fdrinca Posted May 28, 2015 Share Posted May 28, 2015 I'm hoping to fit three boosters across the back of our Kia Sedona. Anyone have a very, very small booster seat? The kiddos I'm transporting are small kids (whew!), but there's only so much space in the back of the minivan. ** Edited to add: we don't need a back to the booster. Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JustEm Posted May 28, 2015 Share Posted May 28, 2015 Do you need a back. If so this is what we use for my son. Http://www.amazon.com/Harmony-Highback-Booster-Seat-Black/dp/B0069SHR4O/ref=sr_1_24?ie=UTF8&qid=1432786104&sr=8-24&keywords=narrow+booster+seat 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jyhwkmama Posted May 28, 2015 Share Posted May 28, 2015 I harnessed the power of google: http://thecarseatlady.com/narrowest-boosters/ 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fdrinca Posted May 28, 2015 Author Share Posted May 28, 2015 I harnessed the power of google: http://thecarseatlady.com/narrowest-boosters/ Wait...Google? Does this? I'm hoping for a few BTDT type replies - other parents who've jammed three carseats across a smaller minivan when transporting an extra kid or two :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zoobie Posted May 28, 2015 Share Posted May 28, 2015 If you google this: three across kia sedona site:www.car-seat.org You'll get a bunch of answers. The car-seat.org site is a great resource. I check there for everything car seat. :) 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fdrinca Posted May 28, 2015 Author Share Posted May 28, 2015 Gotcha! OK, how about this one: real experiences with a Bubble Booster? Because it keeps coming up as recommended. For some reason, putting the kids on an inflatable pillow sounds profoundly unsafe, even if I rationally know they've been tested and vetted. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SKL Posted May 28, 2015 Share Posted May 28, 2015 I bought my kids Bubble Bums last year so I could have other people drive them around between their summer camps. They fit in the kids' backpacks. They work fine for kids who are old enough to sit up in their seat. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zoobie Posted May 28, 2015 Share Posted May 28, 2015 I wasn't trying to be snarky. I love that site. I've found videos and pictures of my model car with the seats I've been considering. Many of the people who post there are car seat techs. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EmseB Posted May 28, 2015 Share Posted May 28, 2015 A booster seat doesn't protect kids in a crash, a booster is a belt positioner for kids that aren't big enough for seatbelts. So, that's why a bubble bum isn't unsafe. It works exactly like any other booster to prop the kid up to appropriate height. There's also a booster called the incognito for older kids that might fit what you're looking for. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
YaelAldrich Posted May 28, 2015 Share Posted May 28, 2015 We love our Bubble Bums. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JustEm Posted May 28, 2015 Share Posted May 28, 2015 The one I linked above can be used backless Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jyhwkmama Posted May 28, 2015 Share Posted May 28, 2015 it doesn't work in both ways? Lots of kids use booster seats that are quite young so this is baffling to me. Although, the receptionist at my doctor's office complained that her dd's booster flew out from under her in an accident. I still wonder if it wasn't secured properly because I don't know if it should be able to do that. Are you saying doesn't protect in a crash because debris could more easily get to the child? Are you talking just backless boosters? Kids who are young should be in a 5 point harness, not a booster. You should keep your kids in a 5 point harness as long as possible. There are extended weight models available. Booster seats are ONLY to position the belt. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hmvaughan4 Posted May 28, 2015 Share Posted May 28, 2015 DS uses a Bubble Bum. He likes it. If you're looking for five point harnesses, we love our Radian. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jyhwkmama Posted May 28, 2015 Share Posted May 28, 2015 I was hoping for more elaboration I guess. Ds is 7 and uses a 5pt seat but we can swap out the 5pt straps for the seatbelt without removing the back. Among our family we are the very conservative ones with regard to car seats. We have those kind of car seats too. My kids used them as 5 pt harnesses, but are now too big and use them as boosters with backs. If the booster has a back, I don't see how it could come out from under the kid in a wreck. Without a back, however, it would be possible, especially if the kid does not have the belt very tight. My 11 year old is about to hit the backless booster stage, so it is not like I am against them for older kids. ETA: the most important thing to remember is that when your child is using a booster, all the restraint comes from the seatbelt. the booster with a back may provide some side impact protection, but I don't think it legally is required to. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SparklyUnicorn Posted May 28, 2015 Share Posted May 28, 2015 it doesn't work in both ways? Lots of kids use booster seats that are quite young so this is baffling to me. Although, the receptionist at my doctor's office complained that her dd's booster flew out from under her in an accident. I still wonder if it wasn't secured properly because I don't know if it should be able to do that. Are you saying doesn't protect in a crash because debris could more easily get to the child? Are you talking just backless boosters? I don't know of a way to secure a backless booster. It really just sits there on the seat and isn't attached to anything. I bet it often flies around in a crash. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SparklyUnicorn Posted May 28, 2015 Share Posted May 28, 2015 I have this one: http://www.walmart.com/ip/Harmony-Youth-Booster-Car-Seat/28848233 It is very small and no frills. I don't recommend it for little kids though. I don't know how little your kids are. I am using this with my almost 10 year old. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SparklyUnicorn Posted May 28, 2015 Share Posted May 28, 2015 oops, but I fixed it. You probably aren't interested in a video about testing for arsenic in rice. LOL Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
