A CARSEAT DILEMMA
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TV ClubHouse: Archives: A CARSEAT DILEMMA

Julieboo

Friday, December 13, 2002 - 05:52 pm EditMoveDeleteIP
Any advice here? I have a 39 lb. 3 year old. I can barely buckle him into his carseat anymore, especially when he has his winter coat on. The carseat is made to fit a kid up to 40 lbs. So I went looking for the next step carseat, the booster. But I found out that the harness is only to be used up to a 40 lb. kid. After that, you're supposed to use the booster with the regular seatbelt. Well my little guy is way too wiggley for that. I tested a few different ones out at Babies R Us (They have a real car seat set up so you can test out the carseats.) Anyways, he wriggled his way out of the boosters when I used the regular seatbelt. So what am I to do? Any help would be greatly appreciated!

Wargod

Friday, December 13, 2002 - 06:08 pm EditMoveDeleteIP
Julie, have you seen the car seat/boosters...the kid sits in it and it has the three point harness on it. The straps go over both shoulders and snaps between the legs. Then a clip hooks across the two straps over the chest. In hubby's car, we set the car seat in there and buckle them in, then we put the regular car seat belt over her and the car seat. In my car, belt the car seat in then buckle her in. Let me see if I can find a picture of one since I don't think I'm explaining it well. My daughter can't wiggle out of it though...and well,if she can't, LOL.

Car Seats

It's the high back booster...the very first one. It does work for us. Hope that helps a little.

Hippyt

Friday, December 13, 2002 - 06:11 pm EditMoveDeleteIP
Hiya Julieboo! They make boosters that have harnesses on them,like a carseat. I wish I could remember what kind we have. It converts when they get bigger to seatbelt use. Did you see if he could fit into the harness? You could still use the harness if he fit in it. I know what you're talking about! My daughter is 37 lbs.and has suddenly decided she doesn't need to buckle up anymore. The other day she managed to wiggle out while I was driving on the freeway!
Wish I could be of more help!

Hippyt

Friday, December 13, 2002 - 06:14 pm EditMoveDeleteIP
Okay,war is always helpful! We have the sixth one down,the Cosco. Ours has a cup holder on it. We've been happy with it!

Crossfire

Friday, December 13, 2002 - 06:19 pm EditMoveDeleteIP
I've never seen anything too wiggley that duct tape couldn't fix it.


(j/k)

Bob2112

Friday, December 13, 2002 - 06:25 pm EditMoveDeleteIP
bob Hi Julieboo!

I have nothing to add to this, just wanted to say "Hi" :)

<...Portillo's is calling to us...>

Julieboo

Friday, December 13, 2002 - 06:28 pm EditMoveDeleteIP
Thanks for your input! But all the boosters that i have seen have a weight/size limit for the harnesses at 40 lbs. Not one single booster would fit Ryan when he had his winter jacket on. Help!!! The boosters I looked at were at BRU. The Evenflo, Century, Britax and Eddie Baur ones. If anyone knows of any others that would have harnesses that go past 40 lbs, that'd be great.

Julieboo

Friday, December 13, 2002 - 06:33 pm EditMoveDeleteIP
Hi Bob!!!

I know, we'll make Portillo's plans soon! I PROMISE!

Wargod: I looked at that carseat, and in the detail it does say up to 40 lbs. Wah! I guess I just won't put his coat on. But that is gonna be tricky here in Chicago!!!

Wargod

Friday, December 13, 2002 - 06:45 pm EditMoveDeleteIP
Cosco are the ones we use. The ones I'm talking about go up to 60 pounds. Dakota refuses to wear her coat with the car seat anyways, but especially in my car with no heater, I carry a blanket in the backseat and throw it over her. The I just throw her coat on before I take her out of the car.

I do have another suggestion too. If you can't find one or want some more expert advice..check with your local highway patrol office, insurance company, or AAA. Here in California the CHP has a weekend will they show parents how to correctly install carseats and buy some that are appropriate for your child. I know also that several of the insurance companies here do it. I can't recall the statistics for it,but the number of people who install car seats, or use the wrong ones, is frightening!

Julieboo

Friday, December 13, 2002 - 06:56 pm EditMoveDeleteIP
I know most of the boosters do go up to 60 lbs, some even go to 80 lbs. The problem is the harness does not go up to those lbs. The harnesses only go up to 40 lbs. Then you're supposed to use the regular car seatbelt for kids over 40 lbs. And that's where my trouble is. The car seatbelt only goes over his lap and then diagonally over his chest. He can easily wriggle out of that in a few minutes. Know what I mean? I will call my ins. place or the non-emergency police tomorrow and see what they say. Can I be the only parent w/ this problem, or am I missing something???

