please help me find the right car seats for our yaris!!!

[ryleeee]

so my son is 5 and sits in a safety 1st booster (? i don't know if it's a booster or not...it's a convertible car seat and he just uses the seatbelt) in the middle of the back of our car...but i find that if we go around corners he is tilting to one side or the other...and we aren't taking them abnormally fast! also, his seat just seems to not FIT right in our car...it must be the shape of the seats or something.

we are really looking for the right seat for him for our car. he's somewhere around 65 lbs and pretty tall. i want something that is going to be safe for him! we're also expecting in may and we're going to have to get a new baby seat in there somehow...i'd really like to be able to fit them side by side so that the baby is in the middle. please tell me this is possible!!!

[alegna]

If it's not designed as a booster, you can't use it as one. That's the first concern.

The turbobooster fits many younger kids well and is inexpensive.

-Angela

[mama2soren]

It does sound like he needs a new booster, like, right now! Even if he actually has a booster seat, Safety 1st boosters hardly ever fit kids safely. If it's not a booster seat, but he's using it like one, it is very, very, very unsafe. A high back Graco Turbobooster should fit him well, and costs about $50. Can you get one today? They carry them at Target and Walmart.

If possible, a boostered child should be in the center seat rather than the new baby. It is best to put the least protected child (boostered) in the most protected seating position (center). Your RF baby will be well protected in his/her infant seat, even if he/she is outboard.

The BabyTrend Flex Loc infant seat is one of the narrowest on the market. You could give that a try for the new baby. One big downside, though, is that the handle must be down when you're driving. It might be a bit of a tight squeeze getting the handle up and down in a small car like the Yaris. The Chicco KeyFit is only a tad wider than the FlexLoc, and the handle can be up in the car. It's a nice seat! Another option would be getting a compact convertible seat for the baby, like the Coccoro.

[leighi123]

Is it a combination seat (forward facing only, can have a harness or be used as a booster) or a convertible seat (goes rearfacing and forward facing)?

If you have a convertible, it cannot be used as a booster.

There is one seat that does all three (rear face, forward face w/harness, and booster), but thats the one that is an awful booster!

Do you have a lap/shoulder belt in your center seat or is it just a lap belt?


If you go to toy-r-us you can try different boosters in your car to see what fits your son/your car the best.

Here is some info on boosters that may help you:
http://www.cpsafety.com/articles/BoosterShop.aspx

[ryleeee]

Originally Posted by alegna

If it's not designed as a booster, you can't use it as one. That's the first concern.

The turbobooster fits many younger kids well and is inexpensive.

-Angela

oh, i realize this...it IS designed to be a booster, it is a 3-in-1...sorry, i should have clarified that!!!

[ryleeee]

Originally Posted by leighi123

Is it a combination seat (forward facing only, can have a harness or be used as a booster) or a convertible seat (goes rearfacing and forward facing)?

If you have a convertible, it cannot be used as a booster.

There is one seat that does all three (rear face, forward face w/harness, and booster), but thats the one that is an awful booster!

Do you have a lap/shoulder belt in your center seat or is it just a lap belt?


If you go to toy-r-us you can try different boosters in your car to see what fits your son/your car the best.

Here is some info on boosters that may help you:
http://www.cpsafety.com/articles/BoosterShop.aspx

oh man! this is the combination one...the one that does all three. shoot. i'll be off to buy him one today. thank you!!!

[ryleeee]

Originally Posted by mama2soren

It does sound like he needs a new booster, like, right now! Even if he actually has a booster seat, Safety 1st boosters hardly ever fit kids safely. If it's not a booster seat, but he's using it like one, it is very, very, very unsafe. A high back Graco Turbobooster should fit him well, and costs about $50. Can you get one today? They carry them at Target and Walmart.

If possible, a boostered child should be in the center seat rather than the new baby. It is best to put the least protected child (boostered) in the most protected seating position (center). Your RF baby will be well protected in his/her infant seat, even if he/she is outboard.

The BabyTrend Flex Loc infant seat is one of the narrowest on the market. You could give that a try for the new baby. One big downside, though, is that the handle must be down when you're driving. It might be a bit of a tight squeeze getting the handle up and down in a small car like the Yaris. The Chicco KeyFit is only a tad wider than the FlexLoc, and the handle can be up in the car. It's a nice seat! Another option would be getting a compact convertible seat for the baby, like the Coccoro.

we're just getting ready to leave to check out the turbobooster, thanks...it's appreciated. and i didn't know that about the center seat, but it makes sense...so thanks! i'll look into the babytrend and the chicco as well. thanks

[ryleeee]

thank you for all the suggestions
while the safety 1st was a 3-in-1 and a valid booster...it totally sucked. and i see that more than ever now that i've bought the graco turbobooster! it fits him MUCH better, is way more padded, and i like several of the features a lot, such as the hidden cupholders and the place to thread the seatbelt through. and it fits our car so much better! it's wayyyyyyy slimmer and he just fits it better. so thanks everyone it was $78 here in canada at toys r us but it was well worth it! and there was only one left!