Do I HAVE to move him at 40 pounds?

[Beths2005]

My son is 3.5 yo, 39" tall and weighs 39.5 pounds. He rides in Roundabouts in our cars now. I think the weight limit is 40 pounds? Do I have to move him as soon as he hits 40 pounds or does he need to be 40 pounds and a certain height as well for a booster?

I looked at booster seats at several stores and none seemed very safe or sturdy compared to the Roundabouts. So I ordered a Husky, hoping it will fit in our cars (Honda CRV and Mazda Protege - both old, no latch system). If it fits I guess I'll fork over the money for a second one for the other car. But is this really necessary? Are standard shoulder belt booster seats really safe enough? Is it true they don't attach to the seat? Doesn't seem any safer than sitting on a phone book.

Again, my questions are do I have to move my son right at the 40 pound mark and is the Husky worth the money (for it's safety I guess)?

Thanks!
Beth

[Splash]

Yes, you need to move him. Of course I am sure that they go higher... there has to be some wiggle room (say, 45 lbs instead of forty) but you don't know what that is. I wouldn't mess with it if I were you. I could be wrong, but I am pretty sure the Husky MUST be tethered, so you might not be able to use it in either of your vehicles. I am sure someone will either comfirm or deny this.
I have TurboBoosters and LOVE them. If you have locking seatbelts, you can ratchet it back and lock it and he will be very secure. I don't use these as my first choice (my older DD is in a BV or a MA primarily) but when we do use her booster, she is completely secure and enjoys it (as long as we don't have her in the van, for some reason if she is in a booster in the van, she freaks out).
I would definitely go for a high back booster though, not a backless. No, they don't attach to the car anywhere, but are way safer than a phone book! And the Graco TurboBoosters have side wings (for napping, they're great) EPS foam, cup holders, free sliding should belts guides, etc.
Or you could get a Marathon (although I hear rumors that the Wizards are under $100 right now) which will probably last him another 2-3 years, do not require tethering, and will probably be a much better fit.
E

[champion2b]

Where are Wizards under $100?

[Joolsplus2]

The Husky's a great choice, and it should DEFINITELY fit in your CR-V, and ALMOST definitely fit in your Protege. It does need to be tethered when he hits 50 pounds, but you can add top tethers to those cars if you don't have them already (I can give you part numbers if you need them).

I like the Turbo for littler kids, and really love the Parkway because it is so easy to use and move from car to car and very nice and sleep supportive for a littler guy (and bigger than the Turbo for bigger kids...it's a very wide-ranging seat). You can put the Husky in your main car and the booster in the less-used car, and just remind him to sit stil more ;)
Julie CPS Tech and mom to 2 in seats
http://www.cpsafety.com/articles/RFAlbum/SarahMA.aspx

[Beths2005]

Julie,

Thank you so much. Yes, if you could tell me the part numbers for adding top tethers, I would really appreciate it!

Although the CRV just passed 100K miles, it's probably going to be a while before we can replace it with something new that's equiped for all the LATCH and tether anchors that now seem to be standard.

Beth

[Joolsplus2]

The Honda is 82410-SE3-C01 and it's called a "plate assembly"...you can get it for about $12 from the dealer, and it's really easy to install, BUT you have to peel back the cloth headliner from the ceiling so you can find the weld nut to screw it in to...you can have them do it, or do it yourself but DO get the instructions from them...it's possible they will be totally clueless and have no idea (I had a 1999 CR-V so I've been through this). There's no center tether, they are both outboard.

The good news is, it's confusing at first, but it took my dh about 5 minutes to do it, so it's not a major project like it sounds like.

The Mazda part number is BC1N-57-77X, and there are three places to screw them in, on the back...maybe there are some little plastic caps to pop out, or climb in the trunk and you should see three of the same bolt/nut things, and those are them...list price is $11 or so. Sorry I haven't done this one, so I don't know more about it, hopefully your dealer is helpful!
Julie CPS Tech and mom to 2 in seats
http://www.cpsafety.com/articles/RFAlbum/SarahMA.aspx

[Beths2005]

Julie,

Thank you SOOOOOOOO much!

Beth

[em_jon98]

Sorry Beth, don't mean to hijack your post, but...

Julie, I had no idea you could buy the tether kit yourself and install it. The Toyota dealership wants to charge us something like $70 to put a tether in my 1999 Camry (DH's Nissan, a year newer, has them in all three backseat positions,) and having just put out $350 to have the window motor replaced and now the deductible on the accident...I just cannot put out the $70 right now. But, I'm sure I could install it if the holes were there. I have called Toyota about this before, but they would not tell me anything other than 1/2 the Camry's in this model year had tethers installed and the other 1/2 did not (depending on which plant they were built at) and I would need to contact my local dealership for information on having it installed.

Do you have the info for Toyota's as well?

TIA

[Beths2005]

You didn't hijack my thread :)

I just wanted to add you might be able to find photos/instructions on how to install the tether anchors yourself, online. My husband found the info with detailed online for installing them in the Honda, and he also followed instructions he found on line for removing our CD player from the Honda when it was broken and we had to send it out for repair. I assume the anchor kits have instructions as well, but sometimes actual photos help.

