Vent Gripe...My teeny kids

patterson0711 · Aug 15, 2012

I feel so bad for them sometimes.
DD just turned 9 on Monday. She's *barely* 48" & about 43 lbs. Most of her friends are starting to ride w/o boosters (not all necessarily SHOULD be doing this, mind you

) all together.

DS just turned 5 about 2 wks ago. He's also very small for his age (39.5", 31#). I'm sure that many/most of his friends are or will be starting to ride in boosters (but this has yet to become an issue at all for him).

I just feel so bad for my daughter sometimes. I swear, that poor girl is going to end up going to her senior prom in a booster! I just can't imagine that she will be tall enough to pass the 5-step before she turns 12 or 13 at the earliest (assuming that she has another (yes, I just said "another") growth spurt (or several!).

She understands that everyone's different & grows at different rates & that she's in what she needs to be in in order to stay safe but it just sucks sometimes.

.............

safeinthecar · Aug 15, 2012

I honestly think that kids would have an easier time of the whole car restraint issue if parents didn't put so much stock in it.

I mean, my 9yo's didn't feel embarrassed because they still wore kid shoe sizes instead of adult sizes. They didn't feel embarrassed that they were too short to go on the "big rides" on the field trip to the amusement park. Their friends didn't make fun of them for it either. The problem is with adults (other kid's parents, not yours I sure) telling kids that "this" is the way "big kids" ride.

Unfortunately, this attitude is probably not going to change with our kids. Our grand kids however, are going to have a much easier time because WE changed perceptions through example.

Nimommyof2 · Aug 16, 2012

You can tell her she's not alone LOL, my son will be 9 in December and if he weighs 50lbs by than I'd be surprised not sure on height but definitly won't be five stepping anytime soon. My children haven't really ran into to many issues yet at this point with other kids saying stuff etc...

patterson0711 · Aug 16, 2012

Thankfully she hasn't run into any problems since preschool (at age BARELY 4) when 2 pint-sized bullies in her class were constantly making fun of her still sitting in a "baby seat" (they were in backless boosters, of course).
She was around 25-27 lbs at this point, so nowhere even close to any kind of booster being a possibility.

But she hasn't had any real problems since.--Every now & then one of her friends will ask about it or something like that, but (at the risk of tooting my own horn) I think that we've done a pretty good job of explaining things to her & as a result, she always seems to handle the situations really, really well & is very matter-of-fact and nonchalant about it.

She's still in a 5-pt most of the time right now, but will be transitioning to a booster full-time in late Oct/early Nov, so hopefully that'll help some. One of her boosters is a Clek & one of the best things about that one, I think, is the cover options.--They're cool & fun & can change easily according to her changing tastes. Might even be something that some of her friends end up being a little jealous over!

Brianna · Aug 16, 2012

I agree with Safeinthecar. Kids will always find something to tease one another about too... If it's not a booster seat then it will be something else.
I personally feel bad for my almost 9 year old cousin who doesn't ride in a booster and the lap belt comes up all over her belly- I don't even want to think about what would happen if she were in a crash.

fyrfightermomma · Aug 16, 2012

That's my problem with Evelyn too. She is 7 and just hit the minimums to even be in a booster. Next year her friends will be getting out of theirs and she will just be starting her long years of boostering. I have no clue when ahe will ever five step. I feel bad for her

bnsnyde · Aug 16, 2012

If it makes you feel any better, I gripe about my tall kids all the time. They don't get to rear-face as long as I'd like. And they have to have a Radian to get to what I want them to. And their weight isn't low, so I'm even thinking that the 45 lb. limit is going to put an end to RF sooner than I'd like. My 6-year-old is 54 lbs. and 48 inches.

I'm trying so hard to promote carseat safety and leading by example. And already my son is about not to fit in ANY harnessed seat but a Frontier85 at age (just turned 6). He'll probably 5-step well before I want him to (though he can use the booster as long as it fits).

