Hello -
My 5 year old finally hit the weight limit for her convertible car seat and we are converting it to a booster seat. It is a costco alpha omega elite convertible car seat. I have followed all of the instructions to convert it to a booster seat and everything is fine. However, it does not say anything about securing the booster to the vehicle in any way. Should I be using the latch system to secure it to the seat? I'm not concerned about her safety while in the booster I am concerned about that darn seat flying around the car if I happen to be in an accident when she is not in the car with me. What have others done to secure the seat in the vehicle when your child isn't riding with you?
Thanks,
T.
Thanks for the answers - guess I just have to make sure I remember to buckle it in from now on. One quick question - what about these seats makes them poor boosters?
If you leave the seat belt in the top loop (don't know how else to describe it) it doesn't fly around too much. Shifts a little, but that's it.
The role of a booster is to position the lap and shoulder belt properly - lap belt low across tops of thighs and shoulder belt across center of shoulder. The shape of the Alpha Omega tends to position the lap belt higher up so that it sits across the abdomen, where it could injure internal organs in an accident.
Here is a link from a certified child passenger safety tech at carseatblog.com who describes this better than I can - with photo illustrations too
http://carseatblog.com/906/alpha-omega-elite-eddie-bauer-...
Those seats make poor boosters now with that said you only secure her and the seat with a seat belt and when she is not in the booster the seat should be buckled in.
edited: you should not use the latch if you are using the seat as a booster
Here is just one "Boosters that aren’t recommended: The Institute doesn’t recommend the Harmony Secure Comfort Deluxe backless with clip, Combi Kobuk dual-use highback, Evenflo Express highback (combination), Eddie Bauer Deluxe highback (combination), and Evenflo Sightseer highback. Also on the list are 3-in-1s including the Safety 1st Alpha Omega Elite, Alpha Omega Elite, Eddie Bauer Deluxe 3-in-1, Safety 1st All-in-One, Alpha Omega Luxe Echelon, and Alpha Omega.
Half of the boosters that aren’t recommended are 3-in-1s that leave the lap belt too high on the abdomen and the shoulder belt too far out on the shoulder. Another seat, the Harmony Secure, has armrests that push the lap belt away from the hips, way out on a child’s thighs"
Hi!
We have one too. The seat is not desinged to be fastened to the vehicle. The instructions on ours said when its not being used, put the seat belt over it and latch it like you would if there was a child in it, to keep it from going anywhere.
buckle the seat belt in as you would if she were in it.
High back and backless boosters are not meant to be secured by anything other than the car seatbelt. Using LATCH defeats the purpose of a booster seat moving with the child and seat belt during an accident.
If you are worried about the seat moving when the child isn't in it you could either seat belt it in or just put it between the back side of the front seat and the front side of the rear seat (where the child's legs bend over would be to the floor). Myself, I did neither when my oldest was in a booster and never had a problem with it moving around nor was I in an accident that would cause it to move.
S.
agree with the other two ladies. when the shoulder strap is through the loop they don't move around with regular driving, at all. if you were in a wreck i don't think it would fly too far. if it's seriously something that you're paranoid over, just keep it buckled.
I just strap the booster in when he is not in the car with me.
M
The Alpha Omega has a poor positioning on the lap belt. In all crash tests it fails miserably in that it positions the lap belt across the belly instead of down on the hips. Plus its wide so it holds the belt too far away from the childs body.
Go to the store adn buy a dedicated high back booster seat like a Graco Turbobooster. The Turbobooster generally fits all children well and is a good reasonably priced seat. Make sure its a high back, she needs the belt guides and support.
The Alpha Omega is not a good booster seat, the fit is terrible and it has failed all crash tests. If sh'es used it for 5yrs, its served its time, buy her a dedicated booster seat and toss the Alpha Omega.
there should be 2 methods of securing any car seat, by the latch hooks or seat belts, there should be "holes" or loops in the back of the car seat that your seatbelt can lock into, that's what i used
Boosters seat should be belt-fastened when not in use to avoid it flying around in the case of an accident.
I don't know specifically about THAT booster seat but most do not require fastening to the car itself...your child sits in it and then you belt them in. In fact, most specifically says that you do NOT use the latch system.
