tjham
New member
My granddaughter is 6 1/2, 39 lbs and 44" She is in a FPSVD in my car, a Marathon in her mom's car and a Radian in her dad's truck. Her mom is still adament she stay harnessed (I taught her well, heh,heh,heh ) Mom and dad are not together, never married. My DS (the dad) has been pretty good about listening to me (us) about keeped her harnessed, and doing it correctly. But lately, I can tell he is getting antsy to boot the carseat.
So today, he finally said to me, "When can she quit using that thing, I mean age and weight?" I told him she would still be safer harnessed but that 40lbs was about the recommended weight, so she was almost there. I didn't dare tell him 4 yrs old, he'd flip!
He has a truck with lap belt only in center. I told him she would have to be on one of the sides in a booster, not a lap belt. He said that would be fine. I said she couldn't be in the seat belt or a backless booster. Ooops, that's what he thought she would use! Um, no! I told him about side impact protection and her head hitting the side window, etc. He rolled his eyes.
So now I will probably have to referee between him and exGF, if he insists on using a booster while she says he "can't", when DGD would probably be OK in a HBB, but she still fits fine in the Radian so why not still use it? I even bought the Radian because it looks less babyish and can be used with a lap belt and no tether. (He takes it in and out a lot, which is another reason he wants to use a booster.)
She still falls asleep on long trips, that may have to be a compromise, that she use the seat going up north, etc. But also there is the issue that the child is a leeeetle bit stuborn and if she is in a booster in one car, she may fight the carseat in other cars, which she doen't do now.
Oh, and I know where this is coming from. His new girlfriend has a short 9 yr old who uses just the seat belt and confesses to "sometimes" putting the belt behind his back and a 7 yr old who is in a backless booster only because I 'happened" to have an extra one and cheerfully insisted she use it. It's still in there so I know she's still using it, she must like it OK.
Oh me, oh my!
So today, he finally said to me, "When can she quit using that thing, I mean age and weight?" I told him she would still be safer harnessed but that 40lbs was about the recommended weight, so she was almost there. I didn't dare tell him 4 yrs old, he'd flip!
He has a truck with lap belt only in center. I told him she would have to be on one of the sides in a booster, not a lap belt. He said that would be fine. I said she couldn't be in the seat belt or a backless booster. Ooops, that's what he thought she would use! Um, no! I told him about side impact protection and her head hitting the side window, etc. He rolled his eyes.
So now I will probably have to referee between him and exGF, if he insists on using a booster while she says he "can't", when DGD would probably be OK in a HBB, but she still fits fine in the Radian so why not still use it? I even bought the Radian because it looks less babyish and can be used with a lap belt and no tether. (He takes it in and out a lot, which is another reason he wants to use a booster.)
She still falls asleep on long trips, that may have to be a compromise, that she use the seat going up north, etc. But also there is the issue that the child is a leeeetle bit stuborn and if she is in a booster in one car, she may fight the carseat in other cars, which she doen't do now.
Oh, and I know where this is coming from. His new girlfriend has a short 9 yr old who uses just the seat belt and confesses to "sometimes" putting the belt behind his back and a 7 yr old who is in a backless booster only because I 'happened" to have an extra one and cheerfully insisted she use it. It's still in there so I know she's still using it, she must like it OK.
Oh me, oh my!
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