booster question

[lisamarie]

Is it safer to sit in a booster seat in the middle back seat with only a lap belt or to sit in the front seat with a shoulder belt with the seat pushed all the way back and the kid is 52 inches. I don't know how to turn off the airbags. We have to use DH's car for the next few days and those are my only choices.

[Sandy in Indy]

I think if you have only a lap belt you're not supposed to use the booster seat. (The booster is to correctly position the shoulder belt.)

 

Personally, I would go with the back seat. I wouldn't put a child in the front if you don't know how to turn off the airbag.

[NanceXToo]

The middle back seat is safest. I won't even let my 9 1/2 year old sit in the front seat until she's like 12.

[Lolly]

BTDT! lap belt is NOT to be used with a booster with the lapbelt as the seatbelt. You MUST have a shoulder belt. Front seat with booster and an airbag is okay. The never in the front seat is for a rear facing carseat. Of course, backseat with a shoulderbelt is best, but as some of us know that is not always possible.

[LisaKinVA]

Oh, and just to add... a back-less booster also should NOT be used in the middle back seat if there is no headrest.

[TravelingChris]

Actually front seats with airbags kill or injure children under 14 fairly often. The problem is that the airbags go off with enough power to hold in place and adult unbelted male and that is too much power for people without strong bones and that includes children under 14. (THey used to think it was height but they have figured out that bone strength doesn't get sufficiently strong until 14 regardless of height).

[Lolly]

Came back to add, if you have shoulder belts are the two side seats in the back but are planning to put kids in them who are in front facing carseats, back when I was researching this I was told to put the boostered child in one of those positions and the front facing carseat in the frontseat with the airbag. Personally, I was just annoyed that they wouldn't turn the air bag off for me!!!

[Lolly]

Actually front seats with airbags kill or injure children under 14 fairly often. The problem is that the airbags go off with enough power to hold in place and adult unbelted male and that is too much power for people without strong bones and that includes children under 14. (THey used to think it was height but they have figured out that bone strength doesn't get sufficiently strong until 14 regardless of height).

 

Umm, of course they do. But, the question is what is the safest option when you HAVE to put children in the car given your options. There are times when an airbag is the safer option.

[~Tara~]

Why is the middle lap belt only position the only one available for this child? Can you not swap seats around so that the child is in the rear with a shoulder belt? Or is there not a shoulder belt option at all in the back seat?

A booster should be used to a shoulder belt, not a lap only belt.

If a child must sit in the front seat with an airbag on, move the seat as far back as it will go.

I believe the recommendation in similar cases is to have the highest weight harnessed child sit in the front, again, preferably with the airbag off, but if you cannot do that, then move the seat as far back as you can.

 

My first choice though would be to swap seats around in the rear if there are shoulder belts in the outboard positions.

[DarlaS]

Why is the middle lap belt only position the only one available for this child?

 

From her sigline, she has a 2 yo, a 4 yo and a 6 yo. I'm figuring the child in question is the oldest based on the height.

 

I'm guessing her dh's car is a 5 seater sedan. It's the middle back or the front (with the 2 yo and 4 yo getting the back seat shoulder belts) if there are three kids and four people.

[lisamarie]

From her sigline, she has a 2 yo, a 4 yo and a 6 yo. I'm figuring the child in question is the oldest based on the height.

 

I'm guessing her dh's car is a 5 seater sedan. It's the middle back or the front (with the 2 yo and 4 yo getting the back seat shoulder belts) if there are three kids and four people.

 

Yup, that's right exactly. I only have 3 booster seats to work with as my harnessed seats are currently at the shop with my van. I have 2 high back boosters and 1 backless booster. I put the 2 HB boosters in the rear with the shoulder belts for my 2 girls. It's my 60lb, 52 inch, 6 year old DS who I am not sure what to do with.

