Parents Forum

Kaytee · 05-09-2008, 09:25 PM

we will be there as well. As you know mines a peanut

Music-dad · 05-09-2008, 09:32 PM

I just got a Graco booster for my "bushwacker" vehicle, getting to camps, lakes, backroads etc. The vehicle is a '96 Ford Taurus...I'd like her to be in the middle, but there is no shoulder strap in the middle seat. That means I have to have her in driver's side or passenger side right?...I don't mind buying another one with it's own straps...what should I do here?

musicmom · 05-10-2008, 07:24 AM

I'd rather have my child in the middle and away from the side of a car in case of impact. My opinion.

Trina · 05-10-2008, 08:36 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Music-dad

I just got a Graco booster for my "bushwacker" vehicle, getting to camps, lakes, backroads etc. The vehicle is a '96 Ford Taurus...I'd like her to be in the middle, but there is no shoulder strap in the middle seat. That means I have to have her in driver's side or passenger side right?...I don't mind buying another one with it's own straps...what should I do here?

You're correct. A belt positioning booster requires both a lap and shoulder belt, so if a vehicle only has a lap belt in the center position, that's not a safe option. How much does your DD weigh? Is she tall for her age? You can either use the booster in an outboard position or buy a car seat that harnesses past 40 lbs. to use in the center, provided it installs well there. Unfortunately, there aren't many options in Canada. I know the Britax Marathon and the Radian 65 are available in Canada. Both harness up to 65 lbs.. Also, combination car seats in Canada, like the Graco Cargo, harness up to 48 lbs.. (The US Graco Cargo only harnesses up to 40 lbs.)

Trina · 05-10-2008, 08:40 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by musicmom

I'd rather have my child in the middle and away from the side of a car in case of impact. My opinion.

Hard to do if you have more than one kid.

Also, if it's not possible to get a good car seat installation in the center, an outboard position is a safer option.

Kaytee · 05-10-2008, 08:52 AM

when I had my car, I had to keep her on the outside as well. It just wasnn't set up to hold a car seat. It was a 2 door car though so not many will

Trina · 05-10-2008, 09:23 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kaytee

when I had my car, I had to keep her on the outside as well. It just wasnn't set up to hold a car seat. It was a 2 door car though so not many will

Sometimes the hump in the center, or just the way the seat is molded makes it impossible to install a car seat tightly/correctly. In some cases, it could be the car seat itself that's incompatible with the car. You can look up different vehicle and car seat scenarios at CarSeatData.org - user ratings of carseats fitting into cars in the Compatibility Database.