# booster foot rests?



## sapphire_chan (May 2, 2005)

obviously not for my dd any time soon =)

for kids who can use boosters, are the footrests safe?


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## LizaBear (Feb 1, 2003)

IF you can find a booster seat that supplies a footrest in the box with the seat, then THAT footrest would be safe with THAT booster.

After-market products are not tested with the seats, therefore nobody can tell you if the item is safe or not - and you don't want to use your child to find out, I'm sure.


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## DahliaRW (Apr 16, 2005)

You could put something lightweight on the floorboard underneath her (nothing that would be a projectile). A syrophome disposable cooler, a soft-sided bag filled with towels, something like that.


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## aja-belly (Oct 7, 2004)

recaro makes footrests that go with some of their boosters (or they did at one time for sure).


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## sapphire_chan (May 2, 2005)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *LizaBear* 
IF you can find a booster seat that supplies a footrest in the box with the seat, then THAT footrest would be safe with THAT booster.

After-market products are not tested with the seats, therefore nobody can tell you if the item is safe or not - and you don't want to use your child to find out, I'm sure.

When people say that aftermarket car seat covers aren't safe, it's for the specific reason that the difference in compression could loosen the straps. The problem with aftermarket car seat covers isn't that they weren't tested with the seat, the problem is that they are in a position to interfere with the seat's function because they are between the child and the seat. Similarly, the strap cushions go between the child and the strap. In contrast, aftermarket rolled up towels next to an infant's head don't interfere with the seat function and aftermarket pool noodles actually *help* many car seats install correctly.

So do you, or anyone, know of a reason that the aftermarket foot rests would interfere with the seat functioning?


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## sapphire_chan (May 2, 2005)

Oh, and alternatives are great to know about for the future, but I'm more curious as to whether the foot rest ads should be making me wince the way the car seat cover ads do.


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## leighi123 (Nov 14, 2007)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *sapphire_chan* 
When people say that aftermarket car seat covers aren't safe, it's for the specific reason that the difference in compression could loosen the straps. The problem with aftermarket car seat covers isn't that they weren't tested with the seat, the problem is that they are in a position to interfere with the seat's function because they are between the child and the seat. Similarly, the strap cushions go between the child and the strap. In contrast, aftermarket rolled up towels next to an infant's head don't interfere with the seat function and aftermarket pool noodles actually *help* many car seats install correctly.

So do you, or anyone, know of a reason that the aftermarket foot rests would interfere with the seat functioning?

First of all, rolled up blankets on either side of the child dont count as an aftermarket product, b/c they arent attached to the seat or the child - also pool noodles have been approved by carseat manufacturers with the excption of a few (britax convertables for example, so that doesnt really count either.
That is totally true what you are saying about covers/cushions - but the thing is they dont crash-test ANY aftermarket products - that includes things like mighty tight, those carseat alarm things clip on toys, seat protectors, etc. And booster footrests.

The problem with a lot of the footrests - these for example:
http://www.nextag.com/car-seat-footrest/products-html
Is that they go under the booster seat, or attach to it, which isnt crash tested so we dont know how that will affect the seat in a crash.
They are also projectiles, big and heavy and likley to come off (if you've seen crash test videos of a booster, you know the weight of the child isnt going to hold down that foot rest when everythign is flying around!)
Also the one with the tray is really scary b/c its a big hunk of plastic right at the child's belly level- scary!

This is what one looks like -
http://innovativekidproducts.com/images/footrest.gif
I wouldnt want that flying around the car.

I've seen handmade ones too - where someone puts a string through a pool noodel and ties it to the seat, bad b/c you arent allowed to attach anything to your seat that didnt come in the box!

Even soft ones like this:
http://myfirstbaby.ca/MFB2/foot_z_rest01.jpg
go under the seat, which we know affects instalation of carseats, so may or may not affect the way a booster functions - b/c they arent crash tested, we just dont know!

I would call your carseat/booster manufacturer and see if they have on that they approve of (i.e. has been crash tested with their seat), which probably isnt likley. And I'd probably end up just using a soft blanket rolled up or something along those lines that wouldnt hurt anyone if it flew around in a crash.


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## sapphire_chan (May 2, 2005)

Thanks Leighi! That does help confirm that my first reaction of "oh NO" was right.


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## an_aurora (Jun 2, 2006)

I have no problems with the noodles-on-a-rope trick for boostered or FF kids. I really don't think it's going to cause catastrophic failure of the seat







but that's just my opinion and I wouldn't tell someone to do it if they weren't comfortable with it.

The aftermarket covers don't worry me because of compression, but rather because of flamability (sp?). There is a great thread on car-seat dot org where a woman's van was on fire and the covers held up very well, as they were supposed to.


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