Keeping a six year old harnessed

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spryngtree

New member

• Feb 25, 2011

• #1

Keeping a six year old harnessed-ASD

Sorry for two threads at once, but this seemed like such a different issue from my convertible question I thought I should separate it.

We've been looking into getting my 6 year old son a booster seat to start booster training in occasional short rides. He has an Autism Spectrum Disorder and because of slightly low muscle tone, and difficulty staying seated we've only recently begun to feel he was ready even for short booster rides. He had a big meltdown in the car today though and I'm realizing that it's unlikely that he's going to be ready to ride in a booster for longer trips any time in the next year or so. Until this past month I'd have said that he'd make that year at least in his current seats (Nautilus and old Frontier) but a recent growth spurt has me doubting that.

I'm starting to wonder if instead of a booster I should be buying him the new Frontier and turning the old one into a booster to start booster training. How much longer is the Frontier85 likely to take him? Does the original Frontier make an okay booster? According to the Britax site you can order the anti-submaring clip that the ParkwaySGL has to go on the frontier when it's in booster mode, has anyone done this?

Also a friend mentioned the two harness options that don't require a booster seat and I was considering those. I think though that they may not be as comfortable for him? I think he relies on the support of the car seats a lot for longer trips. He does not usually sleep in the car even on a very long trip but he does slump against the sides for a rest. But honestly I know nothing about them or how a child rides in them.

 

Last edited: Feb 25, 2011

luckyclov

New member

• Feb 25, 2011

• #2

Knowing your son's stats (height, weight, torso length) would help.

But to give you an idea, the Frontier85, with 20" harness top slots, is currently, as far as I know, the tallest harnessed seat on the market. Harness mode has an 85 lb weight limit, but kids tend to outgrow by height far before reaching 85 lbs.

My 6-year old DD is still harnessed in a FR85 for much of the same reason you want to keep your DS harnessed. She has diffuse hypotonia and Asperger's/HFA and just isn't mature enough to sit properly in a booster fulltime. She does ride in a highback booster in DH's truck - but those trips are rare and short. She needs constant reminders to stay positioned properly and keep the shoulder belt on. We work on it regularly, though, and I hope within the next few months we can start booster training for fulltime use. DD is 47" tall with a long torso. The second to last top slots on the FR85 are right at her shoulders (possibly a teeny hair below if she's sitting totally upright), so I've moved her to the top slots. She's got some growing room left, I will have to measure, but I'm going to guess about an inch and a half, maybe more. The FR85 converts to a highback booster and, atleast for my DD, it provides a nice belt fit in booster mode, so when the time comes, I'm 100% comfortable with keeping the FR85 for a booster.

 

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spryngtree

New member

• Feb 25, 2011

• #3

He is 45 pounds, and just a hair over 46 inches. He has approximately a 16-16.5 inch torso at the moment and a 25 inch seated height. I think he is still fitting in his Frontier 80 but it's close. He still fits the Nautilus with maybe 1/2 an inch to grow. A month ago he still fit both well, and then he grew 3/4 of an inch almost entirely in his torso all at once.

He is high functioning enough that we can talk about car safety and teach him to sit up and I think he will do well when he's calm, but he has meltdowns in the car often enough that I'm not comfortable with the idea of driving on highways where it would be difficult to pull over and stop the car quickly if he threw himself out of his seat.

We are going to try out the frontier 80 in booster mode this weekend just to see how it fits him as a booster, but I'm really hoping we can find some way to keep him both harnessed and comfortable on longer trips or other times that he is prone to tantrums.

 

DaniChildcare

New member

• Feb 25, 2011

• #4

Maybe someone here has a Regent to sell? I believe their top slots are higher than the Frontier 85?

 

luckyclov

New member

• Feb 25, 2011

• #5

I don't have my Regent anymore, but the reason I got the FR85 was because my DD had very little room left on the top slot of the Regent. Plus, there's more of a "natural" recline on the Regent, so you lose a little space there. The top height on the FR85's harness is 20"...but my DD had more room to grow on it then on the Regent (which I always measured at 19").

