Installing expired/outgrown seats...

Remember my brother and SIL who have three children - almost 7, 4.5, and infant? And they're using outgrown, expired seats that convert to booster? Can't remember which one they have now. Anyway, they harness to 40lbs and expired in 12/06. The two older ones are BOTH in them and weigh in the low 40lb range.

They did go on a long road trip after I talked to them about needing new seats - I thought maybe they were switching to booster mode. But I got an e-mail the other day from my SIL who said that when I come down next time, she wants me to help her install them correctly. She said that she spent "hours" trying to get them in tight, so I'm sure they're still using the harnesses since you don't *install* a booster.

I do not want to help install these seats! But they are adamant about not spending money on new seats (don't get me started on that )... What would you do??? Refuse to help? Install them? Buy them new seats (when they have much more income than we do)???

Thanks!

Been there, done that, bought the seat(s) to prove it.

Do it. Just do it. I HATE doing it. I hated doing Zachary's seats, because I know they used them wrong. I REALLY hated putting it in forward facing before he was even a year and a triple hated putting him in an overhead shield. But, each time, I was working within the parameters I was given to make the situation as safe as I could.

Mike makes twice what AJ and I do put together, and Jess doesn't work. And yet WE still bought seats for Zach, because they just wouldn't. As much as we didn't want to, because we didn't want to help them out in any way, we did it. Because it wasn't Zach's fault his parents are idiots.

What would you do if they really and truly couldn't afford new seats for the boys? Would you buy them? If so, then buy them now. You're doing it for the kids, not their parents.

I'd get the boys Turbo Boosters and show THEM (the children) how to properly use them. It seems to be the only thing you can do.

I think Splash has a very good way of looking at the situation. My first thought was no, don't help them install the seats and definitely don't go buy new ones when they can afford them more easily than you could. But what Splash posted was spot-on. It's about helping the kids, NOT the parents.

Thanks, Splash... They're determined to keep them in 5-pt harnesses. They claim that they're trying to decide what to do next so they're using them as is for now...

I thought about getting Apex 65's for them but they looked at those at BRU and my brother decided it was too flimsy. So I guess an expired/outgrown seat is safer for some reason than a brand new seat...?

My niece (oldest one's a girl) could ride safely in a booster, I think. She's tall but only about 45lbs. My nephew (4.5 yrs) would still need to be in a 5-pt, in my opinion. He's about 41-42 lbs.

I've talked to my parents about trying to help me get them new seats (Regents) but they won't go for it. BTW, my brother and SIL don't want Regents b/c then they'll have to pay to have tethers installed...

We just had the same conversation yesterday. My niece is in a RA that my mom purchased for my brother as a birthday gift. She is getting close to growing out of it so my mom and I were talking about buying her a new seat for her birthday but it is so frustrating when he spends money in all these frivolous ways but "doesn't have" $$ for safety. My mom said we need to leave him to "make his own mistakes" - ugh, sure I can agree with that when we are discussing forgetting to pay his electric bill or feeding his daughter crap BUT we are talking about my niece's LIFE... I can't just let him make that mistake. I don't think that this time it will mean me buying him a seat but I will be sticking my nose in his business and telling him what to buy (I think his girlfriend will push for him to move my 2.5 year old niece to a BPB like her son is in). I try to stay out of parenting discussions with him but car safety is one I will not play nice... I figure even if I infuriate him at least my precious niece will be safe. I saw that beautiful girl enter the world, photographed her birth, I am not going to stand by and watch her be put in harms way.

AdventureMom said:

Thanks, Splash... They're determined to keep them in 5-pt harnesses. They claim that they're trying to decide what to do next so they're using them as is for now...

I thought about getting Apex 65's for them but they looked at those at BRU and my brother decided it was too flimsy. So I guess an expired/outgrown seat is safer for some reason than a brand new seat...?

My niece (oldest one's a girl) could ride safely in a booster, I think. She's tall but only about 45lbs. My nephew (4.5 yrs) would still need to be in a 5-pt, in my opinion. He's about 41-42 lbs.

I've talked to my parents about trying to help me get them new seats (Regents) but they won't go for it. BTW, my brother and SIL don't want Regents b/c then they'll have to pay to have tethers installed...

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I'd vote for putting both in boosters. They meet the weight limit and it's easier to teach kids how to use them correctly.

Personally, I don't worry so much about an expired (by a couple of months/1-2 years) booster, since it's a precrash positioner, not a restraint.

flipper68 said:

I'd vote for putting both in boosters. They meet the weight limit and it's easier to teach kids how to use them correctly.

Personally, I don't worry so much about an expired (by a couple of months/1-2 years) booster, since it's a precrash positioner, not a restraint.

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That's kind of how I felt about them using expired boosters, too. But, they won't do it... They want the 5-pt-harness. Before their road trip, I told talked to them about a week before they left, and told them to switch them to boosters for the trip, until they had time to get new seats. Well, that never happened. They're still in the 5-pt harness. My nephew is just about 42lbs, so he may be fine in an accident, IF the straps don't give because they're old... But my niece is about 45-46 pounds and really needs to get out that expired harness that's way below her weight...

The reason my nephew should be in a harness is b/c I don't think he'll sit still enough for a booster.