I just wish mine were short. I always wanted to be short. I was always the one who couldn't ride all the fun kiddie rides or go in the ball pit due to my height, and it stunk.

jacqui276 · Aug 16, 2012

My niece is the same size as your DS (32lbs.. not sure on height but she is really short compared to the other kids her age... she is wearing my DD's clothes that she wore at age 2). She will also be hanging out in a harnessed seat for a long time but so far hasn't been made fun of by anyone for it. Hopefully that won't change when she starts kindergarten in the fall.

Like the PP, I am jealous of your little kids. I have to splurge more on car seats to get my big kids to at least the minimums. I was stuck with DD with she hit 40lbs at age 3 trying to figure out what to do with her since higher weight car seats were not readily available at that time here and I couldn't afford to spend hundreds on a fancy new seat.
Lots of people think DS is a bit slow since he is the size of a 1+ year old but is only 5 months.. I often get comments about why he isn't doing certain things yet (...like walking).

DD, who is 8, has been sitting at 60lbs FOREVER so will likely also be in her booster for ages. All of her friends (that I have seen outside of school) still ride in boosters though so hopefully nobody will say anything about it. She still has a long ways to go before she 5 steps in my car.

patterson0711 · Aug 18, 2012

Thank you, everyone!

It's nice hearing other parents having similar issues. I mean, I wish I could do something to "make" her grow sometimes, but I'm short too (and so is her little brother & their dad!) so that's just gonna be the way it is! lol

It's funny too hearing the flip side of the story (with the tall kids). Our neighbor across the street is like supermodel tall (at the ripe old age of 13!) & I can remember, looking back at when I first met her 6 yrs ago, how tall she was even then. People assumed that she was much older than she was, whereas w/ my daughter, people have always been shocked at the things that she could do b/c she's so tiny & people assume she's much younger than she is. (Poor kid got mistaken for a Kindergartener last year on the walk home from the bus stop.....at the END of her 3rd Grade year!)

I mean, it is what it is. Can't do anything about it & I'm sure as hell not going to allow her to risk her life so that she can "fit in" a little better with her friends. As long as she continues to understand that it's what's necessary & that everyone's different then I think she'll survive.

Mysweethoneybee · Aug 18, 2012

My 4 year old is 50 inches tall and people always think he is 7 or 8 and developmentally delayed or immature for his age. He outgrew rear facing way before 2 (because I didn't know about the radian) and he outgrew his Regent just after his 4th birthday so I had to booster him. He is just now starting to grow legs and has a really long torso. People (including me) treat him as if he is older and should be more advanced.

patterson0711 · Aug 18, 2012

Good God! He'd be up to my chest, I think! It is SO hard to remember how old they really are sometimes.

I find that even though she's small, that I always tend to expect quite a bit out of my daughter. She was so verbal at such a young age & I think that's one reason why. But I feel like I don't expect as much out of my son as I did when she was his age (he had a verbal delay). He just turned 5 a couple of weeks ago & I look at him in his seat sometimes & just can't imagine him sitting in a booster (as so many parents would have him in already--even at his small stature & weight!--It's not like he's outgrown ANY seat on the market! LOL).

Ahhhhh the joys of parenting kids who aren't on the 50th percentile! LOL

Mysweethoneybee said:
My 4 year old is 50 inches tall and people always think he is 7 or 8 and developmentally retarded or immature for his age. He outgrew rear facing way before 2 (because I didn't know about the radian) and he outgrew his Regent just after his 4th birthday so I had to booster him. He is just now starting to grow legs and has a really long torso. People (including me) treat him as if he is older and should be more advanced.

linneabw · Aug 18, 2012

Yep, those of us with big kids struggle too! The radian is the only (Reasonable) option to get us to (hopefully) 4 years old rearfacing and I just tried him ffing in the radian and he has about an inch, so my only option really for EH is the Frontier.

At least those with tiny kids have so many seat options and can rearface to elementary!!

