What's everyone's feelings on keeping a kid in the RN-after...

todzwife · Sep 8, 2010

after their shoulders are above the top slots but their ears are below the top of the seat? DS's shoulders are at the top slots now. It won't be long before they are above. He'll be 7 at the beginning of October weighs about 48 pounds w/ his clothes on. He's ridden in a turbo in DH's car for over a year so I think he's sufficiently "booster trained"...but I could keep him in his seat for another 6 months or so if I don't move him..

So what's everyone's thoughts?

Mae · Sep 8, 2010

I made a thread with this specific question and received a lot of feedback. :thumbsup: http://www.car-seat.org/showthread.php?t=129419

My personal opinion? If your son is perfectly capable of riding properly in a booster, let him ride in a booster.

ketchupqueen · Sep 8, 2010

At 7, unless he has behavioral or medical issues or you have a SIGNIFICANT reason to keep him harnessed, I'd just booster too.

(Not that I have a problem with it if it is necessary or significantly convenient. I just don't see harnessing as necessary for a typical child his age, and so if it's not significantly convenient for some reason, I'd move him to a booster.)

bobandjess99 · Sep 8, 2010

I'm not comfortable with it , not in a 7 yo. Now, if it were your last ditch effort to keep a ginormous, immature 4 yo harnessed? I might feel differently.
I seem top remember you have an awfully difficult 3-across situation, no? Will a booster even fit?

BookMama · Sep 8, 2010

If you can move him to a booster - i.e. have room for him to buckle easily - I'd probably just move him to a booster as soon as his shoulders are over the top slots of the Radian. If you need it for a troublesome 3-across, I personally have no problem using it with shoulders over the top slot, provided you follow the manual.

I did it with DS for a while, until right around his ninth birthday, in order to accommodate a difficult 3-across. (He had been in a Regent or Nautilus until we got the Radians last fall.) He was comfortable, he wasn't much over the top slot - less than 1", and he was below the standing height as stated in the Radian manual. And he totally didn't mind being harnessed. (Heck, he asked me to install the Regent for him a couple of weeks ago when we had a 3-hour trip.)

todzwife · Sep 12, 2010

bobandjess99 said:
I seem top remember you have an awfully difficult 3-across situation, no? Will a booster even fit?

We bought a new (to us) car last December so it's marginally better. DD1 is still in a RN and DD2 is now in a coccoro and that's as good as it's going to get. The coccoro fits best outboard, so DS has been center in his Radian (DD1 pesters BOTH other kids if she's center) and I don't know how fun it would be to try to buckle a booster if he was in the middle, plus he could unbuckle DD2's seat by accident. He's AT the top slots. All I have for him right now is a turbo. I'm saving for a PWSG (I think we determined it would be the best fit for him).

I have NOTHING locally to try out except the turbo and the other cheapy one...

Pixels · Sep 12, 2010

I have no problem using it above the top slots. The manufacturer says it's safe to do so. If I didn't trust what the manufacturer says, I wouldn't own their seat and use it below the top slots, either.

To greatly reduce the risk of accidental unbuckling, you can give the male end of DD2's seat belt buckle a half twist before buckling it. Then the buckle will be on the inside of the seat, protected.

a_js · Sep 13, 2010

I'm not thrilled about it even though the manufacturer says it's ok, but if I had to to accomodate a difficult 3 across I would.
You might try the turbo in the middle because it is about the same width as the pwsg, and neither have armrests that you can move, so it will give you an idea of how that's going to work in the future.

An Aurora · Sep 13, 2010

I'm not comfortable doing it with my own 5 yo, and I wouldn't do it with a 7 yo. I would booster rather than use it FF over the top slots in this situation.

What's everyone's feelings on keeping a kid in the RN-after...

todzwife

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Mae

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ketchupqueen

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bobandjess99

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BookMama

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todzwife

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Pixels

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a_js

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An Aurora

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