carseat for 4yr old in fixator help?

aloudwhisper

New member
ok so my daughter is 4yrs old about 28lbs right now she is going into a fixator (just on the outside right femur come this fall has anyone gone through this? if so how did you carseat the child? my husband thinks the fixator won't hit the harness but even if it doesn't the fixator has to fit in the carseat she currently rides in a radian65 in my car & a graco nautalaus (sp?) in her dads car i'm hoping i can get help here i have 5 kids in carseats & i need to figure out if she'll need a different carseat or not as this tells me if i need to buy my youngest a new one or not. any advice is helpful so far all i can think of is using an evenflo booster with the moveable arm but i've yet to see many kids around this age in the same type of fixator.
 
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flipper68

Senior Community Member
I don't have experience with a fixator, but the picture is a bit scary. :eek: The device appears to be required for significant reconstruction or correction. ,

What information have the doctors/therapists/clinic provided?
Is it possible to have the device demonstrated for you? (how wide? how long? how heavy?)

You're going to need some adaptations for clothing and self care as well as transportation.

If you determine that your present seats won't work, then you'll need to find a special needs fitting station and/or talk to medical equipment distributors in order to find a special needs child restraint that will work with the fixator. (E-Z on vest or a Ride Safer Vest might be good options: http://www.safetrafficsystem.com/ & http://www.ezonpro.com/products/familyVehicle.shtml)

To answer your original question, the Radian be more likely to work than the Nauti because it's sides are lower. (The Radian has worked for many kids with spica casts.)
 

aloudwhisper

New member
thanks we go back to her ortho in july but i don't know if he will have the answer as when she went in the spica cast he said they would situate that at the hospital & i did not like the outcome of that at all so i want to have options with me when she goes i'm thinking there will be no room for the fixator in the radian & her legs aren't big so it's not like it will be above the side so i'm thinking the best option will be the highback booster with the movable arm i just worry on long trips with her in a booster.
the vests are basically a no go our van is not equipped with teething & latch devices & the seatbelt is in a horrible spot on the side of the van instead of coming out of the seat making it not the best van for kids so young i was just hoping i could find others that have been through this if not i'll prepare things the best i know how.
 

daycaremom2002

Active member
Was she able to ride in the Radian in the Spica? Depending on the placement of the fixator, it might be possible for her to still use her seat. The width on the Nautilus might be tight though. I currently have a little one in a Spica and we are using a Regent. This allows a lot of room for the hips and legs while keeping him harnessed.

I'm sure if you post with more information about the placement of the fixator and the restrictions from the doctor, that a good solution can be found for your daughter.
 

aloudwhisper

New member
she has just grown like 2ins right before she got put in the spica & due to that she couldn't fit in the radian or really anything they squeezed her into a evenflo maestro & it took me 20mins to get her in it to bring her home & was not a good choice a few weeks later i tried her dads other sons frontier which sorta worked althought didn't seem safe enough but he lives 3 blocks away, my concern is that the fixator won't fit in the seat with her if it does will the harness go over it? i've never had this done this is her first lengthening so i have no clue, her dad can worry about getting something else he has the nautilus i cant even fit seats that big, none of the britax seats would fit in my car i don't think are middle is all bucket seats pretty narrow thats where i have the radians & they fit perfect.

the vest seems neat but she is only 28lbs & just hit 38ins so i'm thinking that wouldn't be the best option.

i did just think of 1 option we have a built in carseat in our van curious if that would work that way there are no sides & it's still a harness :)


Was she able to ride in the Radian in the Spica? Depending on the placement of the fixator, it might be possible for her to still use her seat. The width on the Nautilus might be tight though. I currently have a little one in a Spica and we are using a Regent. This allows a lot of room for the hips and legs while keeping him harnessed.

I'm sure if you post with more information about the placement of the fixator and the restrictions from the doctor, that a good solution can be found for your daughter.
 

daycaremom2002

Active member
Where are you located? It sounds like you need to have a meeting with a special needs trained technician. Maybe they can get you hooked up with a seat that will fit. Sounds like she is still pretty small. There is a seat called a hippo that is built for spica casts. I wonder if it will fit with the hardware that she will have. It is essentially a britax marathon without the sides of the seat.

Sent from my iPad
 

monica-m

CPST Instructor
the vest seems neat but she is only 28lbs & just hit 38ins so i'm thinking that wouldn't be the best option.

i did just think of 1 option we have a built in carseat in our van curious if that would work that way there are no sides & it's still a harness :)

The vest would be a better option than a booster at her size/weight. I don't think any boosters can be used under 30 lbs. The built in car seat could work if she fits in it well.
 

aloudwhisper

New member
i'm in hesperia,ca which doesn't even have a regular carseat tech the hospital will have a tech to fit her again i'm sure but it all depends my van will not fit the hippo even if it would work no britax will fit in our van safely.

the vest states 35+ lbs i don't think i'd trust it & i don't have $159 to spend on it either the booster starts at 30lbs & she does fit properly in it (my friend has the same kind i'd be getting)

i have my sons base locked in the seat where the built in seat is & it's not easy to install so i'll probably wait until i have alot of free time to check it but i think it might work.
 

