If you need a different solution for traveling with a car seat, click here for more recommendations. This supports our assertion that the Ride Safer Travel vest is a great option for children who are close to their 5th birthdays and older. The retail price of the XL RSTV is $189 without the tether, or $229 with the tether. We strongly recommend that the Ride Safer Travel Vest be used for children who are closer to their 5th birthdays. These are the rules you must follow to restrain your children safely. Wish I knew about these sooner. Its really unfortunate and Safe Ride 4 Kids has been very responsive but the rep from STS has not been. The manual, really, a folded and highly durable piece of paper, comes tucked in a clever hidey-pocket in the front of the vest. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website. Adjusts sitting height via straps on the back. They have introduced new energy absorbing material, including in the vertical straps adding padding to the inside of the vest. Are you looking for asafe, legal, convenienttravel car seat, secondary seat for carpools or for everyday use? If youre taking a taxi, Id also recommend having your kid already wearing the vest when it pulls up to avoid an impatient driver! A unique, 3-clip design positions the cars seat belt comfortably and correctly with shoulder tether for consistent sitting position and increased security (tether is recommended for kids at least up to 5 years old; tether is required if using vest with lap-only belt). The Ride Safer Travel Vest is a convenient alternative to a booster seat and works well in small spaces. Something went wrong. She was able to buckle herself into the vest, and thread the seat belt through the vest once we were in the car. You are correct that it can technically be used with a lap-only belt in that situation, but I think youd be hard-pressed to find a car today that has a lap-only belt AND a top tether. So its a great alternative to a booster seat for taxi riders living in major cities or families on extended trips at age 3 especially when many families would otherwise allow their children to ride unrestrained but Id hold out until closer to 4yo for daily use or more normal trips if you can. THANKS! We have found in the past that the vest does a better job than a booster keeping her in her seat. Can you share the dimensions of the item folded up and in a proper stuff sack? Shechose pink and stalked the mailbox until her vest arrived. As you can see from my impressions above, there is room for small changes or additional features; however, our impression is overwhelmingly positive. Padding absorbs and dissipates crash energy from seat belt. The lap portion of the seatbelt goes through these loops. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. The crotch strap was almost too short for Jacob at 41, though its use is not required so this isnt a huge concern. Copyright 1995-2022 eBay Inc. All Rights Reserved. Oops! She is 56 tall. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. I cant imaging doing a gap year with a regular car seat you guys are troopers! We kept our older one rear-facing until 4 and the younger one until 3.5, but at that point we went off traveling full-time and the Ride Safer was by far the best option for that lifestyle . Get yours today and save $8 with coupon BESTPRICE. Hopefully you guys will have a Ride Safer vest in your future , I appreciate the review! That kind of convenience is hard to beat! The Walmart (Rakuten Marketing) Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn commissions by advertising and linking to Walmart.com. This has been a lifesaver for us more than once as it easily stows in the trunk for an unexpected rider! Maybe your car doesnt have enough space to buckle a booster. Our mainhesitation in using the RSTV for younger children concernsexpecting a young child tosit properly all the time. Small (3-6 years old): 30-60 lbs., 34-52, Large (5-8 years old): 50-80 lbs., 45-57. How big is your daughter? I would love to try the RideSafer Delight on my kids (both are on the taller side) since my youngest will just turn 3 while we are in China. The smaller pieces (top tether strap, and crotch strap, both optional), come in a smaller bag. Sizing has remained the same including the new XL option. Flying with a Car Seat? Heavy duty dual tether for the XL RSTV on the right. ie what is the smallest it can be? -The included carry bag lets the vest flop around rather than compressing to a compact shape I recommend basically anything else (medium wetbag, medium packing cube, or mesh stuff sack). Ride Safer Travel Vest- 7 years, 49 pounds., 48 inches. Sooo looking forward to when my little guy is big enough to use this! Hopefully youll get a chance to try it out! How was the comfort level for long drives? View cart for details. Thank you for the information! Vehicles with lap-only belt positions who are trying to get a little more time for their kids to ride before they have