Combo seats as boosters

[jumelles]

I have three primary questions about the combo seats.

1) Can I use it as a booster without taking the harness off? Basically what I want to know is if I can take it out of the primary vehicle where it would be used with the 5 pt and put it in our secondary vehicle as a booster on occassion.

2) Do the Evenflo and Graco Cargos still have the problem with the slack in seat belt when used as boosters or have those mechanisms been changed?

3) Is the Britax Parkway safer as a booster than the above combo seats, since it has the side impact protection?

I have twins who are almost 4, but are on the petite side (Twin A 30 lbs and 38 inches and Twin B 34 lbs and 39 inches). A's shoulders are just even with the top slots on our Roundabouts, so I am going to have to do something soon. I know the 5 pt harness is the safest for them and would generally like to keep them in the harness, but I would rather not buy the combos if they are worthless as boosters.

Thanks,
Brigitte

[Joolsplus2]

Yes, the manual says to remove the harness when used as a booster. Fortunately, those seats are very easy to install quickly...neither would I feel bad about using them as a booster with the harness in it, personally, that definitely qualifies as *minor* misuse.

No, no real problems with the shoulderbelt guides on these seats IF they are even needed (for kids too tall/heavy for the harness, usually the seatbelt fits just fine without them at all).

Toss up on safety...since the Cargos can be left tethered when used as boosters, that is showing itself to be quite a safety benefit in side impact crashes.

Harnessing is safest, and you probably have 2 more years to keep them harnessed before 40 pounds...just concentrate on the seat that is best NOW and worry about the other stuff later... or, order Recaro Young Sports...they harness AND are super as boosters...they should be on the market June 1st.
Julie CPS Tech and mom to 2 in seats
http://www.cpsafety.com/articles/RFAlbum/SarahMA.aspx

[jumelles]

Thank you, Julie. I came to the conclusion last night that I should just get the combo that is best as a 5pt and get a dedicated booster when the time comes. So, thank you for confirming that for me. I looked at the Cargos about a year ago and felt like it was so flimsy compared to my Britax. I sure would love to continue with Britax, but when you have to buy two at a time, the price keeps them out of range.

I have never heard of Recaro, but will definitely keep my eye out for them. Thank you for the suggestion. I appreciate your taking the time to respond.

Brigitte
F&L 7/1/01

[andigal]

Hi Julie,

You've answered some of my booster seat questions in the past and had steered me towards the Costco Apex (if it ever comes out). What is this Recaro Young Sports that you refer to, and does it compare to the Apex? Can you give more details?

Thanks
Andi

[Joolsplus2]

Ooh, I just love throwing out teasers to see who's paying attention ;)

Apex...sigh...loooong wait on those as far as we know...they are having some issues passing their testing right now :P

Here's the Young Sport http://www.proamauto.com/page11dqm.htm and here are there other seats http://www.proamauto.com/page11dq.htm I really want a couple Young Styles!

Anyway, the news on the Young Sport is, these have headrests that adjust up and down to make the harness taller or shorter, a la, the Cosco Alpha Omega, and that the top harness position is 19 inches tall (taller than the Marathon), so a great choice for a skinny kid (harness only goes to 40 pounds, unfortunately). The cover is microfiber, and from all accounts is extremely soft and very durable (like that microfiber sofa I've been coveting....hehehe).

Since it's not out yet, there's no news on how it fits kids or fits in cars, but I have a couple friends who have them on order and I'll post the second I know anything about them.

:)


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