Day Camp Delimma

Morganthe

New member
Next Monday, dd begins a 9-4 daycamp with a very animal theme. They will be going on field trips, including an all day excursion to NW Trek. I'm trying to figure out what would be best to do for her booster situation.

She'll be 10 in Sept. Around 92lbs and probably 4'10/4'10.5ish. She hasn't been measured in months. Wears 12-14 girls. She comes to just under my chin. I'm 5'8, if that helps. :eek:

We've used the nbb bottom sections from her Montereys since early April. She outgrew the backed part with shoulders and torso length. Her Harmony no longer fits her (too narrow), nor does her Graco nbb. (too low, too narrow). They're not options.

So we have 2 nbb seats that work. One is installed in the truck for when dh takes her somewhere. The other is in my car.

The transportation used will be vans. They say they'll provide boosters for those children under the law (8 or 80lbs) or I can leave hers there. If she was smaller, I'd have no problems doing that.

However, I'm concerned about headrests & how tall she'll be IN a nbb in these seats. Will there be headrests or even if she'll fit using a nbb with a headrest. I've already pulled up the headrest on my car in the last month due to her growing. She won't be 5-stepping in my car anytime soon. But that's due to how deep the back seat is.

It's a large busy daycamp run by Pacific Science center, so I doubt the vehicles will just be sitting out there where I can check them. We haven't been in a van in years, so I am utterly clueless on how well she'd fit.

My first instinct is to go ahead and send her without a booster. She's as tall as a petite woman. I suspect she'd be over the back seat using the nbb monterey. I've been more concerned about whiplash than other issues with her recently. The nbb could raise her up too much where she's more 'perched' than anything else.

Then I start second guessing and wonder if it would be better if she went with her booster bottom since they will be driving distances, especially the NW Trek day and she might be more comfortable.

Driving her is not an option and I'm not worried about road safety. It's more of best fit/best comfort than anything else. I hate this inbetween period where it's a judgement call. *sigh*

suggestions? advice?
 
ADS

joolsplus3

Admin - CPS Technician
I wouldn't even sweat it. Teach her to grab a seat with a lap and shoulderbelt, and to sit properly the whole time.
 

CTPDMom

Ambassador - CPS Technician
I wouldn't even sweat it. Teach her to grab a seat with a lap and shoulderbelt, and to sit properly the whole time.

I agree. The only thing I'd add to that is to tell her if SHE is uncomfortable and/or doesn't feel the belt fits properly offer to pick up an additional NBB after the first day she is in the van.
 

Carrie_R

Ambassador - CPS Technician
(Edit: this is in response to TL's question, not the OP. I agree with the answers given to that.)

I think at that point you weigh the options. They ride without head protection, or they don't ride. I haven't been in that position, but I guess I would make it something I looked at when choosing a day camp and make sure I found one that used busses.

It absolutely falls into the category of "no good answer" and "parental decision." If I had a kid who needed a booster for belt fit, couldn't use a hbb and was too tall in a backless, I would counsel the parent on all of the concerns and then explain to them that there is no safe way for their child to ride in the vehicle.

It really stinks to be in a place where you have to choose between your kiddo being unsafe on the road or missing out on fun activities.
 

bnsnyde

New member
I just wanted to say that after reading the first part of the post...you are awesome. Baby is screaming and I have to run.

The camps here...the kids use NOTHING in the vans, even little kids. And the parents don't even ask. The law doesn't require anything in the big vans. So crazy! And I see so, so many daycare vans out this summer with tiny kids in nothing.

We did a highback booster last year when my son went to a daycamp trip, at age 6, in a big and old van, and it had lap/shoulder on the ends. Apparently I was the first parent in the whole history of the place to ever ask about a booster. This year I don't think any of our camps have trips that are not on buses. Yet, I still see the vans around for other camps.
 

msg221

Well-known member
I'd probably do as CTPDMom said and see how she feels and if needed, get a NBB for camp if she isn't comfortable.

Like you said, she's the size of a petite woman. My friend is only 4'11" tall and maybe just over 100 lbs! I bet her 10 year-old son is taller than her now (he was 9 pounds at birth!) and I bet she probably wouldn't five step in a lot of vehicles! I remember when we were in 7th grade gym class and she was changing clothes she asked me to hold her shorts. I happened to see the tag and they were a size 6X! :eek: I couldn't believe it because I remembered wearing that size in FIRST grade!
 

bobandjess99

Senior Community Member
I'd probably do what jools said. Send her without, tell her to make sure she has a shoulder belt, and see how she feels after the first day. If she felt like she would have rather had a booster, send one for days 2-5. She's probably my height, yes? I'm barely 5 ft tall.
 

ketchupqueen

CPST and ketchup snob
Staff member
Yeah, that's what I was thinking- she might fit, if she doesn't, a backless booster without head support would be my choice over poor belt fit...
 

Morganthe

New member
You could always order a bubble bum she could keep in her bag in case she feels she needs it...

Honestly, I think her bum is now too large to comfortably fit on one of those. If I could test it out IRL, I'd think about it. But she's no longer the skinny minny she was a year ago. Shoulders & hips, only with fitting kids clothes, not juniors yet.

Yeah, that's what I was thinking- she might fit, if she doesn't, a backless booster without head support would be my choice over poor belt fit...

I saw a van at her theater daycamp yesterday afternoon. I suspect it will be the same econoline type they'll be using at Mercer Slough next week. No headrests. If I were to sit in one, my shoulders would be slightly over the back of the seat.

So I think I'd go with poor belt fit in this instance than putting her up so high in proportion to the seat back. If she's sitting in her booster, she's taller than me -- I'm short waisted enough that women who are 5'4 sit higher than me. :eek:

The last time we were in this type of van, was when she still fit her Radian (age 5) and there was no issue of backless/no headrest/poor belt fit. I miss those days when it was so clearcut. :crying:
 

bnsnyde

New member
I just read that two day camp busses collided (um, with each other!). This was at a camp right near us. Injuries were minor; there were over 70 kids involved. But what if it was vans and not school buses? That's my biggest fear, that since the camps GO so many places, the chance of an accident go up. But, at least with a school bus, the kids are pretty safe. In vans around here even 5-year-olds ride in nothing (no seat), so that's scary, if something did happen.
 

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