to upgrade vehicles if your car has or can be retrofitted with tether anchors (available upon request from Safe Traffic Systems), this vest can turn a lap belt into a safe restraint for your older child. What is the Ride Safer travel vest and who is it for? We all know that the laws of physics dont change when you travel to a different country or ride in a taxi or fly abroad. Thanks again for the post! Adjustable straps allow for growing children up to the next size. The tether attachment loops are now made of webbing and while we never heard complaints with the metal loops, this theoretically makes the vest more comfortable. The belt path also helps to absorb the forces of a crash, meaning less of the force is taken directly by the childs pelvis. Sadly I see so many pictures of booster riders who fall asleep and basically lay down sideways not adequate protection in a crash, not even close. Copyright 2022 Swanky Babies Would love to try this out, likely with our older one. The previous buckle was intended to be kid proof but it turned it out to be a bit more adult proof instead! First, we buckled the seatbelt in, then threaded the belt through three loops on the vest itself. Is there any way this cam be combined with bubble bum so kids can look out of the windows? Fit has remained the same from Gen 4 to Gen 5 as the shape of the vest and available adjustments remain unchanged. In less than a minute, she was ready to go. We were gracious enough to test the RSTV for all of one taxi ride with this young model. The vest is slightly loose on her, even when snugged down. Super excited to have found this option this + Bubble Bum are good options for my two kids. Not sure what car seat to bring for travel? Was that an issue? All opinions at CarseatBlog are those of the individual author for informational purposes only, and do not necessarily reflect any policy or position of Carseat Media LLC. Do you know if it can be used with only a lapbelt? Learn how your comment data is processed. Children over 60 pounds should use the dual tether anchor provided by Safe Traffic Systems or use the seat with lap-shoulder belt). The Target Affiliate Marketing Program, an affiliate advertising and marketing program that pays advertising fees to sites that advertise and link to Target.com. The first time you put the Ridesafer Delight travel vest car seat on your kid, youll see a few different parts and youll need to make some adjustments. I love that it doesnt take up too much space. The combination worked well overall, but read on for the highs and lows of using the Ride Safer Delight nearly every day for a year. It fit her, but was a bit loose. One nerve-wracking cab ride with this kiddo in the vest was enough to prove that we cannot recommend the Ride Safer Travel Vest for children younger than 5 years old. When given the opportunity to review the vest we enthusiastically said yes! Looks like the Amazon Prime code doesnt work anymore Im getting The promotional code you entered cannot be applied to your purchase. Any chance you have a new one? Get it directly from Safe Ride 4 Kids for amazing customer service and fast, free shipping use coupon BESTPRICE to save $8 on your Ride Safer vest! 2007-2022 Carseat Media LLC, all rights reserved. Weve been thinking about purchasing one of these. We found many cars in Thailand and Morocco that have lap-shoulder belts outboard and lap-only in the middle (no top tethers in ANY position), and I would rather not have parents remember only partial information and misuse the product. Hi Kaylie, no it needs a shoulder belt. He practiced some short rides at home in a high-back booster, so he knew the rules about staying in position and followed them. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. Im a little concerned that my daughter who is generally uncomfortable in car seats will not find this comfortable, but am willing to deal with that in exchange for not logging a big car seat around. It does look very secure too and maybe not so easy to wriggle out of as the travel seat I took with me on my last trip! All CSFTL website contributors are Nationally Certified Child Passenger Safety Technicians. Its great to know that the weight and height limits of the small vest are realistic for bigger kids, too. Jacob barely complained during any of our car rides, though hes generally pretty easygoing about car seat safety and is accustomed to riding in a forward-facing harness most of the time at home. Three across with the Ride Safer Travel Vest. On our way back to Atlanta, we will be in L.A. for a few days with a friend who has 3 kids in car seats, so, I have been looking for suitable child restraints that wont destroy my back or my sanity. Nevertheless, the vest fits him comfortably and provides a perfect belt fit. This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. 