Using a car booster seat in a motor home?

Question

My kids and I are going camping with my parents next week. We will be driving to the campground in their motor home. The back of the motor home is only equipped with lap belts and the instruction manual for my son's booster seat says that it cannot be used with a lap belt only. He is too big for any of our 5 point harness car seats and I do not want to spend a lot of money on a new carseat for just one week.

Thanks

Heather

Answer 1

Well, I'm going to be the first to answer and the bearer of unbelievable bad news that you won't like. :) But in the interest of you precious little one's safety I'm going tell you the truth: you can not safely transport him in a motor home. Here's the gist of why:

The only 2 places in an RV/motorhome where the seatbelts are bolted to the frame of the vehicle is in the front 2 seats. That's it. Those little lap belts that are in occasional seating positions in 'couches' or by a pull out table or what have you, are not bolted to the frame and therefore not safe for actually restraining a person or a child's seat. Especially ones next to tables - in the event of an accident the person's body would be slammed into the table causing massive damage. Even in other positions without tables, since the belt is not bolted to the actual frame of the vehicle, it will not hold in extreme forces of an accident.

It it was brand new (or very new, last few years) model motor home that you were going out to buy, you could pick one that had an appropriate place for a child to sit.  Check the links for more info and backup.

To respond to another portion of the question, you're reading those instructions correctly, you can not use a booster seat with a lap belt. No booster seat can be used with a lap belt. And no person should ever sit in a lap belt, child or adult. Seatbelt syndrome happens when a person is not wearing a shoulder belt. Its very serious. This is why vehicles no longer have any just lap belts. So in situations where there is only a lap belt, it really narrows the options for restraining your child. The easiest is usually to get the child a higher weight harnessed seat, depending upon the child's age, weight, and height. The main options:

Graco Nautilus $150 harnesses to 65lbs, 19" top harness slots. Easy to use and then becomes a great booster. Harnesses most kids to 7-8 years old.

Britax Frontier $279 harnesses to 80lbs, 18.25" top slots, then becomes the tallest booster currently on the market. Won't harness as long as Nautilus, but booster is taller.

Britax Regent $279 harnesses longer than other seat on the market with 80lbs limit and 20" top slots. Keeps most kids harnessed to 8-10 years old. Comfy seat. Does not become a booster, however.

And then, there are a few vests to check into, that you can use with kids who have to sit in a lap belt only position: Safe Rider Travel Vest and EZ on vest and 86Y vest.

http://www.car-seat.org/showthread.php?t...

http://www.car-seat.org/showthread.php?t...

If your child is under 4 years or less than 40lbs, he still needs to be in a harnessed seat in every vehicle, all the time. Even at 4 years/40lbs, experts say that is the bare minimum for booster safety, and recommend keeping kids harnessed as long as they will fit in a harnessed seat - preferably until at least age 5-6 years.