Please recommend narrow seats/boosters for occasional use

[stacim]

I am replacing the carseats for my mom's car, b/c she was involved in an accident. Dad just bought her a G6 and I am trying to figure out which seats will be best. My kids don't ride with her very often, so I want good seats, but that won't break the bank. The insurance company is prepared to reimburse up to $200 total (there were two seats in the car).

My children and their seat arrangement in my van are:
ds 11 (59" and 78#s) NL in a booster
ds 8 (53" and 55#) Parkway
dd 5 (44" and 45#) Parkway
ds 22 mo (34" and 24#) RF Roundabout

She's not likely to have all 4 at once, so it would likely be some combination of the oldest three in the back, or the two youngest in the back.

I will buy either two or three seats (I may use one that we already have) depending on what I find and what fits.

I sat in the back seat and the seat seems quite tall to me. There are rear headrests outboard but not in the center. LATCH in all three rear positions, as well as self-locking shoulder belts. The width (buckling space, if that makes sense) seems narrow to me.

One concern I have is that I do not want my mother's view to be obscured. I put one of our Parkways back there, and if it is adjusted for dd, it is fine, but if adjusted for ds, it would partially obscure her view. She is fairly healthy for her age, but she is 70. Her back is not in the best shape, so I also want to position the seats so that she can easily get the youngest in and buckled.

Sorry, that's a lot of info. Can anyone recommend a combination that might work for our situation? I think the seats need to be fairly narrow. I have looked at the FP Safe Voyage, but am a bit concerned about view obstruction since they have wings similar to the Parkway.

Thanks,
Staci

 

[scatterbunny]

Does the G6 have side airbags? If so, I'd consider backless boosters, or at least a backless for the 8yo, if you think they are mature enough to stay properly positioned in the shoulderbelt.

For the 22mo, how about a Fisher Price Safe Voyage Deluxe? Same size as a Britax Decathlon (no LATCH bars like the Marathon and Boulevard), made by Britax, same top slot height, 55 pound weight limit, no rear-facing tether, a great seat for the price, and because it sits up on a base it should both be easy to load/unload a rear-facing child and to puzzle next to a booster or two. I'd personally put the rear-facing toddler outboard for easy loading/unloading and figure out which combo of boosters will fit next to it. A Cosco Scenera might be a fine low-cost option, too.

The Clek Olli is a backless booster that utilizes LATCH, and it comes in a variety of cover choices. That might be one to consider if you want to go with a backless for your 8yo.

Cosco backless boosters are narrow yet deep, so that could be a fine low-cost option for the 8yo, too.

I'd try to stick with a Parkway for the 5yo simply because buckling boosters in tight three-across positions can be difficult, and the PW does not have armrests to get in the way. The boosters that have flip-up armrests are not known for being as easy to fit in three-across spots as the PW.

You could also consider a Radian for the 5yo, depending on torso height, because buckling harnessed seats can sometimes be easier in three-across because digging for buckles between seats can be hard on the hands. It all depends on what you think is best in this situation; will grandma install the seats, and if so, maybe a booster is better for the 5yo, less to "install" and mess up.

 

[stacim]

Thanks for the detailed response!

I will have to check mom's manual later today to see if it has side airbags. I will also have to search on the Clek Olli, that's one I'm not familiar with.

I have looked at the FP a bit and am considering it as an option. Is it fairly narrow? Have also thought about the Scenera. How is that one for shell height? I just realized my 22 mo is likely to outgrow his RA in the RF position sooner that I realized, and I've only had it a few months. May need to think of another option for our van, too.

Outboard would be ideal for ds, but then that leaves someone in the middle w/a headrest. I will try dd's Parkway in the middle position to see how it affects the view out of the rear window. May not be an issue until she is taller. Can the Parkway be used where there is no headrest? How does the FPSV booster compare to the Parkway? Albeebaby has some on clearance right now for a great price (if they are still available).

As far as positioning, I can always reconfigure based on who she will have with her. If it is just the youngest two, I can defintely put ds outboard since mom will have to put him in. If she has youngest dear son and one or more of the older boys, I can put him in the center since they can climb in and help with the buckling (well, at least the 11 yo , until I am confident the 8 yo can buckle him securely). That way, the boys will have headrests.

I really like the look of the radian and love how narrow they are. A bit more than we can spend for mom's car. I may look at them again if I change what we are doing in our van.

As far as install goes, I will definitely be doing it. 70 yo mom with a bad back and limited carseat experience is not allowed to install. I don't even like to let dh install. As hard as he tries, he NEVER gets them in tightly enough.

~Staci

PS - How do Alpha Omega Elite's rate? Sam's had one on clearance for about $75.

 

[scatterbunny]

After thinking about it more, I'd try to avoid using a backless for the 8yo unless the G6 has side airbags because without a center headrest, that would put the backless outboard, without much side impact protection.