Wargod

Friday, December 13, 2002 - 07:04 pm EditMoveDeleteIP
Nope, LOL. Our problem was the opposite with our son...he was outgrowing carseats left and right due to his height. His head was always poking over them, and it was a pain finding a carseat that would support his height, plus his little skinny self. Dakotas 4, she's tall, but she's also over 40 pounds and the harness fits her weight. So, I know you can find them...it's just being able to actually find one, LOL.

Rissa

Friday, December 13, 2002 - 07:40 pm EditMoveDeleteIP
Wargod, I had the same problem. I have a 6 1/2 year old who weighs 44 pounds. She is taller then heck (how tall is heck anyway? LOL) and just as skinny. She was outa the babyseat before 2 years because her head hung over the top and my doc told me that was wayyyy more dangerous then just putting her in a booster or regular seatbelt. That's the only advise I have to pass on as far as that's concerned... go by height not by weight. It won't matter a bit how snug the child is if their neck is snapped backwards the first time you brake quickly or worse.

The only suggestion I can make for Julie is to contact the seat manufacturer. There just HAS to be a seat belt extension gadget and if your particular seat doesn't have one available, call a few others.... and maybe they do. Good luck.

Sorry, self-editting. Meant to say that there has to be some sort of seat-belt extension to use on the infant car seats for larger babies and that if your car seat manufacturer can provide one then it might extend the time you can use your present seat for your three year old.

Zachsmom

Friday, December 13, 2002 - 07:43 pm EditMoveDeleteIP
I thought the law was 4 years old they had to be in a carseat? (not booster)

dang..3 years old and almost 40llbs? My son is only 32lbs and he's 4 and 4 months!!!

Wargod

Friday, December 13, 2002 - 07:47 pm EditMoveDeleteIP
6 years old here...can't remember the pounds though.

My SIL was in a car accident a few months ago..the baby is 2, her older is 5. The accident wasn't her fault, but she did get a ticket because her 5 year old wasn't in a booster. And he's...thick..that's the only word I can use to describe it. He's not fat..he's thick. Anyways, none of them were hurt, but it was a big lesson for her.

Crossfire

Friday, December 13, 2002 - 07:49 pm EditMoveDeleteIP
Maybe duct tape was too harsh just for stopping a wiggler.

Perhaps large pieces of hook and loop fasteners otherwise known as Velcro® one for the coat, one for the seat would do the trick.


(still j/k sorry)

Rissa

Friday, December 13, 2002 - 07:57 pm EditMoveDeleteIP
That would be icing, wouldn't it? Someone hits you and then you get a ticket? LOL I am sure like most things, rules are different in different areas. I know that I checked with my doctor first and then the police (never talked to insurance people though) and was told height was the determining factor in most cases. Actually my car seats all had stickers on them that said (XXX pounds or XXX inches come to think of it) In my case, we used a booster until she was about three 1/2 I guess and then her head was too tall and it was safer for her to be seated lower. We were told that the middle of the skull should be below the top edge of the seat. She did have to use one of those annoying little gadgets that fits over the seat-belt (t-belts?), it keeps the angle of the upper belt lower so it doesn't cut into the neck.

Zachsmom

Friday, December 13, 2002 - 08:00 pm EditMoveDeleteIP
War..I thought that it was 4 they had to be in a carseat and up to 6 booster..sorry wasn't clear..but then..it's been a rough couple of weeks!

Wargod

Friday, December 13, 2002 - 08:04 pm EditMoveDeleteIP
That's someone I didn't think of, Rissa! Never dawned on me to ask their doctor, LOL. Same problem here, Rissa...Caleb was always below the weight restrictions but over the height...we always figured it was safer to adjust the straps so they were tighter than to let his head poke over the edge.

Wargod

Friday, December 13, 2002 - 08:16 pm EditMoveDeleteIP
Oh, Zmom...you're right! Sorry, I use carseat interchangable with booster! We actually got tired of changing carseats (boosters) between our cars, so we bought each of the kids an extra one. Now we have one that stays in Darrens car, and one that stays in mine. Makes life much easier when we don't have to worry about leaving a carseat at home or changing them from car to car when its freezing cold and early in the morning, LOL!

