Built in booster?

[RAD]

Hi,

We may get a Volvo Cross Country ( XC 70) and are trying to decide whether to get built-in boosters. We have a baby ( who will obviously be in a car seat for about 5 years) and a 5 year old. The 5 year old is currently in a marathon. We also have a Starriser comfy booster that we use when we take one of his friends somewhere.

The question is whether when we do move to boosters for the older child full time, are we better off with the integrated built-in booster or a separate Parkway. Which is safer?

Thanks!

[Joolsplus2]

If you can afford the built ins, get them. You have years of boostering ahead of you, and it will just make your life more convenient as the years march on...and kids will be able to sit in it without any weird peer pressure issues or you hemming and hawing about "well, ds still sits in a booster, but his friends don't, and they don't have them, so do I embarrass them by making them sit in a booster..." etc.

It's really not easy to say which is safer, parkway or curtain airbags...however, keeping a kid's head off the window/door and out of the way of the deploying airbag is really important, and the Parkway is awesome for supporting sleeping kids...but so is a Turbo or Starriser Comfy(for a kid who knows how to sleep in it)...I don't know if it's possible to be TOO protected from the drunk idiot in a ford excursion running a red light and slamming into the side of your car...know what I mean?
Julie CPS Tech and mom to 2 in seats
http://www.cpsafety.com/articles/RFAlbum/SarahMA.aspx

[RAD]

Thanks! I hadn't thought about the peer pressure angle- and I am sure it will come up.

Will there still be latch anchors where the boosters are?

[Joolsplus2]

I've seen other cars with LATCH where the built-ins are, but I'm not specifically sure about Volvo...my guess would be yes, but you might have to hunt that info down from Volvo (I used to have a link to all their manuals online, but lost it...I wonder if you can google it and it'll come up?)

:)
Julie CPS Tech and mom to 2 in seats
http://www.cpsafety.com/articles/RFAlbum/SarahMA.aspx

[fretful mom]

We have a 2001 Volvo V40 wagon with the built-in boosters and it definitely has latch where the boosters are. We haven't actually used our built-ins yet so I can't tell you whether the kids like them. My question is when is a kid big or old enough to use the built-ins instead of a regular high back booster?

[JBaxter]

I have a 2004 Volvo XC90 the built in booster is in the middle of the second row. The latch attachments are on the seats in the second row behind the driver and passenger. The height weight for the Volvo intergrated booster is 33 to 80 lbs and 38 to 54 inches.
( am reading the manual) I asked the dealer why there wasnt latch hooks in the middle of the second row. He said it was due to the construction of the booster. Hope that helps.


Jeana
mom of Logan Connor and Nathan

[Joolsplus2]

Check your manual for verification on height/weight/age restrictions, but *in general*, boosters are appropriate for kids over age 4 and 40 pounds. If they can't sit still, or they fall asleep sideways and out of the seatbelt, then a booster is not safe, and a harnessed seat is a better option until they can sit properly in a booster (I'm still waiting for my wiggly 7 and 5 year olds to be ready for a booster full-time, so I think 4 is a low-ball number for a really mature single, good, child, lol...2 crazy kids feed off each other, and I have to keep them harnessed and apart for everyone's sanity ;)
Oh, and even if you DO have a built in booster, go get a spare for riding in the car with friends or daddy or grandma or whatever...you can get a cosco ambassador from walmart for $14 and it's great to have on hand and fits a huge variety of kids really well.

:)
Julie CPS Tech and mom to 2 in seats
http://www.cpsafety.com/articles/RFAlbum/SarahMA.aspx