75#, 55” Six year old

75#, 55” Six year old

Please help!Car seats have been so hard for us! He’s blown through so many at this point. And I don’t want to buy anymore!

Our issue is this: he’s 6. So of course he acts like a 6 year old in a vehicle. He was very uncomfortable in his Frontier harness (which he was maxed out height wise) so we switched to HBB mode. He was still uncomfotable. He had a backup booster we kept on hand- it’s seat depth and width was too small.

We bought two Incognitos- one for the truck and one for the Pacifica. It hung over the truck center seat. He didn’t ensure the clips were over the seatbelt either.

Then a week or so ago he sat in the center truck seat without the booster. Feet were flat, belt was at his hips and crossing the middle of his shoulder. He fit fine and actually sat correctly better than he had with the booster.

We tried the center seat in the minivan. It’s not quite as good a fit. The backseat is deeper, so no fit there. But he’s not using the clips with the incognito, the seat is shifting around when he gets out, the headrest isn’t moveable and hits him awkwardly, and I’m just so fed up with the lack of booster options for a child who is at the max height range. As well as the screaming fits... and there’s no buckle anymore to lock him in the seat despite the protests...

At this point we aren’t complying with the law in the truck. But considering he fits better without the booster, I’m not too worried.

It’s the minivan that is the struggle.

Re: 75#, 55” Six year old

Do you know the law in your state? Obviously whatever choice you make, that is a consideration.

Have you tried other backless boosters? They might be better than the Incognito from the standpoint of not having to put the seat belt into clips. I know that you said you don't want to buy any more seats, but many backless boosters are <$20.

The other issue, obviously, is his behavior. While it sounds like he is acting like a typical 6 year old, still you want him to learn better so that he can be safe. 6 is an age where children can understand the "why" behind proper seat belt and booster use. Have you tried showing him crash test videos or reading about why boosters are important? NHTSA has some good statistics in their materials for last week's CPS week. On the following link, scroll down to the fact sheet/talking points document (MS Word) for some ideas. (There are tons of other good materials there too if you want to look around for other information that might help.) CPS week materials

Re: 75#, 55” Six year old

My 8 year old is a similar size and does fine in a backless Graco Turbobooster.