Question 1 is about Meg - her straps are currently below her shoulders but are getting very tight, that she seems uncomfortable. But, she her shoulders don't quite reach the next slots yet. Any advice on how to make her more comfy?


Question 2 is about Hannah - she is not 4'9 yet and does not quite weigh 80 pounds, but she has a very long torso. I am wondering if it is possible she would be safer without a booster? Is that even possible? It just seems like with the booster the seatbelt is not really where it is supposed to be.

not sure about the first question.... maybe she just doesn't like her car seat lol Nichole hated her bucket

For the second one, does she pass that seat belt safty test that you can do?

Here is a link to the test. If she meets these she should be able to sit without the seat.

http://www.usa.safekids.org/CPSWeek2006/documents/safety-belt-test.pdf

Thanks...our state has the law though so even if she meets these requirements do you think if I got pulled over or something I'd get ticketed? I mean, of course the only reason I keep her in her booster is not because of the law, but I don't want to break it either...I guess I'll test her and go from there.

I would say not to worry about it, seriously they are not going to pull her out and check her height. MOst cops dn't even know the law on it anyways.. unless its a infant kinda thing of course. If she fits better without the booster then she should be without the booster. I mean seriously 4'9" is a number, it does not say how long the hiclds body vs legs are.

Exactly. Isabella wasn't quite 80 lbs when she was 4 foot 9.

I would say not to worry about it, seriously they are not going to pull her out and check her height. MOst cops dn't even know the law on it anyways.. unless its a infant kinda thing of course. If she fits better without the booster then she should be without the booster. I mean seriously 4'9" is a number, it does not say how long the hiclds body vs legs are.
I agree with Kaytee

#1 - Harness straps should be at or below the infant's shoulders when rear facing. Would you qualify the next slots as "at her shoulders" or pretty close? If the straps are so tight it's uncomfortable and her shoulders are almost to the next slot, it's probably time to switch slots.

#2 - How old is Hannah now? What are the restraint laws in your state? Have you tried the 5 Step Test?
http://www.carseat.org/boosters/630.htm

If she doesn't pass all 5 steps I would keep her in a booster. Are your vehicle shoulder belts adjustable? If so, that may help. Or try a different seating position or even a different booster. A backless one might work better.

I meant to update on this but forgot. Megan is pretty close to the next slots but not quite. I will go ahead and switch slots though, I was just nervous about doing it since I just want to make sure she's strapped in properly and she's just not quite at that next slot yet.

As for Hannah, on the 5 step test, she was fine except for her shoulder belt. So she's staying in a booster. But her booster is a high-back one, and I think the problem is the seat belt guide on it - she has so much trouble with it because the stupid seat belt will lock and she has to take it out of the guide, let it slide all the way back in, then pull it back out, then put it back in the guide without it getting all twisted and that is a PITA, and then it just seems to not quite be in the right spot, like too low - opposite of how it is if she's not in a booster. I don't know why I didn't think of switching her to a backless booster, we have 3 of them, I guess I just thought she was safer in the high-back one. Now it seems like such an obvious thing to do.

well it sounds like you have it all figured out!

Good update. I KWYM on the high back boosters.

My guess is you have a combination car seat and are using it in the booster mode? Something like this...
http://i620.photobucket.com/albums/tt282/Coralyn13/CenturyNSBoosterModeCrunch.jpg

Personally, I don't care for them in the booster mode because the shoulder belt adjuster is a PITB and often doesn't place the shoulder belt correctly. You can try it without using the plastic adjuster and see if the belt fits better.

If you're not comfortable with putting her in a backless booster yet I recommend getting a dedictated booster with an open shoulder belt adjuster. Examples: Graco Turbo Booster, Evenflo BigKid, Britax Parkway

http://i620.photobucket.com/albums/tt282/Coralyn13/GracoTurboBooster.jpg

http://i620.photobucket.com/albums/tt282/Coralyn13/EvenfloBigKid.jpg

http://i620.photobucket.com/albums/tt282/Coralyn13/BritaxParkwayGranite.jpg

You can better see the shoulder belt adjuster here:
http://i620.photobucket.com/albums/tt282/Coralyn13/BethanyBGJune05Crunch.jpg

All of these high back boosters adjust for height.

No, we have that second picture one, the Evenflo. It is still a pain though because she has to thread the belt through each time.

Are the high-back ones safer, or does it matter at this point. She is 7, 4'2" and 72 pounds.

yay I could see how that can be tough

Have you tried adjusting the height on your Evenflo Big Kid?

High back boosters are safer in the sense that they offer side impact protection and sleep support and are generally better for the younger booster age kids, but once they get older, backless boosters are fine.

My DD (almost 11) rides in a Clek Olli (below) for every day use, but prefers her Britax Parkway for long trips because it's more comfortable to sleep in. She likes the Olli because it's not obvious she's in a booster. LOL! It's backless and matches the interior of our van. It also installs using LATCH anchors, which means she doesn't have to worry about buckling it in every time she gets out. (Belt positioning boosters should be buckled in when not in use so they won't become dangerous projectiles.)

http://i620.photobucket.com/albums/tt282/Coralyn13/ClekOlli.jpg