Going straight from harness to seatbelt?

TyAndCheyMommy · Aug 26, 2012

My DS is 6. He is very tall for his age, and weighs quite a bit.
He has outgrown the frontier 85 and his Regent.

Today I measured him and he is 4'8".
For the 5pt test he:
Can keep both feet firmly on floor and bottom all the way back on seat.
Shoulder belt hits him correctly. Lap belt is on thighs.
He seems to do really well sitting like that.

With a booster, he tips over all the time. He apparently tries to lean on the side.

While in our trucks he would still have to use a booster, as the seatbelts fit weird. But in my van he appears to pass the tests.

Would you allow it? What are the benefits of a booster over a seatbelt for an individual that fits?

Keeanh · Aug 26, 2012

Maybe you should take pics of him without a booster and with a backless and post them here for opinions. Is the belt fit better with the high back booster? I can see him fitting, as my almost-10yo 5-steps in a few seats at 4'7" (although he still uses a booster regardless), but I would be a bit concerned about the size & strength of his hip bones at only 6, and how easy it might be for the lap belt to ride up. Maybe a Literider?

TyAndCheyMommy · Aug 26, 2012

Keeanh said:
Maybe you should take pics of him without a booster and with a backless and post them here for opinions. Is the belt fit better with the high back booster? I can see him fitting, as my almost-10yo 5-steps in a few seats at 4'7" (although he still uses a booster regardless), but I would be a bit concerned about the size & strength of his hip bones at only 6, and how easy it might be for the lap belt to ride up. Maybe a Literider?

I will definitely take pics tomorrow! I was surprised that he fit in the seat. It might be because the seats in our van seem to be pretty low to the floor...
So a booster helps with hips?

jjordan · Aug 26, 2012

Yes, the hip bones are stronger and more able to handle the lap portion of a seat belt at puberty. So it is better to keep a kid in a booster until they start puberty, even if they do fit in the seatbelt before that.

Keeanh · Aug 26, 2012

TyAndCheyMommy said:
I will definitely take pics tomorrow! I was surprised that he fit in the seat. It might be because the seats in our van seem to be pretty low to the floor...
So a booster helps with hips?

I'm really not sure EXACTLY how a booster performs in a crash or how much it helps (if at all) with crash forces. I've always seen it as a pre-crash positioner more than anything. What I'm getting at is that with my own son, I feel like his hip bones are still pretty small and as he settles into the seat it would be easy for the lap belt to ride up a bit too high. Even if it looks good when he first sits down. A booster lifts the hips up to adult height and prevents a lot of "settling in" since they're hard plastic. I trust the seatbelt to stay put better with the booster than without.

wendytthomas · Aug 26, 2012

The way the booster works is that it gets the lap belt low on the hips before a crash, and keeps it there during the crash. Until a child is simply tall enough in the hips to keep the belt down on their own (the top of their hip bones start out above the lap belt) the booster will act as an artificial pair and keep the belt down for them.

Also, kids have differently shaped hips than adults. So even taller kids will have hips more shaped in the front like |, rather than {. So until puberty the booster helps just hold the lap belt down to keep it from "slipping up" the hips.

Now, if you have a super huge kid (your six year old is five inches shorter than me, and 4'9" is the average 11 year old), you do the best you can. Leave him in a booster until he outgrows the booster, not until he just barely fits in the seatbelt. Conversely, if you had a smaller kid I'd tell you to do the best you can, and leave them in until they outgrow the booster, not just barely fit in the seatbelt.

Definitely share pictures, please.

Wendy

Kat_Momof3 · Aug 27, 2012

it's rare... cause you'd have to be pretty leggy to be 4'8" and have just outgrown the harnesses

Does the frontier still work in the van as a booster? if so, that's what I'd do until puberty starts or it's outgrown/the vehicle doesnt' have the space for it.

My oldest started puberty early... he was already needing deoderant and his voice was starting to crack a little when he hit 4'9" at 8yrs old... and I didn't have the option of the Frontier as a booster... when he outgrew his backless boosters in my van. He used one in my dh's car, where the fit was different, until he was about 5' tall and passed there.

Your kid is going to be REALLY REALLY tall.... just to give you an idea of what to expect... my oldest is now 5'8" at 12yrs old and his shoe size is a men's 12. It wouldn't surprise me if your son was 6' tall at 12.

carseatcoach · Aug 27, 2012

It is very rare that a child who just outgrew in a Regent by height can also truly fit in a seatbelt alone. I'm a pretty hard grader on the 5-step test and I'd want to see pix before being comfortable with it.

That being said, I would want to see a 6yo in a booster regardless. He may be a very tall (4'8"?) 6yo, but he still has a 6yo skeleton and his hips need a little help.

You wrote that he weighs "quite a bit" and that he tips to the side. Is a backless booster uncomfortable for him? Maybe he needs a bigger one, or one with more support.

TyAndCheyMommy · Aug 28, 2012

He outgrew the frontier 85 and the regent almost a year ago by height. He has been using an special needs car seat.
He has been doing wonderful in the booster seat in the truck and so I decided to try it out in the van.

I will still have to get pictures, my husband's grandmother (who raised him) passed away and her funeral was today, so things have been crazy.

Going straight from harness to seatbelt?

TyAndCheyMommy

New member

Keeanh

Well-known member

TyAndCheyMommy

New member

jjordan

Moderator

Keeanh

Well-known member

wendytthomas

Admin - CPST Instructor

Kat_Momof3

New member

carseatcoach

Carseat Crankypants

TyAndCheyMommy

New member

Car-Seat.Org Facebook Group

Sponsors

Forum statistics