2020 RideSafer Travel Vest Review Update Now in THREE sizes! If a child is truly old enough to use a backless booster, something like a bubble bum would be a great choice; however, my personal minimum for that would be 6yo AND not falling asleep in the car. This would certainly add to the usability of the vest; it would allow older children to be safely restrained on the plane without needing to bring a larger and more awkward harnessed seat aboard. The purpose of a booster is to literally boost the child up so that the belt falls along the body where it would on an adult. There are two sizes available. The Delight travel vest is a booster seat alternative for kids who are, How to put on the Ridesafer vest for kids. For this age of child, rear-facing is the safest option. Thanks for all the details! #familytraveltips. The Delight travel vest is a booster seat alternative for kids who are at least 3 years old and at least 30lbs thats a true minimum, and continue reading for my personal size recommendations after extensive use. Whatever the reason, parents who find themselves with kids in the 80+ lb. Moving from two car seats to one on our trip to Europe was a game-changer, and carryingno bulky carseats at all on our gap year was absolutely epic. Thank you so much for the very thorough review and videos. A convenient option to switching car seats for carpools or multiple cars; only need 1 vest per child NOT 1 car seat per vehicle per child. Instructions are printed right on the vest. While the Ride Safer Delight vest is a little pricey for an item most families will use only occasionally, if your family travels often with preschoolers or young school age children I cant recommend it enough. Weve found Uber cars to have better safety features than traditional taxis or vans, but Im not sure if Uber is available in Sri Lanka. Were in Panama now and have had a few van rides in which the kids just used the lap belt. This review looks at an older version of this vest. Like all the other models of RSTV, the included crotch strap is optional. While we have not seen the updated design, we imagine it will include some type of strap that secures the top of the harness round the back of the airline seat. Thanks for sharing! Best July Car Seat Deals, Sales & Coupon Codes + Strollers & Baby Gear. I polled families in a group that I run and those who have used both on their toddlers agree that the size small Gen 5 is WAY too big for the advertised minimum size. Car Seats For The Littles Inc, 2019 | All Rights Reserved. Can also be used with a lap/shoulder belt. They could then transition directly to a vehicle and be safely transported, unlike other airplane harness products that are only suitable for the airplane itself, not the car ride after. Adjust the vest until the bottom flap on the front is resting on top of his thighs (since it will hold the lap portion of the seatbelt in the proper position), then refasten the Velcro. We feel confident that the Ride Safer offers a safe alternative to either lugging a huge car seat around a city or relying on an unfamiliar car/driver to maybe offer car seats. You may use it if it improves your childs posture in the car or the fit, but if it isnt helpful for your situation, dont use it. She was 37 pounds, 38 inched tall, and just shy of 4 years old, when we quickly discovered that for a kiddo her age, using the vest properly was beyond her abilities. What a greta piece of travel kit. Also, it seems like the child wouldnt be able to see out of the window. You arent lugging a booster up and down those 14 stories every time you need to catch a cab. healthchecksystems But for your younger one, the Ride Safer vest should be good (we liked the fit better closer to 4yo than 3yo for what its worth). We generally opted to use the crotch strap for Shoshana, as shes at the lower end of the size range. I was especially pleased that, when used with the top tether, the Delight prevented slumping out of position while sleeping; if we had just brought a booster seat, he would have been in an unsafe position. When weve borrowed one though, she seemed like she was swimming in it (at 34 pounds). Price per day is for local pick-up in West Pasco, WA, If you are interested in Delivery of your rental items, please leave a comment on your purchase or email[emailprotected]. Families with extra large preschoolers (in the 80+ lb range) who are just not old enough or mature enough for booster seats. A 6 year old Huggable Image Doll in a size Large RSTV, and an 8 year old HI Doll in the size Extra Large. Thanks, Vera! The headrest is mostly necessary if you think your child will fall asleep on a long ride and needs extra support (in reality, we did not find it helpful). At that age, she she still required an adult to help buckle her in, but with an adult sitting right next to her on every ride, she sat properly enough that I was confident in her ability to sit properly for short trips. I really wish they had come out with this when my girls were younger, it certainly seems like such a huge help with travel especially taxis and such! This is indeed