We have two car seats. We're about to have three children. There's currently enough room in the car for only two car seats. We can spend $200 to replace both our current car seats with narrower versions and buy a third, or we can spend $15,000 to buy a larger car and a third car seat. We're opting for the first. The second will need to happen eventually but can wait for a year or two.
Here's my dilemma. I don't want to move Elena up to a belt-positioning booster (no harness, just seat belt) yet. She's still ten pounds below where most car seats max out and boosters kick in. All the car seats that include harnesses, though, are at least three inches wider than the plain boosters and I'm not sure that I can fit two of them, plus an infant seat, into my car properly. Every combination of car seat I have tried, so far, will "fit" in the car (the doors will close) only if the LATCH belts are loosened so the outside car seats sit at a slightly off angle. Legally, Elena is tall enough that she is not required to use any car seat at all (don't worry, I wouldn't do that) but if I choose to use a car seat I am required to use it correctly (height, weight, installation).
I want advice. Even from you lurkers and occasionals (this means you, Jess). Do I (a) keep searching for car seats that will sit correctly inside the car? Or do I (b) get a much slimmer booster that I know will fit? I know I should choose A, but I'm running out of time to look, here.
I Bag To Differ
1 hour ago
9 comments:
Well, I don't really have any advice for you, but just wanted to wish you good luck! Hope you figure out a solution that works.
Not sure how much she weighs, but the laws in Texas are full booster with back - 30 lbs and 3 years old. Backless booster - 40 lbs and 4 years old.
Kinsey is in a seat belt booster with a detachable back on it. Honestly, I find the boosters really safe, inexpensive (her's was about $40 ish, and the backless ones are in the $20 range), and easy to use.
If you are confident that she wont try to unbuckle herself and/or try to crawl out of the seat then I'd say just go for it and do the booster. I understand it isn't your ideal situation, but the fact is, you have a small car and almost 3 kids. You have to make do with what you have.
She's just over 30 lbs & will turn 4 right after the baby's born.
Where did you find your numbers? I couldn't find anything near that specific and I looked all over DPS's seat belt laws and the IIHS's summary of car seat laws.
I say go with the booster.
It's extremely frustrating that 3 car seats won't fit across the back of a car, isn't it?
Will you really be able to fit three car seats in your car, even if one is a booster? Bridget uses a booster with a back, and I still can't fit Tess' regular seat and an infant seat in my Accord. At least, like you said, not at the right angles and all. As for Elena, all I can say is that I'm a big proponent of the right carseat for the right size child. Bridget just started using her booster last year when she went to kindergarten, at five years old and 32 pounds. I was going to make her wait until 40 pounds (since that's what a lot of the boosters' minimum said), but we decided against that. Who knows when she'll hit 40 pounds--middle school? The back on the booster adjusts a lot more than I expected it to so the seatbelt hits her at the right place no matter her height, and they come in some really cute patterns. It's also so much easier to take it out and put in someone else's car. I expect her to use her booster for a long time yet, but if we ever had another baby Tess would probably be in a booster by that time, too, so I haven't put too much thought into the three carseat conundrum.
I am over cautious when it comes to car seats (Sariah is 24 lbs and over 1 year, but I still make her ride rearfacing) so if it were me, I'd do everything in my power to make sure the kids stay in 5 point harnesses for as long as possible. A booster may seem safe, but I've read a lot of things (and seen some youtube videos) that show that seatbelts can fail easier in a crash.
I think going to babies r us last night was a good idea. If you want to email/im me your parameters, I could maybe look some things up for you. (Really, I wish I could actually come to you, but I imagine waiting until Sept. is cutting it a little close.) Anyways, I'm more free now that I'm not being So You Think You Can Dance? obessed at the moment...
I also meant to mention... you want to make sure your seats aren't touching the doors in any way because if you were to be side swiped (or hit on the side, or whatever) and the car seat is touching the door, the force of the crash would go through the door, through the seat, and through your child, which wouldn't be good.
I'm sorry, that probably makes it harder, doesn't it...
I believe the car seat laws would require Elena to be in something- they keep raising the weights and ages for that. I still have Keely in a 5 point harness, and honestly, it hasn't been very long since I let Zachary move to a backless booster. I would probably put her in a booster for now, and start looking around for a bigger car. I had 3 kids in my Sunfire when Zachary was born, and it did not take long at all before we decided it was best to move up car size for their safety!!
I think I had a little car seat safety book that I got at the pedi's office. I'm not sure where I found that info! Oh, maybe from John since he's a cop... not sure.
I was thinking more about it today and maybe you don't want to go with a booster that is belt-positioning. Will you be able to get your hand in between the booster and the carrier to even buckle it? The 2nd picture you posted of the booster with the 5 point harness looks better b/c then you can get her buckle on with out having to cram your hand in between the car seats.
When we have to put a 3rd car seat in our car (if we take a friend or something) it is always so hard to get the kids buckled up. My knuckles are scraped and raw by the time I'm done fighting the car seats and buckles!
Sorry for the bad advice! I'd go with the 5 point booster.
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