Child Booster Seats

[cyurasko]

Has anyone installed booster seats in their cars for taking the kids for a ride in their TR? I want to take my 4 year old out for a spin now that the weather is getting nice and don't want to break the law. I have four way shoulder harnesses.

As a side note, when I was her age my father would strap my older brother and me into the same seat, belt us in and go for a ride.

 

[TR4A_IRS]

Nice car! I use a booster seat (like this one: https://www.gracobaby.com/Products/Pages/ProductDetails.aspx?ProductID=1774834) in my TR4A. I have installed a static three point harness, and it seems to work pretty well. My youngest turns 5 this May, and she fit just fine last summer. My oldest turns 9, also in May, and I let her ride without a booster last year, as the seat belt fit her better without the booster. I have limited my trips with the kids to around town, but I don't imagine that the booster seats really add much additional protection, in cars of this vintage.

 

[cyurasko]

Ian, I agree that the boosters don't add much, but we have to comply with the laws. Thanks for the advice!

 

[silver7]

You can see the top part of my old booster child seat in this pic , I bring the kids with me everywhere , especially the shows..... my 16 year old has vivid memories of most of the events and still enjoys coming with her old man ....
My only trouble now is that I have to choose between the three of them , so we rotate each year who goes where !

Now that my youngest is 7, I presently use this model of seat .....

Since my son is still small, the booster keep the shoulder belt in the right position, and as you sit very low in a TR7, he gets a better view outside !

 

[John_Mc]

I've taken a 1-1/2 to 2 year old for a ride with just his car seat. I used the lap belt through the carrier just like I would in any car and the car seat has its own harness. For a booster seat I think you'd be just fine with the four point harness, remembering, of course, that the rest of the modern safety features are lacking. I took my toddler around city streets and even a couple of times on 10 minute freeway drives to Grandma and Grandpa's house. I think he was a little young to fully appreciate the top-down joy!

 

[Member 10617]

The Virginia Child Restraint Device Law(Code of Virginia Article 13 -SEction 46.2) says: "The law applies to anyone (i.e. parents, grandparents, babysiters, friends) who provides transportation for a child in any vehicle manufactured after January 1, 1968." So, although it is a good idea to use a restraint device, it appears that it is not required on these older LBCs.

 

[PC]

Ah, the practical family car.

I recall many moons ago walking through a local mall parking lot and seeing a young couple with two little kids.

First, they loaded one of the kids into a child seat in the convertible TR8 that the wife was driving.

Then they loaded the other kid into a child seat in the Pantera that the husband was driving.

Then they all roared off.

 

[HerronScott]

In the vein of "Boy were things different then", my parents had a 57 Corvette that we'd occasionally take family drives in (all 5 of us). My sister and I squeezed between them on the center console and my very little brother in my Mom's arms (the Mom seatbelt).

Scott

 

[PeterK]

Check your local laws. Boosters are required here for ALL kids under a certain age (might be 12) regardless of the vehicle. Front seating is also restricted from younger kids as well.

 

[Member 10617]

Looks like the law is different in different states. As I posted earlier, in Virginia... it applies "in any motor vehicle manufactured after January 1, 1968.

also... "In the event the vehicle does not have a back seat, the child restraint device may be placed in the front passenger seat only if the vehicle is either not equipped with a passenger side airbag or the passenger side airbag has been deactivated."

 

[charlie74]

i installed the "latch" system from a SAAB 93 (aftermarket brackets) at all the seatbelt hardpoints and a full size child seat fits fine but it does lean on the door slightly. the only thing i had to do to the child seat was grind down the plastic convering on the locking clips because they were hard to get on to the loops.