Phineasmama · Aug 18, 2012

My oldest is 5.5 and around 44-45 lbs and we JUST started putting her in a high back...she loves it, I think the kids see how excited *I* am about car seats and it rubs off on them

I would be really upset if other kids at school were making fun of her for it though

At least a low back booster is less obvious (for when they get older).

scoutingbear · Aug 18, 2012

bnsnyde said:
If it makes you feel any better, I gripe about my tall kids all the time. They don't get to rear-face as long as I'd like. And they have to have a Radian to get to what I want them to. And their weight isn't low, so I'm even thinking that the 45 lb. limit is going to put an end to RF sooner than I'd like. My 6-year-old is 54 lbs. and 48 inches.

I'm trying so hard to promote carseat safety and leading by example. And already my son is about not to fit in ANY harnessed seat but a Frontier85 at age (just turned 6). He'll probably 5-step well before I want him to (though he can use the booster as long as it fits).

I just wish mine were short. I always wanted to be short. I was always the one who couldn't ride all the fun kiddie rides or go in the ball pit due to my height, and it stunk.

I think my C and your DS are twins! They have the same stats. lol

MomToMyMonkeys · Aug 18, 2012

My kids are tiny too and my oldest was nearly 12 before he could 5 step in all vehicles. I have an almost 9 year old who is about 46 pounds, a 7.5 yr old who is 42 pounds, a 3 year old who is 24 pounds, and a 15 month old who is 18 pounds...and another one due in December.

So, yeah, we will be in the carseat/booster world for a LONG time

skylinphoto · Aug 18, 2012

I've got tiny ones as well. Ds is 6 and 38lbs and 43.5 in tall. He rides in a hbb. Dd is 4.5 and 28lbs and 40" tall and rides in a kiddy world plus. They both rf'd to 4 but could've made it to 5 easily and will ride in boosters forever!!! Lol. So far, the only negative comments we get is from my family.

Jenny487 · Aug 18, 2012

I hear you! My daughter is 5, 35#, 39.5 inches tall. She isn't on the chart, or maybe at 3% depending on the visit. She has Turner's Syndrome, and we will be lucky if she ever reaches 5 feet tall, and that will be with the use of Growth Hormone. We talk a lot of about her needing to be safe in carseats and she likes to feel safe. My husband is a State Trooper and supports my car seat passion, so if Daddy says it, she knows it goes! He came home from a training one day and thanked me for keeping the kids rear facing longer and being so concerned about proper installs.

My other children are not large either, so I am confident we will be harnessed for a long time! I hope that they are never teased for it, but, it is the way it goes. I get to protect them and feel its my job as a parent. Even my mother says she doesn't understand it! My sister in law has her 3 year old in a backless booster. I drove with her for about 10 miles and pulled over the car twice (with my sister in law in the car) because she wasn't sitting right. I was so upset!! I think she is the crazy one for not protecting her kids! I don't care if people think I'm crazy.

I guess what I'm trying to say is you're not alone!

patterson0711 · Aug 19, 2012

Jenny487 said:
My sister in law has her 3 year old in a backless booster. I drove with her for about 10 miles and pulled over the car twice (with my sister in law in the car) because she wasn't sitting right. QUOTE] :jaw:[/

Jenny487 · Aug 19, 2012

Yeah, I think my disgust was pretty evident.

Even her 5 almost 6 year old was clearly not sitting properly in the backless. Ugh. She knows how I feel about carseats, and tells me she "doesn't really buy into all of that stuff. They all pass the same standards." YEAH!! If you USE THEM RIGHT!

Ok, rant over.

Joyofbirth · Aug 19, 2012

My kids have long torsos. But my dd1 lacks impulse control. I dreaded her outgrowing her regent at 6. She was excited to get a booster, but she was sad to lose the regent. It was leopard print and she loves leopard print.
I worried a little. Car safety is horrid here. Most of her pre-k classmates were in nothing. She took a picture of her seat and took it you school to show everyone. I held my breath and waited for comments. Much to my surprise, all the kids were jealous. One kid thought it was so cool that she had her very own seat on the car.
I wish I could have gotten her a leopard booster, but her hot pink parkway is working.

Vent Gripe...My teeny kids

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