Question Would you put this child in HWH or HBB?

NannyMom

Well-known member

• Aug 17, 2008

• #1

8 year old, 51 pounds, 51ish inches. She's very safety aware and knows why she needs to sit correctly and what sitting correctly is. However, in the van (with side curtain airbags, she sits outboard) she will ocasionally reach to pick a bag off the floor. SHe tightens and locks her seatbelt. When asked how she reaches the bag or whatever, she says she took the belt off her shoulder.

Should we not lock the belt so the belt will stay on her shoulder when she reaches down? Should she be in a HWH?

 

Patriot201

Car-Seat.org Ambassador

• Aug 17, 2008

• #2

NannyMom said:

8 year old, 51 pounds, 51ish inches. She's very safety aware and knows why she needs to sit correctly and what sitting correctly is. However, in the van (with side curtain airbags, she sits outboard) she will ocasionally reach to pick a bag off the floor. SHe tightens and locks her seatbelt. When asked how she reaches the bag or whatever, she says she took the belt off her shoulder.

Should we not lock the belt so the belt will stay on her shoulder when she reaches down? Should she be in a HWH?

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I would just not lock the belt. She is far safer in an unlocked belt than she is in an unbuckled seatbelt.

I am perfectly comfortable with an 8-year-old in a booster.

 

T

tanyaandallie

Senior Community Member

• Aug 17, 2008

• #3

I agree. At 8 I would leave her in a hbb.

 

S

skiersnowboarder3

Senior Community Member

• Aug 17, 2008

• #4

You should talk to her about the importance of sitting still in her booster and how if you get into a crash while she's reaching to pick something up, then she would hit her head on her knees, etc. Help her understand that most things can wait to be picked up until you are stopped at your destination.

 

carseatcoach

Carseat Crankypants

• Aug 17, 2008

• #5

8 years and 50+ pounds is perfectly appropriate for a booster, if she can sit properly. If after a few talks about the importance of staying belted she still can't/won't, I'd consider harnessing -- but it would be because of behavior, not age or size.

 

Victorious4

Senior Community Member

• Aug 17, 2008

• #6

If she doesn't have any anxiety issues, I would share the crash test videos with her (scroll through this page) -- she's definitely old enough to learn why what she's doing is unsafe....

I'm curious what kind of booster? Only because my DD (52" 46#) cannot wiggle/lean out of her Monterey when the locking retractor is engaged: she could last year in the Parkway, though.

 

mommyto2angelgirls

New member

• Aug 17, 2008

• #7

is there anyway you could maybe give her a bag to put a few things she want in. my dd has her car bag..holds some vtech games and a book or two and she keeps it in her car seat next to her. is there anywhere your dd could do something like that. then she wouldn't have to unbuckle to get something. i'm thinking that even if you don't lock the seatbelt at first after she bends forward in it to get something then sits back up won't she activate the lock mechanism on it anyway. then she would have to unbuckle next time she wanted something.

 

NannyMom

Well-known member

• Aug 17, 2008

• #8

She's not unbuclking. Just when she leans forward, she leans to the side so the shoulder strap is still in it's place, but it's not on her shoulder (so basically only the lap belt is holding her in until she sits back up).

I'll have to tell her she'll crack her head on her knee or the seat in front of her. Or the lapbelt will squash her like a twinkie. LOL, I can't threated her with a HWH because she wants one.

Can we hang a bag (the cheap backpack things where the strap is just a string) over the arm rests?

She's in a HB Turbo Booster. It wasn't my choice of boosters, but the Car Seat Lady said that's fine so that's what ehr Mom bought (I'm her nanny).

 

S

skiersnowboarder3

Senior Community Member

• Aug 17, 2008

• #9

NannyMom said:

She's in a HB Turbo Booster. It wasn't my choice of boosters, but the Car Seat Lady said that's fine so that's what ehr Mom bought (I'm her nanny).

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Who is this Car Seat Lady you speak of? Is she local?

 

NannyMom

Well-known member

• Aug 17, 2008

• #10

skiersnowboarder3 said:

Who is this Car Seat Lady you speak of? Is she local?

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The original CarSeat Lady is local. She's in Baltimore (Pikesville-ish), MD. She has spawned (for a lack of a better word popping into my head, lol) 2 more Carseat Ladies. One in NY (her daughter) and the other, I don't remember (Her daughter's best friend). www.thecarseatlady.org. She is a nurse that made her driveway a permanent fitting station and does installations on evenings and weekends. She is a CPST-I, if not higher (maybe she trains the CPST-Is?). SHe has worked to enact many carseat laws in MD. She is a wonderful, very nice woman. I will apprentice with her after my training in a few weeks.

I never noticed you were in MD. WHat part are you in?

 

S

skiersnowboarder3

Senior Community Member

• Aug 18, 2008

• #11

NannyMom said:

I never noticed you were in MD. WHat part are you in?

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Washington Co. (western MD)

 

S

skiersnowboarder3

Senior Community Member

• Aug 18, 2008

• #12

I'm assuming you're in Baltimore Co.?

 

NannyMom

Well-known member

• Aug 18, 2008

• #13

Yes I am

 

H

hipmaman

Moderator - CPST Instructor

• Aug 19, 2008

• #14

I'm ok with an 8yr old in booster if she can sit properly. Another concern is with the seatbelt locking and she leans 'outside' of the seatbelt to reach for things, the seatbelt might just get shorter/tighter, making it now improper size/position for her to get back in w/o unbuckling and re-doing the seatbelt.