Good luck.
Beth

[baby_mis1]

My husband installed the tether location in our 1997 Toyota Corolla himself - I think it was under $20 for the part from the dealer. I searched on-line for information (found it under a Geo Prism sister car though). The folks at Toyota tried to help, but they didn't know too much about what a tether was. My advice is to go talk to the parts department in person (after you search some) - that way you can see the part to make sure it is what you need.

The holes were there in the metal - you basically just need to break through the thin fabric covering on the back window ledge and secure the bolt with the connector piece that the tether attachs to. You can definitely do it yourself!

Valerie
Mom to Jonas 2-21-02

[TahliasMom]

may i hijack this thread too? I know my DD is only 13 months and I"m thinking way ahead but how long do kids need to be in car seats/boosters? we're in CA if that matters. is it a combo of weigh and age limit? I have the MA so I was hoping I don't have to buy another car seat/booster unless we have #2! and another dumb question...why do you have your kid still in rearfacing position? We switched DD few weeks ago, she just hit 20 lbs, 32 inches, mostly because she was very uncomfortable. dd is very long and had to scrunch her legs to be able to fit into the seat...we have a honda crv (2002)

TIA!

[luvbeinmama]

CA law requires a child safety seat until the child is 6 yrs or 60 lbs. I heard a rumor from a friend (totally unresearched by me, so take it for what it's worth) that they are trying for 8 yrs or 80 lbs.

[TahliasMom]

oh cool. no more seats to buy! well unless there's #2 and CA changes the law to 80 pounds.

thanks

[Joolsplus2]

Oh, you are SO not lucky :P...the 1999 Camry has it's own special note(in the tether manual) that it's a big old pain in the butt to install a top anchor, unfortunately. Though, $70 isn't bad...I know a mom who paid like $200 to get it done! Most cars of that vintage just have a bolt and you screw the part in, but that lovely Camry has some extra part that needs to be cut out and takes a lot of time, so the labor charge is higher. Still....it's cheaper than a new car, right? ;)
Julie CPS Tech and mom to 2 in seats
http://www.cpsafety.com/articles/RFAlbum/SarahMA.aspx

[Joolsplus2]

You can stil get a ticket for a 6 yo in a seatbelt only, because it will fit her so poorly that it's not being properly used, basically. The laws of physics are considerably tougher than the laws made by some gutless politicians who don't really care about keeping kids safe, so you basically MUST use a booster till about age 10, in most cars for most kids, because seatbelts are designed for the 160 pound dummy to be restrained and protected, NOT a 6 yo kid...most of whom basically fly out of seatbelts or suffer serious internal organ injury because they put the shoulderbelt behind their backs to be comfortable.

So, after the Marathon, you'll be popping down to Walmart for a $14 Cosco Ambassador, or by then you'll know more about the deadly side impacts that most people can't survive, and you'll buy a Parkway with EPS Foam surrounding her little noggin like a motorcycle helmet from that oncoming Ford Expedition bumper ;)
Julie CPS Tech and mom to 2 in seats
http://www.cpsafety.com/articles/RFAlbum/SarahMA.aspx

[Joolsplus2]

Check the link in my sig, basically under "front facing too soon?"...you have to rearface babies as long as the convertible seat allows, because the crash forces in a frontal crash are so severe the heavy little head flies forward and can snap that spinal cord. I've heard of kids as old as 2 and 3 who suffer broken necks while forward facing. Broken legs rearfacing? Nope. Not a single case in a properly installed seat. We should ALL ride rearfacing, and olden-days astronauts always did, to protect their spines during splashdown (see the videos on that cpsafety page...pretty dramatic...)
Julie CPS Tech and mom to 2 in seats
http://www.cpsafety.com/articles/RFAlbum/SarahMA.aspx

[TahliasMom]

the only reason we switched DD to forward facing is that she was getting really cramped and uncomfortable. DD has long legs and had to sit there with her legs scrunched and started resisting going into the car seat. how do you avoid that?

[Joolsplus2]

They are really more comfortable when they have more options to rest their feet and legs...my 4 yo was never uncomfortable putting her feet up on the seatback or crossing her legs. Though, I know 1 yos can often be resistant to being strapped down in anything, because they are eager to get up and play! Maybe you can turn her back later when she's older and able to understand that it's comfortable and safer (toddlers are pretty smart critters ;) ). When you catch them sleeping with their knees bent under their chests, butt in the air, you know they are quite comfortable in yoga-inspired positions WE could never tolerate, though :)
Julie CPS Tech and mom to 2 in seats
http://www.cpsafety.com/articles/RFAlbum/SarahMA.aspx

[TahliasMom]

Julie, you're such a wealth of info!!!! And I'll wait until I can explain to DD before switching her back. I totally understand about the yoga inspired positions! my dd loves the knees bent under the chest, butt in the air sleep position. We get a kick out of it!