izzyh4]

Hi, I have just joined and would love some advice. I am going to give you as much information as possible!

I have 2 kids ds 6, 44lbs and 44inches tall in a Britax Wizard, dd 4
40lbs and 42 inches tall in a britax boulevard. Both seats are installed with latch (and the seat belt just in case - as they are reaching the higher weight limit recommended on Britax seats with latch), both seats are only used in my Volvo XC90 2007 side curtains etc etc.

As ds is 6 I kind of feel like he is ready for a booster, also would like to be able to use my third row of seats and the permanently installed britaxes don't let me fold the second row forward to let passengers into the back. Would be nice too to allow my husband to take them out occasionally in his 1998 Lexus 400 Sedan (no latch)

Situation is complicated by the fact that we are going to England in the summer. I really don't want to drag the britaxes round with me especially as I will be car hopping from my sisters car, dads car and a hire car (will not know about air bags sip etc). One thought was to buy boosters in England (britaxes with high backs) Alternatively buy an easily manouverable seat here and take it on the whole trip. (how well do the Recaro Vivos fold?) I really want SIP and I like what looks to be the move with the monterey towards latched boosters - but what is Sunshine kids safety record do they compare to Recaro and Britax?

My thoughts are keep the kids harnessed in the britaxes as long as possible, buy Vivos for the trip? And then when they finally reach upper weight height in the Britaxes (7 more inckes and 25 pounds to go) maybe Britax or Recaro will have a latched booster. Money is a consideration but will gladly not eat for as long as it takes to buy the right seat

What do you all think?

 

[JessicaS]

I have little to offer on the booster situation. Obviously the ideal is to keep them harnessed as long as possible, regardless of conveniences (easier said than done, I know). Also, I'd personally want harnessed seats for the plane ride, so I'd bring the Britaxes. I walk through the airport by myself with a toddler, a Marathon, and a diaper bag, so I know two+ people can do it with two kids and two Britaxes.

However, you definitely need to stick with either LATCH or seatbelt, and NOT both. There is no proof that it's necessarily harmful, but it hasn't been tested this way and is generally frowned upon. Good luck!

 

[TerisBoys]

Another note - it's illegal to buy boosters in Europe with plans to bring them back to the US to use after the trip.

 

[lauralou]

My vivo will not fold,it just comes apart in two pieces.Considered radians?They fold great and hold to 65lbs or 80 pending which model you get.We have one of the radian 65 just for travel.It is folded up in the closet for planes and etc..we need it for.Just a thought.

 

[wendytthomas]

It's important that you remove either the seatbelt or LATCH today. Before you drive out again. The big concern with using both, though it seems to make sense, is that neither system will work properly.

Either one of those is designed to stretch up to 20% in a collision. It slows the impact down. More time to stop, less damage to items and people. Well, if you use both then neither is getting the full force and neither may stretch. The forces are still there, however, and it may transfer right into the carseat which isn't designed to take the stresses the LATCH or seatbelt are supposed to take. The carseat doesn't stretch. So pick one and use it. Remove the other one.

As for in Europe, the six year old could probably be just fine in a booster. How about a Compass? It folds and can fit in the overhead bin (you don't want to check a seat). The four year old, though, I'd be very wary about. I know it's a pain to transfer seats, but it's just safer. And with the long flight from here to there your four year old is probably going to want something more her size than the airplane seat so she can sleep more comfortably. So her carseat on board would be safer and more comfortable for her.

Wendy

 

[izzyh4]

Thank you for your help - have taken seat belt off (interesting all my friends have theirs locked in with both, I shall tell them all as well) Checked Britax and the upper weight limit for latch is 48 lbs but it said to check with manufacturer of the car. So I am waiting for Volvo to call me back to tell me what their upper weight limit is on the latch.

I had been planning on waiting for latched boosters (montery) but if the upper weight limit on the latch in most cars is 48 pounds (as stated in the Britax manual) wouldn't a latched booster be redundant for a bigger child. Surely it would impact the clek backless booster too.