craftyerin Posted May 28, 2015 Share Posted May 28, 2015 I have a couple of Harmony LiteRiders from WalMart for when we need an extra booster. They're ~$13 each and very narrow. Love them! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wabi Sabi Posted May 28, 2015 Share Posted May 28, 2015 I don't know of a way to secure a backless booster. It really just sits there on the seat and isn't attached to anything. I bet it often flies around in a crash. You just buckle it in with the seatbelt. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ItoLina Posted May 28, 2015 Share Posted May 28, 2015 it doesn't work in both ways? Lots of kids use booster seats that are quite young so this is baffling to me. Although, the receptionist at my doctor's office complained that her dd's booster flew out from under her in an accident. I still wonder if it wasn't secured properly because I don't know if it should be able to do that. Are you saying doesn't protect in a crash because debris could more easily get to the child? Are you talking just backless boosters? This is why I will only put my kids in Britax booster seats. They have a strap that goes between their legs to attach to the part of the seat belt that goes over their lap. This prevents it from sliding out from under them in a crash. ETA: Britax also has clips on the bottom to secure it to the actual seat of the car via the latch system so that it will not fly around in a crash (even if no kid is sitting in it and no seat belt is holding it in). The back does come off of it as an option to make it smaller, though I am not sure it would be small enough to fit 3 across a car. Just thought I would throw out the safety info anyway. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EmseB Posted May 28, 2015 Share Posted May 28, 2015 it doesn't work in both ways? Lots of kids use booster seats that are quite young so this is baffling to me. Although, the receptionist at my doctor's office complained that her dd's booster flew out from under her in an accident. I still wonder if it wasn't secured properly because I don't know if it should be able to do that. Are you saying doesn't protect in a crash because debris could more easily get to the child? Are you talking just backless boosters? Yes, it is disturbing how little some kids are when their parents put them into boosters. In order to use one a kid should be mature enough to be able to sit properly in it while riding so that if there is a crash the seatbelt is in the right place. A booster with a back helps with this during the training phase of being out of a harness, but it is not designed for crash protection. Some boosters are rated down to 30lb, but that doesn't mean a kid should be in it immediately when they hit 30lb, if that makes sense. I would guess that if the booster is sliding out from under a kid during an accident that either the kid was too small to be riding it in or was not secured properly at the time. There are some boosters that say "side-impact tested" but there are no real uniform standards for that (it is an advertising claim, not a safety rating), but there is some evidence (AFAIK) that boosters with armrests offer hip protection in a crash, but they are not designed to absorb impact like car seats which have EPS foam, anti -rebound mechanisms, etc. In other words, a car seat is designed to take some of the impact and force of a crash for the child...a booster is not. There are harnessed seats that turn into boosters and those are different than what I'm talking about and meet all the safety standards of a car seat when used with the harness. Being out of a harnessed seat, in my non-professional opinion, needs to be based on maturity (can the kid sit in the booster properly all the time?) and age (are their bones and skeletal structures completely developed?). Most kids will be at least 5 before they meet these requirements. /soapbox 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fdrinca Posted May 29, 2015 Author Share Posted May 29, 2015 The Freakonomics authors have posted several interesting pieces on seat belts and car seats. Their conclusion is that seat belts provide about as much protection as car seats, once a child is over 2 years old. From a NYT article: "But no matter what you control for in the FARS data, the results don't change. In recent crashes and old ones, in big vehicles and small, in one-car crashes and multiple-vehicle crashes, there is no evidence that car seats do a better job than seat belts in saving the lives of children older than 2. (In certain kinds of crashes -- rear-enders, for instance -- car seats actually perform worse.)" Assuming your child is properly restrained in a seat belt, that is. Not the half-turned-to-look-out-the-back-window my 8 YO likes to give me every now and then :cursing: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mellifera33 Posted May 29, 2015 Share Posted May 29, 2015 We like the Bubble Bum. The only issue we have is that our 7 y/o can't get the belt through the clip by himself--he needs help. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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