HELP- "too big for harness"- Autistic

MrsJTull

New member
I just received this message from a friend:

Do u know anything about the harnesses for the car? 'D' cant fit highth wise in a car seat with a 5 pt harness. His doctor said to get an ez on harness but the company wont sell to arkansas. His day care has a star harness and i know nothing about it. And dont have internet to look. My phone isnt smart enough to do a search.
***********************
I just messaged back and asked for weight and torso height from her son..

Anyone have a suggestion?? I know the family is on a budget. But, Insurance helps with a lot of his needs..
 
ADS

ketchupqueen

CPST and ketchup snob
Staff member
The STAR is only for bus use, not for the car. And I think it has a fairly low weight limit?

The 86-Y is a very good choice, likely, and can be found by contacting a bus distributor usually- EZ-On likely has a list of distributors to contact, or you can google. I don't know why they "won't sell the Arkansas" but it's possible they just don't have a distributor in the state? In that case, she could find a distributor in another state who will ship to her, that shouldn't take too much work. If he needs a specialized EZ-On vest, that would require him to be fitted, which could be more tricky, but the company reps are usually very helpful with that...

Will his insurance cover a special needs seat as durable medical equipment? (If so, what his particular needs are will inform what is the best choice for him.) What is his seated torso height? Does he have cognitive/behavioral needs for restraint or does he have physical positioning needs, or both?
 

MrsJTull

New member
he has cognitive/behavioral needs.
no answer back from his mom yet on torso height or weight or what car seat he just outgrew or is currently riding in,
but It's dinner time here in AR and bedtime for little ones, so I'm sure she'll be back online after she's got her boys taken care of.

will reply when she does. :)
 

MrsJTull

New member
reply from his mom:

He is 44 tall 41 lbs and torso is 18 inches. He is in a alpha omega seat but head and ears are above seat back and shoulders are above top slot. His daycare ordered the star harness for the bus and told me to get one for my car but i know nothing about them.
 

jess71903

Ambassador
If he's just outgrowing the AOE, then a Frontier would give him ages to grow. I don't think I'd get a SN seat unless they can't afford a Frontier and insurance will pay for a SN seat.
 

MrsJTull

New member
She lives VERY near Little Rock. Thank you!!

I gave her all of the information that has been posted in this thread as a response.
Thank you all so much!

If anyone has any more info, please share.
I will check back soon
 

ketchupqueen

CPST and ketchup snob
Staff member
Yeah, a Frontier would be my first choice for him. He'd probably last at least 2 years in it by height. If that's not feasible, an 86-Y with a booster may be a good alternative that is cheaper (and a bit longer lasting.) It's just a little trickier to work with and not quite as comfy for him probably, is all.

The STAR is bus-only, like I said.
 

MrsJTull

New member
where can she purchase an 86-Y if they can't afford the Frontier and insurance wont pay for a SN seat??

she says,
" Thank u. His insurance paid for a special seat but he already out grew it. They only pay every 3 yps. My only problem is affording a seat because the are pricey. Thanks for ur help."
 

MrsJTull

New member
What are the limits on the harness for the Frontier?
Should she get the regular Frontier or the "Frontier 85 SICT"??
**I know nothing about either of these seats, I just searched and found a price**
How tall are the top slots? I dont know if she will ever put him in just a booster, so she needs the harness to last until insurance will pay for another SN seat.
 

MrsJTull

New member
his mom says:

He cannot do the booster he doesnt have upper body support. He also wont stay in a booster he gets out while going down the road. Thats why the doc wants him in an ez on harness or a special needs seat that will last to adult hood. I have found sn seats but like i said they are pricey like 1000 and i cant afford that.

The SN seat insurance got was "Snug seat travlers plus 2" made by Graco???
 

kalamos23

New member
I believe the strap slots on the Frontier 85 are at 20", so that should give him at least a good year and a half, if not 2 years in a harness.

Sent from my T-Mobile G2 using Car-Seat.Org
 

TyAndCheyMommy

New member
I am not sure if it is possible, but there is a way to have a special needs seat paid for without insurance "paying for a car seat".
There is a seat called an Special Tomato MPS. It can come with a home base and stroller base. It can also be used as a car seat. If insurance will provide a "special wheelchair stroller" then you can request that one.
My 6 year old son has a size large and it will last a very long time. We really like it.

Also- the Snug Seat Travellers plus is a Britax seat, and has a harness height the same as the frontier 85. How has he outgrown that seat??
 

MrsJTull

New member
His mom says::
"He is in the top slot for the snug seat. Just looking for something for when he gets to big for it. The daycare was suggesting the harness because thats what he will be using on the bus. They dont want him confused from going back and forth from car seat to harness. And with he being 18" in the torso i didnt know how long the snug seat would last. And its to hard to take the snug seat out everytime he is in a different car."
 

ketchupqueen

CPST and ketchup snob
Staff member
Well, the EZ-On harnesses require a specilized heavy-duty tether anchor once past a certain weight (which is sometimes as low as 40 lbs. depending on the car.) So if he's in and out of different vehicles a lot that would need to be installed in all of them.

The Merritt Roosevelt has higher slots and weight limit, but if they don't have insurance coverage for that right now that's gonna be a no-go.
 

ketchupqueen

CPST and ketchup snob
Staff member
(And if he's got an 18" torso, he probably, depending on how it installs, has about 1" growth room in his current seat? That should last him about a year, hopefully. Maybe that could get him through to where they'll pay for a more long-lasting solution?)
 

flipper68

Senior Community Member
I don't mean to be snarky, but if he is just outgrowing an AO, I find it hard to believe a SN seat would have already been purchased AND outgrown.

What seats has/does he have?
 

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