So you'll need to fit either

highback booster/highback booster/rear-facing convertible

OR

higher weight harnessed seat for 5yo/highback booster for 8yo/rear-facing convertible

OR

highback booster for 8yo/higher weight harnessed seat for 5yo/rear-facing convertible


The Fisher Price Safe Voyage isn't particularly narrow, not like a Radian, BUT it sits up high on a narrow base, so it generally puzzles well with other seats (the wider part of other seats tend to mesh well with the narrower part of the FP seat). It's the same size as a Britax Decathlon, or a Marathon without the LATCH bars (if you need to try one out before buying but can't find a FPSVD in stores).

The Cosco Scenera is slightly narrower than the FPSVD, and the seat shell does allow a bit more RF height room than the Roundabout (and a 35 pound RF weight limit). It comes in a really cute flowery print now, too.

The Parkway can be used in spots without headrests, only a few Cosco boosters have to have headrests, as far as I know.

The FPSV booster might be something to think about for the 5yo in the center, if you can't fit two Parkways and a RF convertible. It adjusts super-narrow, but doesn't have side impact protection to speak of, compared to the Parkway or other boosters I'd recommend, but it would be great in the center spot if the armrests don't get in the way.

If you find that buckling any booster is going to be a problem in that center spot with a booster outboard and RF seat outboard, consider a Radian for your 5yo. It's super-narrow at the base and only 17 inches at the widest point, the shoulder area.

Avoid the Alpha Omega Elite, it is awful in too many ways to describe. Is it the 40# harnessed seat or 65# harnessed seat? All Cosco names sound the same.

 

[stacim]

Thanks, Jenny! You've given me lots more to consider. I will take some time a little later to look them all up on line and think about whether or not to change things around in the van as well, which may change what we buy if we move any over.

I need to look in mom's car to determine if she has side airbags. I don't know why I thought the manual would tell me and I didn't have time to get in there to look for the appropriate notations.

I'm not sure which Alpha Omega it was, but it's not real high up on my list anyway, so I'll just forget about that one.

One more question. Is there a high back booster that is of good quality that doesn't have such large wings? I am still a bit concerned about mom's view being obstructed.

Thanks,
Staci

 

[scatterbunny]

Well, it's generally overall height of a booster that will cause view obstruction; the Graco Airbooster's headwings are smaller than the Britax booster's headwings, but not in a way that I think would make a difference in view out the back window. Hopefully you can just put the highback for the 8yo on whichever side grandma is most comfortable with, and it'll all work out. Otherwise, the FPSV booster is smaller in the headrest (headwings don't seem to provide much side impact protection), but I believe it's also shorter overall than most.

 

[stacim]

Let the research, and the decisions begin!

 

[scatterbunny]

LOL! Good luck. I know I agonize for weeks/months before making new carseat/booster purchases, and that's only for ONE child.

 

[stacim]

I'm back! I still haven't made my purchases yet, and now have another question (or two ). I got in the back seat of mom's car again yesterday and tried the Parkway in there again. There is a bit of a hump in the center, so the Parkway really doesn't work great there. Would the FPSVD be okay to use in that position (RF, for the moment)? Is there a high back booster that would work okay with the center hump? If DS11 is riding in the back, I wouldn't want him in the center w/o a headrest, but that would mean either DD5 or DS8 would need to be in the center in a 5 pt or booster respectively. I was thinking about the Safety 1st Biltmore for DD, but if I remember correctly, I can't use that in the center b/c of no headrest. AARGH! This is just too complicated.

HELP!!!!

 

[Gypsy]

I'd get a Scenera or the baby, a Fisher Price Safe Voyage booster for the 5YO and a Parkway for the 8YO.

I'd put the baby outboard passenger side, rear facing.
5YO in the middle.
8YO outboard drivers side.

 

[stacim]

I'd get a Scenera or the baby, a Fisher Price Safe Voyage booster for the 5YO and a Parkway for the 8YO.

I'd put the baby outboard passenger side, rear facing.
5YO in the middle.
8YO outboard drivers side.

Any particular reason on the Scenera and not a FPSVD ds#3? I really like the idea of the higher harness weight, so that when we turn him, he will be harnessed for as long as possible.

Do you think the FPSV booster will be okay in the center w/a bit of a hump?

Is your recommendation on the Parkway outboard and FPSV in the middle b/c of better SIP?

Thanks for your help!
Staci

 

[joolsplus3]

I had mine set up that way... http://picasaweb.google.com/joolstag/FlowerPowerCar/photo#4994029508709515282
Yes, PW outboard and RF convertible outboard as they are so much safer, relatively, than the FPSV-B (mine pictured is the britax starriser comfy, essentially the same seat).
Scenera or FSPSV, whichever fits your budget, I think.

 

[stacim]

I had mine set up that way... http://picasaweb.google.com/joolstag/FlowerPowerCar/photo#4994029508709515282
Yes, PW outboard and RF convertible outboard as they are so much safer, relatively, than the FPSV-B (mine pictured is the britax starriser comfy, essentially the same seat).
Scenera or FSPSV, whichever fits your budget, I think.

Thanks for the pic! Insurance will be covering most if not all of the FPSVD (and one other seat since they were in a crash), so I think I will go with that. I think I may have it figured out, FINALLY! LOL


What can you tell me about the Nania High Ride? I have never heard of them before seeing them in your siggie. I did a quick search, but would love to hear your assessment of them as a CPST.

Thanks,
Staci