intended for older, bigger kids. Perhaps the most notable change on the latest model, Gen 5, is the buckle. We took a Disney trip when this model was turning 5. The big guy is 49.25 and 75 pounds, 8 years old. Standard single tether on the left. The safe rider vest comes folded down to a very compact size. This looks like a smart idea for traveling with This website uses cookies to improve your experience. The shoulder portion of the belt goes through this clearly marked loop. Maxi-Cosi RodiSport Booster Review: Stylish, Versatile, Comfy, Speed limiter mandate overdue for large trucks, New Hyundai EV earns Top Safety Pick+. This post contains affiliate links, for which I may earn a commission if you make a qualifying purchase. When we left for our familys year-long trip around the world, we faced a major dilemma. Even for hardcore RSTV families, a lot of children will be fine in just a seat belt once the size L is outgrown. She was able to buckle herself into the vest and thread the seatbelt through the loops once in the car. The expansion panel is now available for purchase. We get it. using the size Large RSTV with a lap only belt. Ive heard that the mifold can be uncomfortable and that the belt fit for some kids in some cars isnt great :-/ If your older ones are booster-age and mature, Id look into the Bubblebum. We tried the accompanying pillow for head support. to introduce the Safe Traffic Systems Ride Safer Delight travel vest to your family. In addition to cost, the portability of this vest is a huge advantage over most car seats for kids with special needs. Its perfect! The vest is extremely loose on him. Weve struggled with booster training my oldest daughter (she was 6.5 when we started booster training, at7.5, it was still a work in progress) her fondness for reaching down to grab things off the car floor presents a safety risk. We originally tested the Ridesafer travel vest for Jacob, who is 5.5yo, 40lbs and 41 perfectly in range for the size small vest (size large is also available, but I expect that well have several years in the small). The previous version was approved for Europe, but the manufacturer is still going through the certification process for the updated vest. CarseatBlog makes no representations as to accuracy, completeness, currentness, suitability, or validity of any information on this site and will not be liable for any errors, omissions, or delays in this information or any losses, injuries, or damages arising from its display or use. Do you have a bigger kid for whom a booster isnt a good option? Its a really innovative solution. Im really excited because my oldest just turned 3 last month and weve got a Euro trio coming up that this would be great on! It may be available through Amazon in the future. I am interested in one of these when my daughter is old enough. We are just starting to outgrow our carseat for flights and this would be such the perfect option! Ive updated the review to show those changes. our 3 year old. We got one for our older girl when she was 3, traveled in Kenya with it Now waiting for our youngest to hit the age/weight requirements so she can start using it too! The Gen 5 ships with a tether, neck support, and crotch strap. Our younger modelroderear facing most of the time when we first tried the vest for her, but we have a big trip coming up so we needed an alternative to dragging her bulky car seat along. However, our reviews and educational materials are OUR opinions and are not that of Safe Kids, NHTSA, or anyone other than us. All in all, the RSTVis an excellent product that suits a variety of needs. Height-wise, at 56 tall, it fits her well; but she needs to fill out a bit to get the vest snug. Ride Safer Travel Vest- 8 years, 75 pounds., 4 ft 9.25 inches. This type of solution is brilliant for traveling families. It has always worried me about what to do with car seats and this seems like the perfect solution. Weve loved it for traveling light . Read on for our complete Ride Safer travel vest review! While the manufacturers guidelines suggest that children as young as 3 can use this product, we just dont agree. baggage Great idea but I appreciate you pointing out what you love and what needs work. Great idea but I appreciate you pointing out what you love and what could need more improvement #fearlessfamtrav, Its a really interesting idea, but it seems just a wee bit too complicated and uncomfortable to fully replace a booster seat, especially for longer journeys. It can be a convenient place to hang the vest when not in use, and it can help provide support for squirmy or tired children, but if a shoulder belt is in use it does not provide any additional crash protection. Theres also an expansion panel to improve fit options for all three sizes for heavier kids who may need more room in whatever size vest is appropriate for their height. but Id say perhaps like a 2L soda bottle without the neck part? We started using the Bubblebum for our older one at 6yo. It