3pt FFing seat and 22m/o outgrown a Scenera?

CPS_obsessed_EMT

Senior Community Member
Today at a seatcheck, there was a lady that didn't have an appt but was going by and saw the sign. I agreed to fit her in, and when I went out to her car I immediately knew that something was wrong with the seat. It was a convertible seat, but it only had a 3pt harness. I asked her if she knew the seat history, and she said "yea I bought it new". I looked at the DOM and it was made in 07. At first I thought that the straps were routed wrong, but nope, there was nowhere for hip straps to go and the buckle was that of a 3pt. The cover was SO dirty and beat up that I had a hard time recognizing what it was (it resembled a Touriva).
I explained to her that I was trying to figure out what was wrong, because on a forward facing seat, there HAS to be 5 points of contact (each shoulder, crotch, each hip) and said that for the hips there are either straps or a bar that comes down and rests on their hips.
She said "Oh, yea, it came with a bar but she didn't like it so I took it off" :eek::eek::eek:
Ummm okaaaaay
I asked her if she still had it, she said no, if she did she didn't know where it was, she is in the middle of moving to Georgia (across the country) and will be leaving on Friday.
I said I don't know if I can let you leave like this, it is absolutely unsafe. She said she was on her way to Walmart and could get a new one there. We had a Scenera and a Booster with us. I was going to sell the Scenera to her, but then I put her in it, and her shoulders were already even with the top straps. (oh, did I mention the child was 22 months and 21lbs) :eek:
I could not BELIEVE a child that age/size was already even with the top slots on a Scenera!
So I recommended the Graco Cargo to her (higher top slots and affordable and our local store carries it) and was going to lend her our Scenera for the trip to Walmart (which I have done before)
But my supervisor wouldn't let me lend it to her. Its the first time she hasn't let me do that. To be honest, I think she was stereotyping the mom (won't go into detail)....
So I at least tried to get the mom to put the seat RFing for the trip to Walmart, but she wouldn't do it, she said that she would scream if she couldn't see her. And she promised she would drive "very safely" to Walmart. :rolleyes:

Anyway, she never came back :( I'm trying to decide if its a good thing or a bad thing I didn't lend her the seat. On one hand, at least her daughter would have been a *little* bit safer. But on the other hand, I would have been in a crap load of trouble as we have a VERY tight budget to work with and we do NOT give out seats for free. And if someone was going to steal a seat, I would rather have it at least be someone who could get some use out of it (remember, her shoulders were at the top slots...though maybe still better than a FFing 3pt)
I'm sure I am already in a somewhat amount of trouble because I don't have proper documentation or signatures for her leaving the way she did. But I REALLY thought that she was going to come back with a new seat. I really really did. She told me she wanted her to be as safe as possible because she was friends with a mom and daughter that were killed in an accident.

Ugh, I am so naive. I wish she would have at least been honest if she couldn't afford the $70 for the Cargo. Hell, I would have given her money out of my pocket for a new seat (ok..so I don't actually have any money in my pocket...but I would have at LEAST given her one of the seats sitting in my garage that are getting close to expiration, which is better than what she's in...)

Now all I can do is worry about that lil girl :crying:
I was impressed however with how tightly her seat was installed and how tightly she had the straps.
Somebody please tell me she has SOME kind of chance in a 3pt FFing seat?? (if not just lie to me :( )

Oh, and I can't reiterate enough how shocked I am to see a less than 2 year old outgrown a Scenera and at only 21lbs too :dizzy:
 
ADS

amyg530

Active member
that has to be one skinny kid! ds is 27 months, ~30# and has about 1/2 inch in the scenera and hes 37 inches tall, and hes pretty skinny i think, if he was 10# less and still that height i would think it would almost look weird. i'm currious did the child look weird? that sounds mean and i dont mean it to, i just mean proportionaly.
oh i cant believe she would just pull the bar off b/c she didnt like it, why would you buy the OHS? why not just get a 5pt? people amaze me
 

CPS_obsessed_EMT

Senior Community Member
Actually she didn't look "weird" at first glance, but after seeing how high her shoulders were, I looked at her standing up, and you could CLEARLY see that her hight was ALL in her torso. Her legs were very short and her torso was looong.
However she didn't look emaciated or anything like that.

She is the opposite as my daughter I suppose...My DD is 19 months and in the 90th percentile for height. However, she still fits in an infant seat with 2-3 inches above her head :eek:
 

An Aurora

Senior Community Member
Ugh, that sucks Melissa!

