I turned in my Ford Flex (SUV) Monday and replaced it with a Ford Fusion (small to mid size car). I really like the car, but I have one MAJOR, MAJOR issue….buckling the kids is soooooooooooo hard to do now. They are both in a Booster (one backless) and it's like the part you insert the buckle into is too short & it hides under the seat. The Booster covers the buckle, so once the kids are in their seats, I have to try and slide the Booster over a bit, so I can fasten the belt. I went from having 2 kids that could easily buckle themselves, to having to struggle myself getting them BOTH buckled. I am sooo irritated. And I have to deal with this for 2 years!! After work yesterday, I had to buckle them each 5 times….that was just over a 3 hour period. Uggggggg. Sure my payment went down and I will get better gas mileage, but I am sort of regretting my decision. The question I have is, does anyone know if they make Boosters that are a little more narrow than others? Have you experienced this and come up with a "fix" to make this task simple as it should be? Never in a million years did I think to put the Boosters in the back of the car to check the fit before I signed for the car…why would I? Any suggestions to make this easier?
I would go to a local seat inspection site and have them look at it. If anyone knows how to deal with this problem, they do! Call your local police or fire dept and see if someone there is certified.
I wonder if there's a way you could attach something to the buckle part so it doesn't get stuck under the seat. Is it possible you could put a piece of velcro on the back of the buckle, and the other velcro part on the side of the booster, and kind of "stick" the buckle to the booster side so it stays pointing where you need it?
I just transitioned from a minivan to a commuter car too. My son is still in a regular car seat, but my problem is I hit my head on the car like every day leaning down to buckle him in!
call the dealership and see if they have any extensions (like heavy people use when the seat belt is too short) that would make it to long to "hide"
Wow that really sucks, I would be so annoyed. Wish I could help :( I will keep you in mind and if anything comes to me I will let you know.
Check out this site and find the right extender.
http://www.seatbeltextender.biz/
Actually high back boosters are probably narrower than your backless. you could measure your seat and go to walmart or where and measure the display models. I learned the hard way and took not one but two very large car seats, the stroller and kids to buy my new car, we're expecting and i needed something bigger than my mountaineer, and I wanted to be sure things fit. But this was after a year of fighting with a stroller that didn't fit in my mountaineer.