aloudwhisper

New member
our van is a 2002 chevy venture WB edition...... britax may fit in the back but heres how things are set up right now

back is a bench seat i have the 2 bigger kids 5 1/2 & 7 in graco high backs there isn't enough room to fit a seat between them or i'd have 1 radian back there.

the middle are all bucket seats i behind dh & in the middle are the radians & behind me is the baby trend infant carrier (we had a horrible time because thats the only seat that allows the kids to get in the back the seat belt hooks to the back so it's not like i could secure the seat then move the seat back & forth so i had to go for an old model carseat that only goes to 28.5ins 22lbs this is with my seat almost as far up as it can go & the kids can barely squeeze through the back. i debated moving a hbb behind dh & the 2 radians & a hbb in the back but this won't work when makani is in her fixator, the built in child seat i read the manual is for 22-40lbs up to 40ins well she's 28lbs 38ins but i know a buckle was twisted i have to try to untwist it. if she has to go into a seat that is on the cheaper side (under $100) or that the insurance covers then the baby will move into the radian which i think will only fit rf'ing in the middle.

anywho thats my seats & i don't have money at all so i can't replace seats unless 100% needed & it would just go on credit cards thats all i have, but heres stats on my kids if anyone has ideas

levi- 7 (in like 2 weeks) he is approx 46ins 45lbs (his height is why he is still in a carseat)
ashlyn 5 (6 in oct) she is 44ins 52lbs
makani- 4 (just turned) she is 28lbs 38ins
addison- 2 (turned in april) she is 27lbs 34ins
Connor- 4mths 13lbs 26ins
 

mylittlet

Senior Community Member
Do you have the 7 or 8 passenger?

We had a Montana which I think is similar. We had the 7 passenger.

Are you putting the handle of the baby trend down everytime? What are all your seats? Built-in, 2 turbos and baby trend. What else?

We had a RF BV behind the driver and the drivers seat all the way back. Our Graco snugride was behind the passenger. During the week the passenger seat was all the way forward so kids could get around the snugride. It worked well for us. Our 2 older kids were in turbos in the 3rd row.
 

aloudwhisper

New member
i already went over most of this but will re-do it with the extra details....
8 passenger 5 kids back seat is a bench 2 kids in hbb
middle is 3 bucket seats behind the driver (dh) is my 4yr old in a radian next to her in the middle is my 2yr old she is ff'ing as well in a radian (technically on ocasion they swictch seats as they are on the same slot) then behind me is the baby trend infant carrier (this is also where the built in carseat is) & no the handle will not go back there literally is no room the top of the carseat hits the back of my seat with no room to spare & i'm all the way up & i can't push the seat back or the kids can't get in, it's very odd how seats fit so horrible in a mini van we actually had to buy a 8 passenger van when i got pregnat again because we had a 7 passenger that would not fit all the kids unless we had all radians but we had no air either so we got the venture thinking it would work out great i was thinking 5 kids not about my dd having surgeries.

so yeah 2 graco hbb 2 radian 65's & a baby trend (for a few more months)


Do you have the 7 or 8 passenger?

We had a Montana which I think is similar. We had the 7 passenger.

Are you putting the handle of the baby trend down everytime? What are all your seats? Built-in, 2 turbos and baby trend. What else?

We had a RF BV behind the driver and the drivers seat all the way back. Our Graco snugride was behind the passenger. During the week the passenger seat was all the way forward so kids could get around the snugride. It worked well for us. Our 2 older kids were in turbos in the 3rd row.
 

mylittlet

Senior Community Member
Have you ever tried the baby trend in the middle of the 2nd row? It must have the handle down in the car. It either wasn't tested up or it failed.

We had Turbo, BV, Turbo in our Montana. It was very tight and the older kids couldn't buckle themselves but it worked.

What about ff Radian (2y), RF Radian (baby), Turbo in the 3rd row? Then put the 4y in the built-in.
 

aloudwhisper

New member
no because if it's in the middle i can't get it out, my biggest complaint on the baby trend is that the thing to un latch it is in the front of the seat so as it is i can barely get my hand there if i had it in the middle i'd be reaching around a carset & i'm only 5'2 my dh can't actually get his seat out of the van because of this issue & i actually just recently learned that the baby trend stated to put the handle down (i bought a floor out of box model so it had no instructions)
when we move the baby he's only 2-2.5 ins from needing to be out, then i wanted to get him a radian if dd can use the built in for her fixator i'll just use the 2 radians & the built in & keep the 2 in the back if i need to get another seat i may switch a booster to the front both the 5 1/2 yr old & my 4yr dd (who will be in the fixator) are part timers so they aren't always with us & my son needs to grow a bit before he's out of a carseat. & i can't even fit a radian in the back with the boosters at all it's too big i tried it when we first got the van as my now 4yr old wanted to be with the kids but it wouldn't fit let alone them be able to buckle (there are side compartments that probably take a good 5-10ins if those weren't there the back seat would be huge i'll have to get pics it's really set up funky

Have you ever tried the baby trend in the middle of the 2nd row? It must have the handle down in the car. It either wasn't tested up or it failed.

We had Turbo, BV, Turbo in our Montana. It was very tight and the older kids couldn't buckle themselves but it worked.

What about ff Radian (2y), RF Radian (baby), Turbo in the 3rd row? Then put the 4y in the built-in.
 

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