The Kobuk Air-Thru Booster

[CuddlyMonsters]

Does anyone own one?

I am considering one of these for our secondary vehicle which my old kids ride in.

My DD is 5 years old and weighs 35lbs. My son is also 35lbs and is 3 years old. My son would only be riding in it on the "rare" ocassion.

Here is the discription according to the manufactuer.

The Kobuk Air-Thru™ booster seat with vented shell allows hot air to escape and cool air to rush in. It can be used as a highback or as a backless booster, keeping your child safe after he or she out-grows a car seat. Deep side wings provide greater head protection. Belt guides give you the freedom to adjust the seatbelt vertically or horizontally so you can find the perfect belt position for your child. The height adjustable backrest, armrests and removable cup holder make for a comfortable environment. Removable and washable fabric adds convenience. For 3 yrs and 33-125 lb and 33-57 in.

 

[VoodooChile]

I was considering it for dd for dh's vehicle, but he said he "didn't like the looks of it," whatever that means!
A 3 year old will need a harnessed seat and not a booster, even for just occasional rides. How tall is he, overall and torso (have him sit against the wall and measure floor to shoulder)? What vehicle would the seat be going into?

 

[CuddlyMonsters]

The two kids riding in it would be:

5 year old
Torso Height - 15.5"
Height - 41.5"

3 year old
Torso Height - 14.5"
Height - 37"

 

[skylinphoto]

Yeah, I wouldn't put a 3 year old in a booster ..even occasionally.

If you get one for the 5 year old, be sure to post pics! I've always been interested in this booster and have never seen real pics of it.

 

[christineka]

If you want one seat, I'd get the maestro and harness them both till outgrown! Other than that, I'm interested in the kobuk as well. I got to see it on a display table, but that doesn't tell me much about the seat.

 

[CuddlyMonsters]

I actually have considered the Maestro when I went shopping recently for his primary car seat. I ended up getting him the Britax Frontier 85, because on the Maestro and the Radian he complains that the crotch "hurts" because it is too tight and it was set to 7.5" (which is the longest it goes)...

My 5 year old DD would be the primary rider in the seat. My son would probably only be in it once in a blue moon.

What intrested me is that both my kids, meet the height, weight and recommend age requirements...

 

[VoodooChile]

Many boosters say 3 years on the box. In practice, 3 year olds aren't developmentally ready to ride in one. This happens at more like 5-7 years old, when a child is mature enough to be responsible for his/her own safety amd sit still, not play with the seat belt, lean over to pick up a dropped toy or hit a sibling, throw a tantrum because I drove past McDonalds, etc. Preschoolers are unpredictable little people. I have a 3 year old, and I keep him harnessed in all vehicles, all the time, basically to protect him from himself

 

[kam1011]

And in some states it's illegal for 3yo's to ride in a booster.

 

[CuddlyMonsters]

We live in central PA. In terms of maturity my son is more mature than my 5 year old DD, she has special needs but she needs to learn to ride correctly in a car. So we thought this would a good opportunity for her to learn and also most of the rides/roads would be close to home and speed limits are 35mph.

Judge and assume all you want, but my child with special needs has to learn about car safety. It does not matter if she is 5pt harnessed, she still knows how to get out. She knows to reach between her legs and loosen the straps to her seat...

 

[monica-m]

No one is passing judgement. We have just heard too many stories of 3 year olds dying in minor accidents because they were in a booster. Their bones are not developed enough for the crash forces and their impulse control isn't developed enough for them to be ready to be in charge of their own safety

Best practice shows us that all children, special needs or neuro-typical, need to remain harnessed until they have the maturity to sit properly at all times. Booster training has its place and is a very good idea but the child has to be ready.

 

[bree]

I just wanted to share the recommendations from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA.gov).

You can see by clicking on the age groups on that web page that the recommendation for 1 through 3 year olds is to be rear-facing. If they've outgrown their rear-facing seats, the recommendation is to be in a forward-facing 5 point harness. I would suggest following those guidelines, and I wouldn't suggest putting a 3 year old in a booster, even for an occasional trip.

For 4 through 7 year olds, NHTSA recommends 5 point harnessed seats until they are outgrown before moving on to a booster.

With your children's weights and torso heights, they could easily follow the guidelines to rear-face the 3 year old and harness the 5 year old. It's a little more tricky when purchasing a secondary seat, because NHTSA doesn't address that specifically, since it covers what to do when a current seat is outgrown. But I think following the "when the current seat has been outgrown" advice (so a forward-facing 5 point harness for the 3 year old and a booster for the 5 year old) is reasonable.

I think the Maestro would be a good occasional seat for your situation, if you are looking to buy just 1 seat for the kids to share. If you are looking for two seats, then a booster might be a consideration as a occasional seat for the 5 year old with the Maestro or other harnessed seat for the 3 year old. I'd suggest also researching the Graco Turbobooster, because it tends to fit young booster riders like your 5 year old well.

 

[Judi]

I had the Kobuk. Where the lap belt goes through, it was so tight that I would have to help, to make sure it was in right. I ended up selling it. It was a good fit, but not easy as a booster should be.

