Shoulder strap at 9yr olds throat- help

seb3244

New member
I watch my 9 &10 yr old niece & nephew when they have a holiday from school. Their mom (dh's sis) doesn't require boosters. They are both in the 75lb range & I am not sure on height but the 9 yr old boy has the shoulder belt right in the throat in my 1997 f-250. What can I buy besides a booster (they will not ride in boosters) to get the belt positioned properly in their small bodies?

Also are they too young to show them a crash test video without being boostered & then show them another one with being boostered?

Thanks
 
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Dillipop

Well-known member
They only thing available to make the belt fit properly is a booster. Anything else marketed as such could be disastrous or deadly in a crash. Show them the crash tests- I'd have no problem showing my 7 and 10 year old them. But check with their parents first. I'd be pretty pissed if someone else showed something like that to my kids without my knowledge, even though I have no problem showing it to them myself.

The new cosco incognito would likely be perfect for your situation- http://safety1st.djgusa.com/en/djgusa/incognito-booster-seat--bc093blk Should be out very soon and made to blend into the car's upholstery. It's perfect for kids that still need a boost but are getting old enough that a traditional no back booster is no longer "socially acceptable."
 

Pixelated

Moderator - CPST Instructor
This video is a good one - not gory, and it's computer simulated so it's pretty tame. [ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wLOJzG3oTQw"]Seatbelts are Designed for Adults - YouTube[/ame]
 

cantabdad

New member
I can't find the facts anywhere to back me up so someone please correct me if I'm wrong, but I swear I've read somewhere that the shoulder belt rubbing on the neck is NOT a safety concern unless you put the shoulder portion behind your back or under your armpit.
http://www.thecarseatlady.com/booster_seats/booster_seats_11.html

That is true, but I would certainly still view it as indicative of poor seatbelt fit, which is what I think the original poster was asking about.

For the OP -- I personally don't think it's necessary to show crash videos. You can just explain that the boosters are needed due to the seatbelt fit in your truck. It's your vehicle and your rules for as long as these children are under your care. They are only 9 and 10 years old and in no position to make their own decisions on basic safety. If they refuse to ride in boosters, then they can stay home, walk, or take the bus.
 

ketchupqueen

CPST and ketchup snob
Staff member
To be clear, this is typical- only one in ten kids passes the 5 step test at age 8, 5 in 10 at age 10. It's not until 12 that almost all kids pass. (There are outliers in either direction, but 10-12 is typical.)

A booster is the only safe solution, and this is exactly the situation the Incognito was made for.
 

Athena

Well-known member
For the OP -- I personally don't think it's necessary to show crash videos. You can just explain that the boosters are needed due to the seatbelt fit in your truck. It's your vehicle and your rules for as long as these children are under your care. They are only 9 and 10 years old and in no position to make their own decisions on basic safety. If they refuse to ride in boosters, then they can stay home, walk, or take the bus.

:yeahthat:: You have every right to require them to ride safely in your care. They are kids and you are the one who will have to live with it if they die because they weren't in a booster.
 

seb3244

New member
They only thing available to make the belt fit properly is a booster. Anything else marketed as such could be disastrous or deadly in a crash. Show them the crash tests- I'd have no problem showing my 7 and 10 year old them. But check with their parents first. I'd be pretty pissed if someone else showed something like that to my kids without my knowledge, even though I have no problem showing it to them myself.

The new cosco incognito would likely be perfect for your situation- http://safety1st.djgusa.com/en/djgusa/incognito-booster-seat--bc093blk Should be out very soon and made to blend into the car's upholstery. It's perfect for kids that still need a boost but are getting old enough that a traditional no back booster is no longer "socially acceptable."

These are pretty cool !! Thanks for telling me about them! Anyone know when I can order them? Also does anyone know how much they will cost?
Thanks everyone who commented I will just have these in my car and tell them they can wait outside my home until I come back or they can sit on them.

I will send some of these links to my sis in law just to show her that most 9-10 yr olds aren't 4 foot 9 inches yet.

This is the same sis in law that was baffled that I was installing dd's car seat "backwards" haha she is 15 months and rf until she exceeds the height or weight limit on her britax. We may have to get her a graco or something else that allows rf longer thought because I can see at age 2 or 2.5 she will have no leg room on her britax.
Okay rambling over lol
 

Pixelated

Moderator - CPST Instructor
The Incognito is supposed to be released soon...in a week or two maybe? They're expected to be around $20 in the US, which is awesome! Hang around here a bit and you can bet that someone will spy them for sale immediately and share the happy news :)
 

seb3244

New member
Thanks so much everyone. I talked to sis in law showed her the incognito and she said "I am not worried about it at all if Heavenly Father wants to take my child then it is their time to go & that means that their spirt was so special that he wanted it back in heaven to be with him" I was like yeah but what happens if your child is paralyzed/ badly injured & later they find out (when they are older) that if only mom made me be in a booster seat longer I could still walk or I wouldn't have lost a limb.

I said that is like saying my kid has strep throat so I will only give her cough drops not an antibiotic! She disagreed.

I said what you do in your car that is on you & you have to live with those consequences should they arise. I told her I am ordering those incognito seats (for any child I transport to use) & if her children choose not to sit on them then I will leave them at home because I cannot knowingly let them ride incorrectly/unsafely (<-- is that even a word?)