I am just going to wait and let the kids get as big as poss while harnessed in their Britaxs latched for as long as possible, then the car seat belt. Eventually moving on to a high backed booster.

Thanks for the flying tips, we have always buckled the kids into their britaxes for flights. They have always travelled very well like that,.

 

[skipspin]

You wouldn't need to follow the LATCH limit for a booster, since the LATCH is just holding the booster in while the seatbelt is holding the child in.

With a LATCHed harnessed seat the LATCH anchors are holding the weight of the seat and the child.

Wendy gave some great advice in her post, so I don' think I need to add anything else. :thumbsup:

 

[mommyto4]

LATCHed boosters are not affected by the LATCH limits. This is because the lower anchors are only holding the weight of the booster and the seat belt is holding the weight of the child. I hope that makes sense.

OOPS! Guess I was posting at the same time as Joy.

 

[Kat_Momof3]

Manuals weren't clear enough for some before... newer britax manuals come right out and tell you to use one or the other, NEVER both.

I like the convenience of a latched booster, so you don't have to remember to buckle it in when it's empty if you drive (to keep it from being a projectile)

 

[izzyh4]

I just spoke to Volvo and they say there is no "specified" upper weight limit on the xc90 latch system, but that I should abide by the Britax assumption of 48 pounds, as that might be the maximum stress level that the britax itself can absorb through the latch. Anyway as a little upnote, got to love the volvos dedication to customer service that they worked so hard to find out for me. Intrestingly my local service center (Kansas City) had never been asked this question. Anyway again thumbs up to Volvo.

 

[izzyh4]

Yes that is so right, there is NO reference in my boulevard 2004 or my Wizard 2003 mauals to not using both. I always have been really concerned about the projectile factor. There were some studies in England about items coming through the trunk space in a sedan through the foldable seats into the main space.

 

[izzyh4]

Hi I will check out the Radian, I definetely want to fly with boosters as I actually will be by myself on the trip to england and I am staying for a month (I am going home for the first time in 8 years) It will be me the kids and the luggage, I just dont think I will be able to manage the big britaxs also need something quick and easy to get into multiple taxis in London, don't know if british black cabs ahve latch (left before I had kids) and if they don't not sure if they will have the patience to tighten down the car seats while I sit in them to make sure they are tight enough. Not worried about flying comfort, the kids are hard core travellers and we are flying to NY (short flight) then taking the transatlantic ocean boat crossing to England. So what car seat would you take?

 

[minismom]

I just spoke to Volvo and they say there is no "specified" upper weight limit on the xc90 latch system, but that I should abide by the Britax assumption of 48 pounds, as that might be the maximum stress level that the britax itself can absorb through the latch. Anyway as a little upnote, got to love the volvos dedication to customer service that they worked so hard to find out for me. Intrestingly my local service center (Kansas City) had never been asked this question. Anyway again thumbs up to Volvo.

Izzy,
I just got myself a new xc90 and I'm so in love with volvo too!! If you don't mind sharing, can you tell me how your seats install in the car and in what configuration you have them? I'm still waiting for delivery of my car and in the store I only tried DD's new RA RF. But I heard the headrests can get in the way of FF instalation of bigger seats so I'm curious how the Blvd and Wizard are working for you. Oh, and just as a reminder, i don't assume you managed to squeeze those 2 seats side by side, but just remember volvo doesn't allow you to use latch in the center (in fact the salesguy at the dealership i went to get mine didn't know that, and only found out his own ds's seat was in wrong when I explained why I was installing with the seatbelt )
Sorry I don't have any booster advice, I'm not there yet! But if you're definitely not bringing the seats on the plane see if you could at least buy or rent a CARES harness for your dd, as she still seems too small for just the plane's lapbelt.
Good luck with everything!

 

[izzyh4]

Hi, I love my XC90, it has been wonderful - especially in all the snow and ice we have had here recently. I have dd in the boulevard latched and tethered behind the drivers seat. Ds is in the wizard latched and tethered behind the passenger seat. I am able to put both seats in by myself and they are very very tight. No movement at all.