BTW, Mali has outgrown the Scenera FF but not RF...she was at the top slots at right at 2 yrs. She did weigh a bit more though.
 

joolsplus3

Admin - CPS Technician
Sometimes those things just happen :eek:

Leah's over the third slots on the Scenera at 20 mos...she's not even with the top, but has to use the top when she's FF, so give her two more months and we'll see where she is in that seat :whistle: (she wears a lot of three T shirts already....)

Don't feel bad, maybe the mom at least went out and bought something later (too bad she wasted money on the versa fit, when the five pt scenera is so much cheaper...argh!)
 

CPS_obsessed_EMT

Senior Community Member
Sometimes those things just happen

I know, I really need to get used to it I suppose... This was the first time I've ever actually felt scared and sick to my stomach worrying about a kid, but I suppose you eventually learn to grow a "thick skin" and move on :(

But you're right, I thinks it totally stupid to pay EXTRA money for the OHS only to take the shield off :dizzy:
 

CPS_obsessed_EMT

Senior Community Member
oh, and I had NO CLUE that so many kids outgrew the Scenera so fast! I always recommended the Scenera because I thought that it had relatively tall top slots, esp. for the price....guess not :doh:
 

Suzibeck

Active member
I'm sorry that happened.

My 5 yr 4 mo dd still has growing room in the Scenera. She is about 42 inches (maybe a bit more) and 35 lbs. Of course, she is all leg, but I don't think many kids outgrow the Scenera at 2. I would think that it would get most kids past 3 anyway. It definately has taller top slots than the RA, which was dd's spare seat before the Scenera. Our RA is out on loan now and it looks like it will get that girl to her 4th birthday, or nearly so. Can't go much longer because it will expire. :(
 

joolsplus3

Admin - CPS Technician
oh, and I had NO CLUE that so many kids outgrew the Scenera so fast! I always recommended the Scenera because I thought that it had relatively tall top slots, esp. for the price....guess not :doh:
hey, if that big kiddo was AT the top slots of the Scenera, she would have been WELL over the top slots of a Titan or Comfortsport... it's still a pretty good seat compared to other 40lb comvertibles :)
 

bbartlettnfld

New member
Hmm I wonder if the girl had Marfans*sp* Syndrome? My good friends DH has it and so does their DD, I'm not sure exactly what it is but it causes you to be very tall and skinny. Her DD outgrew the Touriva at 22 mos and about 20lbs, that's what got mom into CPS.

BethAnn
 

Niea

New member
My DD is very average (60th percentile for height) and was 1/2" away from outgrowing the Scenera FF at 22 mos. In fact, we bought the seat at 22 mos as a spare, but didn't want to spend much knowing she wouldn't get a lot of use out of it.

But wouldn't you know, she's 30 mos now and still fits in it FF! She's pretty much even with the straps so I'm keeping a close eye on them, but at least she still fits. She's grown a lot in the last 8 mos, too. . but the growth as been all in her legs.
 

Brycen'sMommy

New member
I don't think it is all that weird that a 22m/o has outgrown the Scenera. My 15m/o is nearly even with the top slots of the Scenera and he only weighs 24 lbs. He has an extremely long torso and is above the 97% for height. Some kids are just genetically predisposed to being tall (my DH is 6' 8") and carry their height differently.
 

amyg530

Active member
i hope i didnt offend anybody by asking if the child looked weird, i really didnt mean it to come out like that. i just always thought of DS as being very tall and skinny and i would just think that if he was 10# less he might look funny. so again sorry if i sounded rude with my comment:love:
 

Katie

New member
oh, and I had NO CLUE that so many kids outgrew the Scenera so fast! I always recommended the Scenera because I thought that it had relatively tall top slots, esp. for the price....guess not :doh:
The Scenera is a fantastic seat for the price!! It is a great "in-between" seat for those of us with GIGANTIC children! :)
My DS started in the Scenera RF at 2 months old, he was 26-27" and about 26 lbs. I was going to say he outgrew it fairly quickly, but I just realized that he could probably still fit in it right now. The top slot height is at 14.5" That is perfect for most kids. I only got a new seat because I thought for sure he would get too heavy for it. But, he's been 36 lbs. now for almost a year!!
Well, thanks for your post.... I just realized I've spent almost $300 on seats and didn't have to! :)
 

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