Booster Seats 
Our Facebook page
Our Blog| Booster Seats |
|
|
|
|
Page 6 of 13
Carpool Solutions Are you driving carpool this year and wondering how you are going to fit 3 boosters across the back of your minivan? Trying to fit multiple car seats & boosters can be a challenge - even in a big vehicle like a minivan.
Before you rush to buy a booster for carpool...
Kids, especially younger ones, are safer in a 5-point harness. Don’t rush to “graduate” your child to a booster seat. Kids who are AT LEAST 40 pounds AND AT LEAST 3-4 years old can start using boosters. Remember also that kids should ride on a booster UNTIL they can pass the 5-step-test (usually age 8-10).
 Which booster is the narrowest?The Bubble Bum is the narrowest on the market at just 13 inches wide. The Bubble Bum is an inflatable booster and weighs only 1 lb, so it's perfect for all sorts of travel and carpool situations. It has no armrests, so it fits more easily in tight spaces than most traditional boosters. The missing armrests also allow kids to more easily see where to buckle the seat belt, which means they're more likely to be able to buckle themselves in--definitely a plus in carpool situations! The Bubble Bum inflates in seconds for use in your car and then deflates quickly for storage in your garage or for transport in your child's backpack. BubbleBum in action: We were able to fit two BubbleBum boosters and one rear-facing Combi Coccoro convertible car seat in the third row of a 2011 Chrysler Town & Country minivan. This combination just fit! The Nania High Ride (backless booster) is the next narrowest booster seat currently available - at just 14.5 inches wide. You can order an individual High Ride online from the University of Iowa Children's Safety Store or you can purchase an industrial pack of 6-8 boosters (total cost comes to less than $20 per booster) from AllegroMedical or Child Source.
**Note: These are all BACKLESS boosters. In order to use a backless booster, the vehicle seat back MUST come up to at least the top of the child's ears in order to provide adequate head support. If the vehicle seat back does not come up to at least the top of your child's ears, then your child must use a high back booster.
Do you need something EVEN NARROWER?
The Ride Safer Travel Vest (pictured below) is a great option as it is only as wide as the child's body. This is a vest that functions like a booster by positioning the vehicle's seat belt properly on the child's body. The Ride Safer Travel Vest can be used with just a lap belt so long as there is a tether anchor available. For vehicles 2000 and newer, there are tether anchors in at least 3 seating locations in the vehicle - most older vehicles (as old as 1989) can have tether anchors retrofitted for free or at minimal cost. The vest was redesigned in 2009; please make sure to get the newer version. You can distinguish the new from the old as the old one was only available in silver and had 2 buckles in front whereas the new one is available in a rainbow variety of colors (but not silver) and has only one buckle in front. Want measurements on other boosters or car seats? Carseat Measurement and Data spreadsheet Does a child need to ride in a position with just a lap belt? One option would be to use a 5-point harness car seat with a high-weight-harness (a harness that accommodates kids who weigh more than 40 pounds). A list of such car seats can be found here thanks to our fantastic friends at Safety Belt Safe USA. The Ride Safer Travel Vest (discussed above) also works with a lap-only belt provided there is a tether anchor available.
|
|||