 

So if I have to put my DS in the rear when DH is also in the car, if our carseat law is they must be in a booster until age 8, but my only option is a lapbelt, do I disregard the law and just put him in the seatbelt or do I belt him in with the booster? I was thinking about when I was a kid and how we never had to worry about this stuff. We could double up on the seatbelts and no one even cared. Safety sure makes life more difficult.:tongue_smilie:

 

Thank God this will only be for another day and then we will be back to our nice van with our 65lb weight harnessed carseats and shoulder belts.:D

[Tutor]

If it were me, I would do whatever is safest regardless of the law. (Laws based on age only in regards to boosters are useless, btw.) In this case, safest would be middle of the back seat with lap belt only and no booster. When dh isn't in the car, I'd move your child to the front seat in the booster with the seat as far back as it will go.

[8circles]

Yup, that's right exactly. I only have 3 booster seats to work with as my harnessed seats are currently at the shop with my van. I have 2 high back boosters and 1 backless booster. I put the 2 HB boosters in the rear with the shoulder belts for my 2 girls. It's my 60lb, 52 inch, 6 year old DS who I am not sure what to do with.

 

So if I have to put my DS in the rear when DH is also in the car, if our carseat law is they must be in a booster until age 8, but my only option is a lapbelt, do I disregard the law and just put him in the seatbelt or do I belt him in with the booster? I was thinking about when I was a kid and how we never had to worry about this stuff. We could double up on the seatbelts and no one even cared. Safety sure makes life more difficult.:tongue_smilie:

 

Thank God this will only be for another day and then we will be back to our nice van with our 65lb weight harnessed carseats and shoulder belts.:D

 

Honestly, I wouldn't put a 2 yr-old in a booster unless it was an emergency. I'm be much more comfortable putting my oldest w/o a booster with a lapbelt than use a booster on a 2 yr-old. I'd stay home today.

[Pretty in Pink]

I wouldn't drive then unless it were an emergency. A booster is not sufficient for a 2yo. I'd cancel activities and stay home.

[JoyfulMama]

If it were me, I would do whatever is safest regardless of the law. (Laws based on age only in regards to boosters are useless, btw.) In this case, safest would be middle of the back seat with lap belt only and no booster. When dh isn't in the car, I'd move your child to the front seat in the booster with the seat as far back as it will go.

:iagree:

[Wheres Toto]

Honestly, I wouldn't put a 2 yr-old in a booster unless it was an emergency. I'm be much more comfortable putting my oldest w/o a booster with a lapbelt than use a booster on a 2 yr-old. I'd stay home today.

:iagree:

[Carrie12345]

I'd stay home.

I'm the mean Little League mom who doesn't carpool b/c I won't put any 8-11yos in the 3rd row lap-belt seat. I definitely wouldn't consider it for youngers unless it were a true emergency.

[Teachin'Mine]

I'd call the shop and ask them to bring the car seats to my home. No way would I put a two year old in a booster. Then the 2yo can go in the car seat in the middle back and the other two on the side. It only takes one problem ...

[Lolly]

Yup, that's right exactly. I only have 3 booster seats to work with as my harnessed seats are currently at the shop with my van. I have 2 high back boosters and 1 backless booster. I put the 2 HB boosters in the rear with the shoulder belts for my 2 girls. It's my 60lb, 52 inch, 6 year old DS who I am not sure what to do with.

 

So if I have to put my DS in the rear when DH is also in the car, if our carseat law is they must be in a booster until age 8, but my only option is a lapbelt, do I disregard the law and just put him in the seatbelt or do I belt him in with the booster? I was thinking about when I was a kid and how we never had to worry about this stuff. We could double up on the seatbelts and no one even cared. Safety sure makes life more difficult.:tongue_smilie:

 

Thank God this will only be for another day and then we will be back to our nice van with our 65lb weight harnessed carseats and shoulder belts.:D

 

In this case, 6 yo in the front seat with a booster would be safest. The most unsafe option in your car would be middle seat back. Those lap only belts are the absolute most dangerous position. If dh is in the car with you and you were me, I would take the middle seat in the back between the two boosters for myself.