She said I guess they will stay at home when I run an errand.

I just want to shake her! Lol
 

Baylor

New member
Thanks so much everyone. I talked to sis in law showed her the incognito and she said "I am not worried about it at all if Heavenly Father wants to take my child then it is their time to go & that means that their spirt was so special that he wanted it back in heaven to be with him" I was like yeah but what happens if your child is paralyzed/ badly injured & later they find out (when they are older) that if only mom made me be in a booster seat longer I could still walk or I wouldn't have lost a limb. I said that is like saying my kid has strep throat so I will only give her cough drops not an antibiotic! She disagreed. I said what you do in your car that is on you & you have to live with those consequences should they arise. I told her I am ordering those incognito seats (for any child I transport to use) & if her children choose not to sit on them then I will leave them at home because I cannot knowingly let them ride incorrectly/unsafely (<-- is that even a word?) She said I guess they will stay at home when I run an errand. I just want to shake her! Lol
This mentality absolutely makes me mad. Especially as someone who has great faith. It is still my job to protect my kids to the best of my ability.

Ugh. Feel for you.

auto correct hates me
 

1mommy

New member
I love this joke to help explain what God does and does not do to protect us.


It was flooding and as the flood waters were rising, a man was on the stoop of his house and another man in a row boat came by. The man in the row boat told the man on the stoop to get in and he'd save him. The man on the stoop said, no, he had faith in God and would wait for God to save him. The flood waters kept rising and the man had to go to the second floor of his house. A man in a motor boat came by and told the man in the house to get in because he had come to rescue him. The man in the house said no thank you. He had perfect faith in God and would wait for God to save him. The flood waters kept rising. Pretty soon they were up to the man's roof and he got out on the roof. A helicopter then came by, lowered a rope and the pilot shouted down in the man in the house to climb up the rope because the helicopeter had come to rescue him. The man in the house wouldn't get in. He told the pilot that he had faith in God and would wait for God to rescue him. The flood waters kept rising and the man in the house drowned. When he got to heaven, he asked God where he went wrong. He told God that he had perfect faith in God, but God had let him drown.
"What more do you want from me?" asked God. "I sent you two boats and a helicopter."
 

Athena

Well-known member
Good for you for trying to talk to her and for keeping those kids safe in your car!
 
Last edited:

Dillipop

Well-known member
Thanks so much everyone. I talked to sis in law showed her the incognito and she said "I am not worried about it at all if Heavenly Father wants to take my child then it is their time to go & that means that their spirt was so special that he wanted it back in heaven to be with him" I was like yeah but what happens if your child is paralyzed/ badly injured & later they find out (when they are older) that if only mom made me be in a booster seat longer I could still walk or I wouldn't have lost a limb.

I said that is like saying my kid has strep throat so I will only give her cough drops not an antibiotic! She disagreed.

I said what you do in your car that is on you & you have to live with those consequences should they arise. I told her I am ordering those incognito seats (for any child I transport to use) & if her children choose not to sit on them then I will leave them at home because I cannot knowingly let them ride incorrectly/unsafely (<-- is that even a word?)

She said I guess they will stay at home when I run an errand.

I just want to shake her! Lol

Entirely up to you if you want to get into it with your sister or not but somewhere around here ketchupqueen wrote an amazing post about faith and child passenger safety. IIRC, it had something to do with God giving us free will to make choices and how sometimes those choices had to be how to keep our kids safe. God wants us to do all in our power to keep ourselves safe with the knowledge we have.
 

vangelder03

New member
Thanks so much everyone. I talked to sis in law showed her the incognito and she said "I am not worried about it at all if Heavenly Father wants to take my child then it is their time to go & that means that their spirt was so special that he wanted it back in heaven to be with him" I was like yeah but what happens if your child is paralyzed/ badly injured & later they find out (when they are older) that if only mom made me be in a booster seat longer I could still walk or I wouldn't have lost a limb.

I said that is like saying my kid has strep throat so I will only give her cough drops not an antibiotic! She disagreed.

I said what you do in your car that is on you & you have to live with those consequences should they arise. I told her I am ordering those incognito seats (for any child I transport to use) & if her children choose not to sit on them then I will leave them at home because I cannot knowingly let them ride incorrectly/unsafely (<-- is that even a word?)

She said I guess they will stay at home when I run an errand.

I just want to shake her! Lol

I would tell her they ride in the boosters or find another babysitter. I would not be willing to leave young kids at home and if she argues that maybe they don't need a babysitter.
 

seb3244

New member
This mentality absolutely makes me mad. Especially as someone who has great faith. It is still my job to protect my kids to the best of my ability.

Ugh. Feel for you.

auto correct hates me

I agree I have great faith too but I also know that God made man and man made car seats /boosters to help prevent death or injury. So I will use them.
 

seb3244

New member
Entirely up to you if you want to get into it with your sister or not but somewhere around here ketchupqueen wrote an amazing post about faith and child passenger safety. IIRC, it had something to do with God giving us free will to make choices and how sometimes those choices had to be how to keep our kids safe. God wants us to do all in our power to keep ourselves safe with the knowledge we have.

I would live to see the post you are talking about. Does anyone have it?
 

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