Help! What do I do with this kid?

cmm7 · Dec 16, 2011

S is going to be 11 in January and almost 5'4". She officially has bigger feet than I do! I don't have headrests in my back seat. Her ears are literally *right* at the top of the seat back. Close enough that I had to ask her to put her head back for me to tell if they were at or above.

I am going to switch my back seat around and see if she still fits in the Frontier with how high it can go in my car. Hoping it does. If not, would you recommend with it being that close that she ride in the front? If I have her in the front, should she sit in a backless to help act as hips? I could even put her in the SG to help with ride down.

Argh! What happened the the little three month old I knew?!?

Keeanh · Dec 16, 2011

What vehicle do you have? I've seen a few threads online about swapping out seat parts from a newer version of the same vehicle that has headrests. Don't ask me for links, though, LOL. I just know I happened upon them while trying to figure out what to do with my van.

Here's what I did:
http://www.car-seat.org/showthread.php?t=199245

cmm7 · Dec 16, 2011

I have a Chevy Cavalier so I doubt that is possible. Plus I plan to get a new car in May or June (Subaru Impreza hatchback here I come!) so would rather save the $ to go towards that...

Kecia · Dec 16, 2011

I would chose back seat without optimal head support anyday over front seat with it. And at 5'4" and age 11, I wouldn't even bother with a booster. :twocents:

At a certain point, it just is what it is with the vehicle and there isn't much you can do besides get a new one (unless you can swap out the backseat which isn't an option for most vehicles). I've been there and it's frustrating but you console yourself knowing that you've done the best that you can. But definitely keep her in the back seat! The potential injury risks to tweens in the front seat are far worse then the potential risk of whiplash in the back seat.

Keeanh · Dec 16, 2011

cmm7 said:
I have a Chevy Cavalier so I doubt that is possible. Plus I plan to get a new car in May or June (Subaru Impreza hatchback here I come!) so would rather save the $ to go towards that...

Totally agree with Kecia. If she's borderline okay, and you're getting a new vehicle soon, I wouldn't worry about it. I saw you're a nanny to a number of children and thought you needed a longer-term solution. I was assuming she wasn't in a booster. My 11yo is that size and hasn't fit a booster for a long time. If she is in one, take her out, then you'll have lots of room.

I had a quick look at interior pics online, and it looks like the later models had backs that came up higher for the outboard seats. I'll bet that's just high-density foam sticking up. So IF you were looking for a longer-term solution (if you decide to keep the car), it's quite likely you could just swap out the foam & upholstery on the seatback. Probably cost you $50 at a scrapyard.

cmm7 · Dec 16, 2011

Keeanh said:
I was assuming she wasn't in a booster. My 11yo is that size and hasn't fit a booster for a long time. If she is in one, take her out, then you'll have lots of room.
QUOTE]

She isn't typically in a booster. She has 5-stepped for quite some time. I only mentioned the Frontier as it would then provide head support. Or you may be referring to the backless I mentioned for if she was in the front seat. Darn kid is so tall she outgrew using a backless in my car at 7 and I had to buy a taller HBB for her!

Help! What do I do with this kid?

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