[~Tara~]

Right I saw the ages..that's why I was wondering what the 'big deal' was. I wasn't aware previously that we're talking ONLY boosters for those 3 children. I would stay home. Period. Unless an ABSOLUTELY life and death emergency. No WAY would I put a 2 yr old in a booster.

 

Stay home, borrow from a friend, find a way to get your seats from the van...but I would not sacrifice their safety for an unnecessary trip.

[NanceXToo]

I didn't realize we were talking about a two year old in a booster either.

 

Like others have said, I would not do that at all unless it was an emergency.

[JoyfulMama]

See, I was figuring she would have to go with her dh to at least pick up her vehicle. That's the way it would work in my house. I don't consider that an emergency, but it would be a necessary trip.

I seriously don't think she needs to be guilt-tripped about making the best decision she can with the resources she has.

[courtney.byrum]

See, I was figuring she would have to go with her dh to at least pick up her vehicle. That's the way it would work in my house. I don't consider that an emergency, but it would be a necessary trip.

I seriously don't think she needs to be guilt-tripped about making the best decision she can with the resources she has.

 

Maybe her DH can go pick up the vehicle leaving his car there, and then they can all drive back in her car to get his?

[NanceXToo]

Well couldn't one of them just go alone in this car while the other stays home with the kids and GET the harnessed seat to use with at least the two year old until the van comes back? That's what I'd do way before putting a 2 y/o in a booster. And if her 2 y/o is anything like my now 4 y/o would have been as a 2 y/o, they'd never even leave the seatbelt on, they'd be playing with it and unbuckling it and I'd be ridiculously distracted trying to constantly make sure he was safe and not doing anything he shouldn't and so on. I don't think it's a matter of necessity (or guilt-tripping) at all, because someone can go and get his regular carseat- or just avoid taking him in the car until the van comes back; maybe someone else (friend, relative, neighbor) can follow the husband along to pick up one of the cars, rather than the OP having to go with the 2 y/o in a booster. Or follow Courtney's suggestion in the previous post, that works, too.

[lisamarie]

To try to justify my reasoning for putting my 2 year old in a booster--my 2 year old will be 3 in August. She is 38 inches and 35 lbs, so she legally (car seat manufacturer's approved) is big enough to sit in a booster. But, I do not put her in a booster usually. Her usual carseat is a Radian-65. I am actually a pretty big carseat rules nazi. I was doing a happy dance when MI changed their carseat law last year. I tell my friends what to do and have been known to tighten harnesses on infant seats when momma isn't looking.:D I dismantle and throw away expired carseats. I went out and bought a brand new HBB last month when I realized our old HBB placed the seat belt across my kids' stomachs. (The spare is in DH's car so I never noticed before) My DS didn't get out of his 5-pt harness until recently when he maxed out the height of his nautilus.

 

I don't really have an option about what I drive right now. My van will be back tomorrow but I had to take my DH to work and my DD was invited to her best friend's b-day party today which I didn't feel right making her miss. Once she was out of the car, DS went right into the backseat.

 

I did try calling the national car seat helpline and the man refused to tell me which was safer because both are not recommended. "Yes, sir, I am aware of that. But I don't have a choice right now. I have to choose one option and want to know which would be safer." He told me to go buy a new booster that is approved for lap-belt only. :glare:

[lisamarie]

Alright, I called the police station and first he said in the back is safer (and with a booster), then he retracted and said the front as far back as it goes is safer. And then he said whatever I feel most comfortable with really. In his 3 years as a car seat inspector, this is the first time he's been asked this question.:lol:

 

So it comes down to--do I want him to double over and hit his head in a crash or get hit in the face with an airbag? But either way is legal and won't get me a ticket if I got pulled over. The true lesson in all this is that next time I take my car to the shop, grab one of the regular carseats for my YDD and call it a day.:tongue_smilie: