Would you put your 4yo/40lb DC in a HBB?

Ok-

My daughter is 4 yo and 38lbs. She will be out of the Graco Cargo in her Grandparents car several months sooner than I had thought (she just put on 4lbs in a two months, more than she had gained in the previous year.). I was going to get a Graco Nautilous for them, but they struggle SO much with the 5 point. My FIL has a bad shoulder and wrist. I do install the seat, and adjust the harness at home when the pick her up, but they have alot of trouble with proper use of the harness.

They do listen, care and respect my opinion, they TRY very hard, they just can't seem to get it right. I am wondering if it is time to just get her a high back booster. She rides with him one mile to the pool, one mile to lunch, one mile back home, once a week. Once a month or so they go farther out to lunch, or to run an errand or something else.

She has an Apex 65 in her other grandma's and a Regent in mine, so she'll be harnessed for the long run in her primary vehicles.

What would you do?

My 4y/o is in the GN and she can buckle/unbuckle herself, do you think your daughter would be able to do it herself? I find the GN harnessing very easy, easier than any other I've tried. I'd give it a try!:thumbsup:

firemomof3 said:

My 4y/o is in the GN and she can buckle/unbuckle herself, do you think your daughter would be able to do it herself? I find the GN harnessing very easy, easier than any other I've tried. I'd give it a try!:thumbsup:

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Oh that is really good news! I am uneasy about boostering her, but I wonder where the line is when an improperly used (but properly installed) 5 point is less safe than a properly used booster, YKWIM?

Avery'sMama said:

Oh that is really good news! I am uneasy about boostering her, but I wonder where the line is when an improperly used (but properly installed) 5 point is less safe than a properly used booster, YKWIM?

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I'm not sure what the issue is about not being able to use it? Do they not have enough strength to push the buckle into the slot? Or to unbuckle it??
The nautilus does have a new buckle - instead of pushing it IN to unclip it, it PULLS down - I would think that would be much easier. Also, in tech class, I was told to recommend to grandparents/people with arthritis, etc, to keep a spoon in the car, and you can use that to depress the buckle to unbuckle it. Maybe that would work?
If you install it, and tighten the straps to where they need to be, all they should need to do is buckle and unbuckle it, so I would think there would be ZERO chance for misuse, righjt? The only way to misuse it would be if they just simply didn't buckle her in at all....are you worried about that?
and I agree, that perhaps your 4 yo could just do it herself? My dd is 3.5, and begs to let me do hers. (I do, and then always check it myself..), so I knwo kids of that age can buckle themselves in.......

Personally, and with my dd not far behind yours, I have been thinking aboutthis a LOT...(my dd is currently 3.5 and 35 pounds, in a Vision, which is like a cargo/chase, etc booster) and I would NOt be okay putting her in a booster for QUITE a while..... She'll be getting a nautilus when she gains those last 5 pounds.
I have older stepsons, so I have a physical/emotional reference to use in comparison, and frankly, I don't see my being okay with her unharnessed until 7-8 ish. My 10 and 11 and 14 year old stepsons STILL don't sit correctly all the time....(of course, their mother does try to undermine car safety, but we're not going there....)

I just got a GN this afternoon, and as I type my 7 yo dd is putting every stuffed animal she has into it one at a time, and adjusting the harness, buckling and unbuckling for each one. She has a really hard time unbuckling herself from her Regent, yet she got herself undone from the GN as easy as pie when I showed her where the harness loosener was. She has pretty weak hands and is small for her age. I find the GN to be as easy as or dare I say maybe even easier to adjust the harness as the RA!

My FIL has a wrist and shoulder injury, so the action needed to buckle and unbuckle is difficult. He also cannot loosen or tighten the harness, for some reason, it might be the angle, I'm not sure. They are very technologically illiterate in everyway. They just got a DVD player

As far as my daughter... she can do her chest clip, but not the buckle. I think she could if she really tried, but she always says she can't. She is very good about being sure she is buckled though.

I guess it is not so much that my IL's don't understand HOW to use a 5 point correctly, but that it is physically difficult. The straps are often twisted, they are too loose or REALLY tight, the chest clip will be really low, or really high. It's like the just can't seem to make sense of what to do. I've gone over this with them about a thousand times. A booster would just be easier. I am not always home when they pick her up, and I am not with them at the other end, obviously.

I don't think I will be keeping her in a 5 point in their car until she is 7 or 8, in my car sure, but in their car, no. It's just hard for them and as I have to do something about her seat soon, I am trying to decide if I might consider a booster.

I was hoping she wouldn't hit 40lbs under around 5yo, then I would feel more confident about putting her in a booster for 3 miles, once a week. She has been gaining SO slow these last few years, the boom, a growth spurt when it is least wanted

At 4, she's plenty old enough to make sure the straps aren't twisted, the chest clip is correct and the straps are tight enough.

Before you make the decision to booster her--have her try the nautilus.

Remember---the worst accidents happen close to home. One of my older brothers totaled his car when he fell asleep behind the wheel, less than .5 miles from our house. He was fine though.

Susan

My parents were also physically/medically incapable of using a harness correctly -- I can definitely relate to your worry.... My kiddo rode in a Britax Parkway with my grandparents as soon as she could fit.

She practiced sitting correctly for progressively longer periods of time indoors at home 1st. She also watched the GM booster videos (Google and/or browse my website: listed in my profile via my screen name). By 4 she was capable of actually leading a correct booster use lesson in her PreK class

One major relief for me, though, was that their vehicles had center shoulder belt with Switchable/Automatic Locking Retractor + rear side curtain airbags Even without the airbags, I would have felt OK, though because she had learned very well, my dad was very supportive of my safety rules & the deep head wings kept kiddo positioned properly when the shoulder belt lock was engaged.

(in my car, she still rode RF :twocents

SusanMae said:

At 4, she's plenty old enough to make sure the straps aren't twisted, the chest clip is correct and the straps are tight enough.

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:yeahthat: She should be fine, if she understands to sit still and stay positioned correclty. Could you show the grandparents at least how to lock the seatbelt on her? I showed that to my FIL just the other day.

FWIW, DS is 5 and has been in a booster in his grandparents' car since he was both "4 and 40". He has seen the Kyle Miller video as well as crashtest videos. So he understands the importance of being restrained correctly and is very vigilant about making sure everything is correct... I'm sure your DD could do the same.

You know, having her properly buckled in a booster is safer than improperly buckled in a harness. I agree that she's probably old enough, as long as you stress to her the importance of sitting properly, etc.
Only you know your child well enough to determine if she can sit in her booster well. If you have even the slightest doubt about her ability to sit properly, don't do it yet. If you feel that she's capable, let her try it.

If you do decide to get a hbb for her, make sure you try it out first! My dd is 4.5 and 40 lbs and we just got her a hbb for occassional use. We don't generally need an extra seat so she does not sit in it often. I did, however, put it in my car and drive around with her in it a few times so I could make sure she really would stay seated properly, etc. Luckily she does. If she had not, we would not use it. You just want to make sure she understands what she can and cannot do while she is in her booster since she will not be with you when she is in it.

My 4yo can get herself buckled into the Nautilus quite easily. She does need help getting the bottom buckle undone--but it is mostly because her fingers are just not big enough to squeeze the release.
She is able to tighten it and loosen it as needed. I've trained her as to where the chest clip should be, so it is very rare for her to be in her seat incorrectly. I think it would be just as easy to teach your little one how to fasten herself into her seat as it would be to teach her how to sit properly in an HBB. The Nautilus is actually her brother's seat and she is usually in a Radian--which, is harder to get buckled because the lower buckles are smaller than the Nautilus.

Having said all that, it's a tough decision. My dd isn't quite big enough for a HBB, so the decision was made for us. If you find that the grandparents aren't able to get her unfastened from her seat, the Nautilus does turn into a HBB. (of course, it is definitely more expensive than just purchasing the HBB)

Well, considering that an improperly adjusted harness can result in ejection from the vehicle, I would definitely go for a properly used booster over an improper harness. Especially since she meets the minimums.
Of course, you should explore your options as far as trying to teach your child to do her own harness, or ways to make it easier for gma to do the harness, but if they can't do it they can't do it.

Heck, *I* have a heck of a hard time tightening the harness on my Boulevard, it usually involves anchoring my knee against the seat and using my entire upper body to yank on it. So I usually end up just leaving the harness tight and bucking her in with the harness tightened, which is pretty darn difficult and not even my hubby can get it buckled with it tight... I definitely wouldn't trust my gma to do it

For occasional, short trips I would consider it if that was the best financial option at the time.

I would have to agree that if gma has a hard time properly securing the harness, a booster at this age would be ok for occasional use. I would feel better myself if the seatbelt locked & the booster had good side impact protection. Seems like a lot of the time you can get a parkway for a decent price!

Possibly your kiddo could do the harness himself, but I'd be really careful. A properly used booster would always be safer then an improperly used harness. The seat being properly secured will only hold the seat in the car...

Good luck, this is a difficult situation. I have been really considering getting my dad & step mom (who has very severe arthritis) a parkway (or something with nice headwings) for my nephew (who spends an occasional weekend w them) to ride in in their car.

Thank you all for your thoughtful replies! I have a good friend with a Nautilus that I think we are going to borrow for Grandpa to try. If he thinks it's easier and he can handle it, we will get a Nautilus, otherwise we will get a good booster. Hmm... Maybe this is a good reason to use that tech discount on the Montery DD is very good about following car seat rules, she was making grandma take her coat off by 2! She adjusts her chest clip if it's too low or too high, but she can't do the buckles or tighten it, and that seems to be the problem. I know first hand the dangers of crashes close to home, my mom and sister were nearly killed less than 5 miles from our home on a routine drive on a beautfiul day, but if my IL's can't handle harnesses after 4 years of trying.... It's just not getting better and I want her properly restrained, even if that means in a booster.

Papooses-- I can't believe that you DD was still rear facing in your car when you boostered her! What a hard decision!

You know, sometimes all this tech knowledge is a PIA. Most "normal" parents would have just gotten a booster w/o stressing over it for months as you watched her weight creep up!