Big kids who are small?

I have two, soon to be three, kids with Down syndrome.

My 15 year old stopped growing three years ago. She is 4ft 8 1/2 inches tall and about 88 lbs. She's been out of a seat for several years.

My 11 1/2 year old (adopted from Serbia 11 months ago) is 49 inches and 55 lbs. I have him in a Britax Regent but at 11 years old he doesn't really want to sit in a harness anymore. I want to move him to backless booster. We don't expect that he will get much bigger than my 15 year old.

We have a new 7 year old coming who will be taking over the Britax Regent. I don't have height or weight on him yet. (we're adopting him from Serbia.) But to be honest, I don't have room for the giant Regent unless we get a new vehicle which isn't really possible right now.

Do you have any thoughts on options for my kids? What do you do for very small adults like my 15 year old?

If your older children can sit properly in a booster seat for the entire length of the trip, it's certainly reasonable for you to go that route with them (assuming you have proper head support/head restraints in your vehicle.) Before allowing them to stop using a booster, however, make certain they pass the 5 Step Test.

There are harnesses designed for special-needs families that can be used for adults or children and take up less room than the Regent of that's what you need. I'm sure someone more familiar with those will post soon.

1st - Do you have concerns about any of the kids remaining properly seated (staying seated, seat belt routed correctly, sleeping in the car)while traveling?

If you do, then you should consider a SN seat of appropriate size. Many are big/bulky like the Regent, but some are slim. EZ On makes vests and harnesses that can be used instead of a SN seat. Some require special hardware in order to be used, which will limit the ability to use one in a variety of vehicles. http://www.ezonpro.com/index.shtml

2nd - If they don't pass the 5 step test mentioned previously, you should consider purchasing a no back booster (assuming you have have head support in all seating positions). Harmony makes one that has a particularly low profile and is marketed to older kids, so it would be less noticeable to peers as your kids come and go. I'd also try to find one look for one in a color that matches your vehicle interior (again, less obvious).

You'll have to do lots of education to help your kids understand why a booster is necessary: it's all about safety. There are videos that show crash tests of booster and non booster users that may help.

I've had success explaining the need by having a child sit in the vehicle w/o a booster and giving the shoulder harness a pretty sharp tug. (The seat belt digs into their belly and even my tug hurts). I then repeat this when they are seated in a booster. The same tug is less noticable.

flipper68 said:

EZ On makes vests and harnesses that can be used instead of a SN seat. Some require special hardware in order to be used.

Click to expand...

lespring said:

What do you do for very small adults like my 15 year old?

Click to expand...

I think the advice given earlier in the thread is the most important thing; that is establish those concerns you may and may not have and then begin to research the available options.

If you decide a harnessed seat is required the E-Z-On Vest or 86Y Harness could prove apt choices. We use an E-Z-On Vest at the moment and we have so far found it excellent. Perhaps the most palpable advantage is that the Vest or 86Y Harness consumes no more space on the seat than the passenger and therefore options for other seats for other passengers are less restricted. There are different options available which can help with specific needs and the customer service at E-Z-On is very good.

Again, as previously stated there are some "disadvantages". Most E-Z-On Products require the fitting of a heavy duty tether anchor if the passenger weighs more than that to which the factory installed tether anchors are rated. Although installing this is easy in most cases, it can prove troublesome in certain vehicles.

I hope you find a solution and if you require any more information on the E-Z-On Vest I'll do my best to help.

One other question to help with better answers - what kind of vehicle? Does the center seat have a lap/shoulder belt & headrest or just a lap belt?