Hi, I have a 4 yo who weighs 45 pounds. In my dh's car he is in a plain booster which works fine, unfortunately he rarely rides in dad's car. He has a bucket type seat in my van that I stopped using the harness in because he was too big, but now that I am using the shoulder and lap belt I am having a problem. There is a guide that the seat belt goes through at the top side of the bucket. When ds leans forward it pulls the seat belt loose and it doesnt re-tighten. I can't use a normal booster for him because the seat belt would cut him right across the neck. Am I missing something, should I buy a new car seat?

By Trina~moderator on Wednesday, March 9, 2005 - 10:15 pm:

This happens often with combo seats that have the paperclip type shoulder belt adjusters. My first suggestion is to try your DS in the booster without using the shoulder belt adjuster. If the shoulder belt fits him properly the adjuster isn't necessary.

What do you mean by a "regular booster"? Are you referring to a backless one? Many backless boosters come with a special strap to adjust the shoulder belt if necessary. If yours doesn't have one you may want to get a new high back booster with an open shoulder belt guide. Examples below...


Graco Turbo Booster



Evenflo Big Kid


HTH!

By Missmudd on Wednesday, March 9, 2005 - 10:23 pm:

Thanks for the advise. The one in his dad's sedan is a backless one, it fits fine on his shoulder and neck so it works great.. The one in my car does have the paperclip guide, I will try just not using it the next time he rides, but I am not sure it will work, the van's seatbelts come from the ceiling and they just hit him at too sharp of an up/down angle. I think it may be time to check out a new car seat for the little booger Thanks for the pictures, it gives me something to look for.

By Vicki on Thursday, March 10, 2005 - 10:05 am:

Is that Evenflo big kid seat comfortable for the kids?? If you look at the picture where the shoulder strap clip is and where it looks like their head would be, aren't the arm rests way too low?? Are they adjustable??

By Trina~moderator on Thursday, March 10, 2005 - 10:21 am:

Vicki, both the Graco Turbo Booster and Evenflo Big Kid are easily height adjustable. They both also come in different versions, some with more padding than others. There are many boosters on the market but these two came quickly to mind because they are reasonably priced and have good features (open belt guide, height adjustable). Other great options are the Britax Bodyguard and Parkway, which offer side impact protection and good sleep support.