took about 30 seconds to get her ready in the Ride Safer Travel Vest. Do you think the Ride Safer travel vest is right for your family? These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. Putting the vest on is pretty intuitive: open the buckle very sturdy Velcro panel in the front, have your child slip his arms in. 2010-2019. Oh, did I mention the elevator is out? Yes, its that much of a game-changer. We love the blue and pink currently available, but the newly created yellow and green colors are awfully sharp! biziborong r978 Older or larger children with special needs who need extra seating support when they are too big for a regular car seat. AS WELL AS GUESTS VISITING THE AREA. This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. I wholeheartedly agree! I have to differ on the sizing remaining the same. We started using the Ride Safer around 3.5yo but only because we were traveling full-time and a regular car seat just wouldnt have worked. ridesafer vest travel booster carseatblog delight duo dynamic Now for my full thoughts: The Ride Safer Delight vest is an awesome product that really delivers on its promise to make traveling with preschoolers and older kids easier without compromising safety. Will look into the links. I had no idea anything like this existed! She was also below-average in height. While the lap belt fit is excellent, low on the hips, the shoulder belt fit is poor, up by his face instead of over his shoulder, and hovering slightly in front of his chest instead of crossing it firmly. Doesnt take up any more space than the childs body does, Can be tricky to thread the seat belt through. Nat.x, This is so interesting Ive not seen one of thes ebefore .So much lighter than a car seat and having to lug around. Another Technology Review? Thank you so much for this post! We make yearly trips to visit family and this would be so much better than lugging around a car seat! Choose the best convertible car seats for travel for your family. Car Seats for the Littles is a participant in: Car Seats for the Littles is a service mark registered in the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office. The RideSafer isthesafe, certified, wearable child restraint for children. Im glad we waited until our daughter was old enough to use the vest. Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. If you buy the model without the tether and decide later that you need it, the dual tether can be purchased separately, just like it is today for kids weighing more than 60 lbs. Any time you have a tight fit situation where you cant squeeze in a booster and your child isnt quite big enough or mature enough to safely use the seat belt alone but has outgrown the size Large RSTV. 2011 Toyota Sienna Review Part 2Mommy Fun? Image Credit: JM Gonzalez Photography@jmgonzalezphotoon Instagram. Has a crotch strap for adjusting sitting height. ress_js("https://small-meadow-8465.ck.page/b6d133a36c/index.js"); Overall were very satisfied with our decision to bring the Ride Safer Delight rather than our usual travel car seat and we stand by our recommendation for its use on children 3.5yo and up who are mature enough to follow the rules of booster riding in situations like ours where traveling light is the only practical solution. Wow, it sounds brilliant. This is not true a ride safer vest can be used with just a lap belt PROVIDED the tether is used the clip anchoring between the shoulders and the bolt or latch mandatory in most cars. RideSafer Travel Vest and BubbleBum: portable options. The restrictions indicated in the manual suggest this seat is indicated for children 5-8 years of age, 50-80 pounds and 45-57. Ride Safer Travel Vest- 7.5 years, 60 pounds., 4 ft 4 inches. When we used it during our gap year trip, it was perfect for taxi rides in the cities because I could just roll it up and put it in our day bag. We even spent a full year using the Ridesafer vest as we traveled around the world. The vest isnt just for bigger kids. I was wondering the same, sounds like a great product. In our long-term testing, Shoshana never complained about comfort despite some drives of 6 hours in a single day. Getting her into the vest is a snap its only one buckle and a strap between her legs. This can be a great alternative to a $800+ car seat for some of these in between kids who dont necessarily need all the features of a custom special transportation seat, but arent quite ready for the seat belt alone. You can see a hands-on demo of fitting the Ride Safer Delight vest below: Due to our tight schedules and cars full of car seats, we didnt get a chance to practice using the vest at home. Definitely something we will invest in when we go abroad with the girls. Out of curiosity, whatt the seatbelt situation like in Kenya? There was nothing like when I first started traveling! The Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com. I honestly dont know how we could have managed without the Ride Safer travel vest.