Stressing!

agurlsride

New member

• Sep 14, 2011

• #1

Ok so here is the situation...DS is 5.5, in an MA...I put him in the car yesterday and realized that his shoulders are now just slightly above the top harness slots. I dont know if I just haven't noticed or if he grew over night! I don't know what to do. I am on unemployment and waiting for my financial aid loan from school which wont come until late next month. I now have $40 to my name and nothing else. Hubby just sold his guitar to pay rent and to buy our school books ($700 worth!) as he is also a student. What am I going to do about a car seat for him! I will get $240 next week but I've already committed $200 to my phone bill (via auto-withdrawal), I also have to pay my storage fees which are overdue. So basically, I am broke. Like, completely broke. Cuz well, ya know...the family kind of has to eat too...LOL. I have to take the kids to school 3 days a week as well as running errands almost daily so its not like I can just not have him ride in the car. He also has to be in a HWH seat because we have an old Camry and he sits in the middle where there is only a lapbelt (older kids have the outboard seats with shoulder straps as they are in boosters). I tried to scrounge up $90 to get him a Maestro yesterday but that didn't happen, I also don't know exactly how much he weighs because I think our scale is off, he is hovering somewhere around 48-50lbs. I heard about the 25% trade in deal at BRU but when I went there all of their seats were $150+ and no Maestros.
Anyone know where I can get a seat REALLY cheap, or even free in the south Bay Area/Monterey Bay???

 

Carrie_R

Ambassador - CPS Technician

• Sep 14, 2011

• #2

Deep breath, Mama! I'm so sorry you're in this situation.

Easy fix: Is there any way you can reinstall the MA to wedge it more upright, and gain yourself a bit of harness room?

Can you try to sell the MA on Craigslist, so that you can offset the cost of a new seat a bit?

As a short-term, emergency fix, with no other options, I would put your oldest child up front in a backless (maybe a $13 Harmony from Walmart,) and move your 5.5yo outboard in a highbacked booster. That is going to be a safer choice than having him ride in an outgrown harness or putting someone in a lapbelt.

Hopefully someone with knowledge of the area can help you out with a replacement seat in the meantime.

 

monstah

New member

• Sep 14, 2011

• #3

Good advice Carrie. Also try more recline. It sounds counter intuitive but it may help.

And this might sound like odd advice but if you have any old gold laying around, jewelers are paying big money for it. As a shot in the dark, I took two tiny necklaces in and got $200 bucks for something I didn't want, use and forgot I had.

Sent from my Nexus One using Car-Seat.Org

 

agurlsride

New member

• Sep 14, 2011

• #4

Those are some great tips, I think I have the seat as upright as it can be but I'll try reinstalling it again, if that doesn't work I'll try more reclined.
I can't (don't want to) sell it on CL because it expires next month anyway...just in time for my student loans .
Unfortunately I can't move any kids around as I already have my oldest (11yrs old in a Harmony literider ;-D) in the front seat, and my two girls (8 and 10) in the outboard seats. Sorry, I forgot to add that there are three older kids, not just two .
Selling gold is not odd advice, sadly we've had a rough year and I've already sold what I had...not that I had very much .
Thanks for the advice. I'll see if I can get more room by reinstalling before I really panic!

 

J

Jessica61624

New member

• Sep 14, 2011

• #5

Can you take your ds some where to weight him? If he's 48 lbs the maestro is useless. Do you have top tethers?

 

agurlsride

New member

• Sep 14, 2011

• #6

We went to Target yesterday and I searched and searched for the scales but because we had been out all day and the kids were tired and restless, I didn't bother asking someone where they were, we just left. I think I'll go to CVS tomorrow to see if I can find one there.
No, there are no top tethers in the Camry...unfortunately. Its my mom's car that I am borrowing until we can afford to buy one.

 

J

Jessica61624

New member

• Sep 14, 2011

• #7

Keep in mind the frontier has to be tethered after 65 lbs. If you had them I was going to suggest a vest.

 

agurlsride

New member

• Sep 15, 2011

• #8

Well, I can't afford a Frontier anyway so its ok. Hopefully by the time I can get a seat of that caliber, I'll have a car of my own..and can have top tether anchors installed if need be.

 

jolynn6

New member

• Sep 15, 2011

• #9

Is there a seat check nearby they sometimes give cheap/free seat from what I've read never been to one

 

agurlsride

New member

• Sep 15, 2011

• #10

jolynn6 said:

Is there a seat check nearby they sometimes give cheap/free seat from what I've read never been to one

Click to expand...

I'm not really sure, I'll have to check around, thats a good idea tho

 

Carrie_R

Ambassador - CPS Technician

• Sep 15, 2011

• #11

The problem with giveaway seats at checks is that it would be highly unusual for a check to have a hwh seat. The checks I've worked have 40 lb limit seats, usually Sceneras and Cosco HBBs. If the child is over 40 lbs, or even close to it, we give them a booster.

OP, you're right, if your front seat is in use then you're really in a pickle. I can count on one hand the number of seats that would work for you - especially given your three across - and none of them are inexpensive. Would the Apex be too wide?

You could try giving your local health department a call. Otherwise, maybe someone on the board has a seat they can lend you for the next month... Wish you were closer, I have lots of spares, but they're all heavy and shipping would kill the deal.

 

Pixels

New member

• Sep 15, 2011

• #12

Often checkpoints will have one or two HWH seats, for just this scenario. There is no option to put the child in a booster, so even though that's our default response, we can't do that here.

 

lourdes

Well-known member

• Sep 15, 2011

• #13

Have you consider the CA65? It has a 65 pounds limit, more than the maestro, I know is not a booster combination but it will last you a little longer and you can go to BRU and use you almost expired car seat to get the 25% off for the trade in. And if you have the lap only belt this will work until your current situation changes.

 

scariestone

New member

• Sep 15, 2011

• #14

PMed you.

 

agurlsride

New member

• Sep 15, 2011

• #15

I got some awesome news today! My school has unexpectedly deposited half of my Pell grant in my account (it wasn't supposed to be there until October 22) so now I can buy a new seat! I am so relieved! Thanks for all the suggestions!

 

Carrie_R

Ambassador - CPS Technician

• Sep 15, 2011

• #16

I'm so thrilled to hear that!