Middle Lap Belt - is there a car seat to fit

[knakered]

I have three children...and at present have my oldest on a basic (£10)booster seat in the middle lap seat belt...I am concerned for his safety firstly ...is this safe?..also for long journeys I wouls like him to be able to nod off to sleep...does anyone know if there are comfortable, safe car seats for the middle lap belt?

My child kept escaping from the type of booster that had a back in it too, he would escape from the top part of the seatbelt, leaving the lap belt intact. When I went to talk to Mothercare about it they said that Britax had told them that children were perfectly safe with just the lapbelt.... however, I have my doubts. I think that you can have full seatbelts fitted at places like Kwikfit - have you tried that avenue?

Sorry to tell you this but lap belts are very unsafe. You need to put the heaviest person in the seat belt. On occasions when I've been unable to avoid using it, I've put a pillow between it and the passenger. There have been horrific accidents where some children have been almost cut in half.

Also booster seats are used to move the vital organs away from where the seat belt would cut in, this is why they are recommended up to the age of 11. R

My child kept escaping from the type of booster that had a back in it too, he would escape from the top part of the seatbelt, leaving the lap belt intact. When I went to talk to Mothercare about it they said that Britax had told them that children were perfectly safe with just the lapbelt.... however, I have my doubts. I think that you can have full seatbelts fitted at places like Kwikfit - have you tried that avenue?

knakered, why put the oldest in the middle? Most baby/toddler seats can be safely anchored with a lap belt and then he could use a 3-point belt.

For nodding off to sleep you can get things with padded sides which tuck behind them and fix with Velcro, but are a bit fiddly. Or there are cushioned things (shaped like animals?) which slide over the shoulder belt part.

There are seats, made of polystyrene, which combine a tall rear section with headrests and a kind of bolster that the central lap belt slides through, to protect the abdomen and provide a flattish play area - quite cheap though hard to find and only suitable for a relatively small or very thin child - but I still think you'd be best to swap them round. Rhiannon is quite right, lapbelts alone are not safe for an adult let alone a child.

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The Britax Elite fits with a lap belt to, I have just bought a seat from Argos for occasional use - The speedway, it is a relatively cheapy £35 lightweight booster style with back, but it has an integral harness. It can be used with a lap belt to secure it. I have found it better than my Britax rangers, 1) because of the harness 2) because it doesn't separate easily every time you move it 3) cos you can use a lap belt.

But as Rhiannon says, do not use the centre lap belt, it is so dangerous for a child. He would be safer in the front ( depending on age of child and air bags etc)

Mercedes used to do a seat fot the centre belt, a Romero I think, it was a booster with a large square boxy thing that went over the lap and the belt fed through it. I don''t know if they still do it.

Hi just read this posting with interest as I am expecting my third child and trying to figure out where to put all the seats.

My problem is slightly different in that we will have a landrover with 4 inward facing seats in the back all with lap belts (you can't fit 3 point belts for inward facing seats on LR). I've been agonising about safelty issues as well as finding seats to fit.

Many of you comment on how dangerous lap belts are but do you think its less of a problem if the seats face inwards. I've got myself into a rigth pickle trying to figure out where to seat everyone.

Thanks
Katherine

Katherine, you don't say how old your 2 current children are, but if they have child seats with a frame those can be safely anchored with a lap belt. (Do you only have the back inward-facing seats or is there a rear bench as well?)

But I have no idea about relative safety of lap belts on inward facing seats. Why can't 3-point belts be fitted? Obviously LR don't do it as standard, but have you asked at Kwikfit or Halfords if it's possible?

Thanks Janh

The landrover we are in the process of buying has only inward facing bench seats. Our local LR guru advised me that its virtually impossible to fit the 3 point belts as there is nowhere to fit the shoulder point to safely. We could of course ditch this landrover and get a long wheel base instead which would give us the extra forward facing bench with 2 extra 3 point belts. Very tempting but I worry about the extra size and weight (not very good for the school run!). We do definitly want a LR due to where we live and the fact that we need to gather logs etc. Its just a matter of deciding the best one to get.

The Children are 2 and 4. The old one is ready for a booster seat but as these serve the purpose of making sure the shoulder strap fits in the right place would be irrelvant for a lap belt. So maybe Noah could do without. But then I worry about safety.

I sound like I'm talking myself into the LWB one with the extra seats but we've given word on the SWB one and I'm reluctant to break that. We have to do what is best though. I just wondered if there was a way round it for the smaller vehicle.

Thanks
Katherine

Katherine, as your 2 children are still quite small you could put them in proper child seats (not boosters) in the rear sideways seats for a couple more years, and then think about replacing the LR, if you really have to be committed to the SWB one you mention.

Or, if you put new baby in the front passenger seat until 6 months, and then in the rear with second child, you could put eldest child in booster in the front seat? This would buy you a bit more time.

I suppose you couldn't get a LR Discovery or something similar next time? Or maybe talk again to the dealer about your concerns for your childrens' security in the car and see if he can come up with something you'd prefer? I understand your reluctance to renege on what you've already agreed to but you do have good grounds!