For the 3 year old, a booster is really not ready for a booster. Most 4 year olds aren't either. They move out of position, which is unsafe.

 

[CuddlyMonsters]

First of all I am new to this forum, I came here because I am rather overwhelmed with all the choices that are out there. However I am now even more overwhlemed.

My 5 year old is starting Kindergarten in the fall, so she will be riding on a school bus "unrestrained" as it is. She has always been 5 point harnessed up until now, but she can get out of the 5 point harness, so maybe it is time to train her to use a highback booster. The way I see it is that a 5 point harness is only good if she stays in it, we have a behavioral therapist and a TSS working with her and this was suggested. Their thinking is that she might stay in the highback booster if we "train" her to use it correctly rather than trying to get out of a 5 point harness. Lately I can't leave the house with her because I woud be pulling over every 5 minutes to buckle her back in her seat because she got out. I have 3 kids under the age of 5 on my own every day. The 5 year old being the one with special needs. The 3 year old is as good as a 2 year old going through terrible 2's, then you have the hungry 8 month old baby who eats every couple hours!

As for the assumptions and judgements, there already have been many as my 5 year old is NOT your typical 5 year old. She has been through A LOT and made many milestones! She does have special needs...

Right now I still have a couple months to decide what I want to do, so it is not like I am running out and buying this seat tomorrow!

 

[cookie123]

If your 5 year old isn't mature enough or is unable to stay buckled in when the car is moving, using just a seatbelt is likely going to make it worse. It is much easier for them to mess with.

Is it possible to teach her when it's okay to unbuckle? Is she able to buckle herself in AND unbuckle or is it possible to teach her? Maybe if she has more responsibility for her safety that might help?

I just want to share that my grandkids rode in 5 point harnesses until age 7 and 8.5. They were able to do up their harnesses with some practice at your daughter's age. Boosters were much harder for them to do on their own.

 

[Judi]

Don't worry too much about the bus. There are made to be safe without the harness. Now if she starts getting up in the bus, we can work on that if it happens.

 

[CuddlyMonsters]

We have tried everything you can think of to try and teach her when it is "okay" to unbuckle yourself! Like I said before we have a Behavioral Therapist and TSS working with her on these issues. My 5 year old has a whole lot of other issues too, for example she doesn't know that you can get hit by a moving object, she runs away from me at the Grocery stores! Like I said, before assume all you want a judge me all you want...

I really think it is funny that people just ASSUME that I haven't tried explaining to my CHILD WITH SPECIAL NEEDS when the RIGHT and WRONG time is to unbuckle your 5 point harness! Unless you have a child with special needs with developmental delays, then please don't JUDGE OR ASSUME these things!

 

[CuddlyMonsters]

Don't worry too much about the bus. There are made to be safe without the harness. Now if she starts getting up in the bus, we can work on that if it happens.

If you don't mind me asking what makes the bus different? I am sure if she sees the other kids sitting, then she would do the same thing, but it would be an adjustment at first...

 

[Dmcj13]

We have tried everything you can think of to try and teach her when it is "okay" to unbuckle yourself! Like I said before we have a Behavioral Therapist and TSS working with her on these issues. My 5 year old has a whole lot of other issues too, for example she doesn't know that you can get hit by a moving object, she runs away from me at the Grocery stores! Like I said, before assume all you want a judge me all you want...

I really think it is funny that people just ASSUME that I haven't tried explaining to my CHILD WITH SPECIAL NEEDS when the RIGHT and WRONG time is to unbuckle your 5 point harness! Unless you have a child with special needs with developmental delays, then please don't JUDGE OR ASSUME these things!

If she unbuckles the five point harness how can you be sure she wont unbuckle the seat belt? And no one was saying you shouldn't booster train your 5yo, they were saying not to put your 3 yo in a booster, ever for any reason his bones are not strong enough, and if he is on par with a 2 yo going through the terrible twos he is definitely not mature enough.

 

[christineka]

A kid who unbuckles the 5 point harness, should not be in a seatbelt. I would try the tricks of keeping her in her seat. Turn the whole crotch buckle assembly backwards. Put duct taped toilet paper tubes on the harness between crotch buckle and chest clip so she can't push down the clip.

A 3 year old should never, ever be in a booster.

If a child sits properly on a bus, they are very safe. The bus uses compartmentalization to keep people safe in an accident. The key, though is that the child has to sit properly.

 

[CuddlyMonsters]

A kid who unbuckles the 5 point harness, should not be in a seatbelt. I would try the tricks of keeping her in her seat. Turn the whole crotch buckle assembly backwards. Put duct taped toilet paper tubes on the harness between crotch buckle and chest clip so she can't push down the clip.

A 3 year old should never, ever be in a booster.

If a child sits properly on a bus, they are very safe. The bus uses compartmentalization to keep people safe in an accident. The key, though is that the child has to sit properly.

Yup! We tried all those tricks! I ended up with paper/tape shreds all over the back of my van (another mess just to add to my already full plate). She can rip shoes apart at the sole, shred hardback books etc...

With turning the assembly backwards, that is not even how she is getting out. She is reaching between her crotch pressing down on the metal then loosening the whole entire 5 point harness!