 

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spryngtree

New member

• Feb 25, 2011

• #6

Sorry, computer troubles, double post.

 

Last edited: Feb 25, 2011

DaniChildcare

New member

• Feb 25, 2011

• #7

clov878 said:

I don't have my Regent anymore, but the reason I got the FR85 was because my DD had very little room left on the top slot of the Regent. Plus, there's more of a "natural" recline on the Regent, so you lose a little space there.

Click to expand...

ahh maybe i was thinking the Regent had more room than the 80? Sorry was just an idea!

 

UlrikeDG

Admin - CPS Technician Emeritus

• Feb 25, 2011

• #8

I'm moving this to the Special Needs and Other Transportation forum, where it may get attention from techs who have SN training and/or parents with SN experience.

 

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spryngtree

New member

• Feb 25, 2011

• #9

UlrikeDG I appreciate that, but I also could just use some help from someone who has both the older and the newer frontier. It's hard to tell with inch measurements and I have no where local to go try out the 85. I'd have to wait til April and a trip to NJ to give it a try really.

I think if I knew for sure that the Frontier85 would give us at least another year likely I'd probably go for it, and he could just use the two frontiers once he has to go to booster mode then, and I could pass his Nauti down to his brother.

 

luckyclov

New member

• Feb 25, 2011

• #10

The top harness slots on the "original" Frontier are approx. 18.25". The top slots on the Frontier 85 are approx. 20". My 47 inch tall, long torso'ed DD is currently on the top slot of her FR85, with an inch and a half, possibly a bit more, of growing room left. What does that translate into time-wise? I have no clue...depends on the child.

 

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spryngtree

New member

• Feb 25, 2011

• #11

Measured him in the old frontier tonight with just a thin shirt on, and looking carefully I think he actually still has 3/4 of an inch of growth room left. It looked like much less with his sweatshirt on. This was in my mom's car not mine, so I suppose it's possible that he has less room in it in our cars, but it seems like it would be the same. If the Frontier85 has another inch and a half beyond that, I'm thinking it might even use it harnessed for two more years. But given that he has more room than I thought, there isn't quite as much of a rush to make a decision.

 

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momto3pinkand1blueASD

New member

• Feb 26, 2011

• #12

I have 2 kids with autism. They both outgrew their regents. We have them in merritt roosevelts now. They have TONS of grow room and stay harness up to 120lbs.

 

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spryngtree

New member

• Feb 27, 2011

• #13

We looked and he does have a whole inch still in his Nautilus so we have some time. However, we were thinking of buying a new frontier and turning his current one into a booster for booster training and it looks like that might not work. We tried it today and I think it's not fitting him terribly well as a booster. The seat is quite wide and if he sat too far over the belt was on the outside of his shoulder, and the lap belt may have been too high on his abdomen...I took some pictures and will post them later, it wasn't clear to me if it was or not.

 

UlrikeDG

Admin - CPS Technician Emeritus

• Feb 27, 2011

• #14

That's something that's really hard to judge in pictures. You really need to feel where the hip bones are relative to the lap belt.

 

disbugsmomma

New member

• Mar 3, 2011

• #15

You could also try the Nauti as a booster, since he still fits in the original FR for now. It may give a better belt fit and you can at least see how he does in a booster before buying a new seat.

 

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spryngtree

New member

• Mar 21, 2011

• #16

Sorry to have disappeared for a while, we were out of our house. I am not sure what you mean about the hipbones. Here is a photo of him in the seat. Does the fit look okay or is that belt too high? Also is the way the seat belt is folding over the belt guard a bit okay? It only does it on that side, not the other.

 

UlrikeDG

Admin - CPS Technician Emeritus

• Mar 21, 2011

• #17

It's impossible to tell from pictures. The belt should cross his hips or upper thighs. If it does that, it's correct.

 

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spryngtree

New member

• Mar 25, 2011

• #18

It's definitely above his upper thighs, I will check if it's above his hips.

Thanks for responding.