Nightcrawler

Friday, December 13, 2002 - 10:12 pm EditMoveDeleteIP
Julieboo,

we (Bookie and I) might have this problem sooner then you did.

wiggals is only 15 mo. and is up to 27 - 28 pounds. if he keeps going he will be 40 pounds by 2 yr's

Tess

Friday, December 13, 2002 - 10:39 pm EditMoveDeleteIP
Here in Minnesota it is 4 years old AND 40 pounds for a carseat (law) and they recommend a booster til 8 years old AND 80 pounds. My daughter is 6 and just topped 40 pounds a couple of months ago. We bought a carseat when she was 4 that was convertable into a booster. The seat part is all still the same but in my car she uses the car lap/shoulder belt and the booster is bolted to the roof of the car. In my husband's car, he doesn't have the bolt yet so she's still in the 5 point harness in the same brand and style car/booster seat but is borderline too tall for the harness. He needs to get the bolt from our dealership and anchor the seat before he can convert it. He has an older model car than I do right now.

Sia

Friday, December 13, 2002 - 11:42 pm EditMoveDeleteIP
Julieboo, I want to echo what has been said above: it's critically important that you get a booster seat for a child who meets the age/height/weight requirements. I think the guideline where I live is up to 4 years and/or 40 lbs requires a car seat and a booster is recommended for up to 7-8 years and/or 80 lbs.

I can't tell you how many children I see in other people's cars totally unrestrained; obviously, that's unsafe. You are a wonderful mother to check into this matter and to make the effort to be sure you're doing it properly by buying the correct seat and installing it safely!! Hugs to you.

Problem with buckling a child into an adult lap/shoulder seatbelt is that the child can slide under the seatbelt in a collision and be hurt just as if he were unrestrained. We have the five-point car seat (I think it's Cosco) as well, for my six-year-old who weighs just over 40 lbs. He will use a booster seat until he is big enough, no debate about it. My four-year-old is almost heavy enough now for a booster, too.

Amazingly, my son's preschool transports kids to the center--but they use NO car seats at all. They hemmed and hawed when I told them I would not let my child be transported without a car seat. They finally said they would "go buy a car seat," but I made the decision to drive himself to school for two years. Safety is of utmost importance, and I'm glad you're concerned about it, too.

Wargod

Friday, December 13, 2002 - 11:53 pm EditMoveDeleteIP
I went on a field trip with my daughters preschool right before Halloween, Sia...and we almost didn't get to go because some parents refused to believe that their 3 and 4 year olds had to have car seats. Luckily, I had both cars that day, so was able to take my extras to the school for the kids to use.

I have to agree though, it's scary seeing how many people don't use them! Here, there is no debate at all...if the kids are going anywhere in the cars, they will be in their car seats. Most days I can tell the kids we're leaving and both run out and hop in/on their seats and buckle up..they just know. There's some things you do, and there's just no discussion about it. The nice thing is, that since our children (using our to describe everyone who does use the car/booster seats) will grow up with this saftey habit ingrained in them..get in the car...buckle up! Teach them early, they carry it with them for life.

Squaredsc

Saturday, December 14, 2002 - 07:39 am EditMoveDeleteIP
sorry julie but neither of my kids wiggled out of their seats, but thats mainly 'cause they knew i would stop the car right in the middle of the road and they wished that i didn't. i have had to do that a couple of times not 'cause of wiggling but 'cause one would hit the other or something, so they knew i meant business while in the car.

Twinkie

Saturday, December 14, 2002 - 09:35 am EditMoveDeleteIP
LOL Squared! I know exactly what you mean! I stopped the car many a time to let my daughter know I was NOT KIDDING. She always settled down after that.

Wargod

Saturday, December 14, 2002 - 11:48 am EditMoveDeleteIP
OK, funny booster seat story....but not, haha funny. Up there I said we got tired of changing the one set of car seats from car to car, well part of what started that was that when hubby would take them out of his car, he'd put them in mine, but not buckle the car seats into the seat of the car. One day, I hadn't gone anywhere, and that night we got the kids in the car and started to go somewhere..Dakota was...oh, just a small infant, so Caleb was probably two and a half or so. He cried and screamed through about half the trip. Finally, we asked him what the problem was (we figured he was just cranky....wouldn't be the first time, LOL) and he screached out something about his car seat. We thought maybe something was poking him, so hubby pulled over to check on it. Come to find out that hubby had set the car seats in the car and hadn't buckled it in. He thought I'd done it, I thought he had...and Caleb even at 2 and a half knew that something wasn't right. LOL, after that when hubby put the car seats back in my car, he'd flip them upside down.