# so what happens when an 8yo is simply too fat for a booster?



## blessedwithboys (Dec 8, 2004)

yes, i speak frankly, no offense intended, but my about-to-be-9yo niece is too large for the largest booster on the US market.

the harmony secure comfort deluxe was rec'd to me here, and i went and got one, and she barely fits. i like that it holds up to 110lbs, as she is probably 98-99 already, but as wide as the seat is, she barely has a centimeter of wiggle room. and the armrest are horribly designed, there is almost no room to get the belt through. my niece has some developmental/motor delays and cant buckle herself in to the seat bc the crack under the armrests is barely big enough for a piece of tissue paper.

anyway, she is not quite 4'9" yet, but she is quite weighty and very wide across the hips. oddly enough, she fits in my ds's LB clek about as well as the harmony, but it only goes to 100lbs. we are putting her in the clek for a long road trip this month, and my ds will go back into his old turbobooster (not expired!) which i keep in the trunk as a spare.

so what now? what can be done for a child who just doesnt fit safely in an adult belt, but is too thick and heavy for a booster?


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## happysmileylady (Feb 6, 2009)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *blessedwithboys* 
yes, i speak frankly, no offense intended, but my about-to-be-9yo niece is too large for the largest booster on the US market.

the harmony secure comfort deluxe was rec'd to me here, and i went and got one, and she barely fits. i like that it holds up to 110lbs, as she is probably 98-99 already, but as wide as the seat is, she barely has a centimeter of wiggle room. and the armrest are horribly designed, there is almost no room to get the belt through. my niece has some developmental/motor delays and cant buckle herself in to the seat bc the crack under the armrests is barely big enough for a piece of tissue paper.

anyway, she is not quite 4'9" yet, but she is quite weighty and very wide across the hips. oddly enough, she fits in my ds's LB clek about as well as the harmony, but it only goes to 100lbs. we are putting her in the clek for a long road trip this month, and my ds will go back into his old turbobooster (not expired!) which i keep in the trunk as a spare.

so what now? what can be done for a child who just doesnt fit safely in an adult belt, but is too thick and heavy for a booster?

I think you have to really consider, if she is too big for the booster, just how unsafe is her fit in the adult belt? Even if an adult belt is less safe than a well fitting booster, it may be more safe than a booster that doesn't fit at all. Also, are there belt adjusters than can help? I know adults that are that small or even smaller, both in height and weight.


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## blessedwithboys (Dec 8, 2004)

well, when she sits in my car (i've tried all 3 spots in the back two rows of my SUV) the belt goes right across her neck and up on her stomach. its not so mucha height issue, her large stomach pushes the whole belt out of alignment.

i wont put her in a booster that she doesnt fit in correctly. so, she is still a few lbs under the limit for my clek seat. for now, she can squeeze her hips in.

she is under the limit of the harmony seat, can just barely sqeeze in, but cant buckle it herself. obviously, my sister is willing to buckle her dd if thats what it takes, but she will hit the 110 lb limit of that seat well before she is tall enough and physically mature enough to use an adult belt.

i always thought the adjusters werent crash tested?


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## blessedwithboys (Dec 8, 2004)

ugh, look at this terrible picture!

these are the things i thought werent tested for safety


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## an_aurora (Jun 2, 2006)

Those belt adjusters are big no-no's. They pull the lap belt right up on the abdomen.

The Combi booster (Kobuk?) is very wide. I wouldn't worry too much about going over the weight limit--unlike with a harnessed seat, the booster just lifts her up, and it's not likely to fail in a crash.


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## mamasthree (Jul 15, 2006)

I agree with an_aurora. I wouldn't be as worried about going over the weight limit, since a booster's job is to make the belt fit correctly, and the belt is what protects in an accident. Not ideal, but better than an ill fitting seat belt.

Not that this matters much since the lap portion does not sit correctly, but do you have adjusters built in to your car? The kind that help the belt lay across the shoulder correctly? They are built in to our car, height adjusters in the front, and a little clip thingy for the back seats.


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## sapphire_chan (May 2, 2005)

Would it be safe to take the armrests off her current booster? OP does it look possible to take them off? Carseat techs what would be the factors in that being safe?

It sounds like your niece has started a growth spurt so hopefully you'll be seeing a height increase soon to follow the weight increase.


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## DahliaRW (Apr 16, 2005)

No, you cannot take the arms off of the booster. You cannot modify a seat like that.


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## an_aurora (Jun 2, 2006)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *sapphire_chan* 
Would it be safe to take the armrests off her current booster? OP does it look possible to take them off? Carseat techs what would be the factors in that being safe?


No, absolutely not. The armrests are what positions the lap belt and creates "artificial hips" in children who have not yet reached puberty.


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## blessedwithboys (Dec 8, 2004)

i thought about taking the armrests off the turbobooster, but i had a strong feeling it would be a definite no. lol ok, so no belt adjuster, thats what i thought.

i dont have built in adjusters for the shoulder belts.







i'm going to return the unused harmony seat. she fits fairly well in the adult belt in her mothers car (2010 ford fusion). for now, i'll let her use my sons clek and put him in his old TB for our road trip.

as for her size, its not at all a growth spurt where her height will catch up soon. her height will continue to develop normally, but her weight, esp in her midsection, was artificially inflated due to a rx med cocktail.









and lest anyone think ill of my sister for not caring (cuz no one ever judges ppl here! lol), she does care, i just offered to research for her bc i have more free time.


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## moonlitemama (Oct 27, 2004)

Not sure what the measurements are for width, but the Clek Ozzi, Britax Parkway SG, and Sunshine Kids Monterey all go to 120lbs.

The 86Y Universal Harness by EZ-On goes to 168lbs, if used with a heavy duty tether anchor - usually these are used for situations where there is only a lap belt, to provide upper body restraint, but does anyone know if it would help in this situation? I've never used any of the EZ On products.


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## blessedwithboys (Dec 8, 2004)

my clek says 100# on the label. is the one on the magnaclek site a 2nd generation?

ok, i measured my LB turbobooster. the seat is about 11 or 12 inches inside the armrests. (i'm measuring hiproom, not overall wideness of the seat) the harmony is just barely 11, when harmony CS answered my email to say there was 18 inches of hiproom! wth? the seat isnt even 18" from outside edge to outside edge.

the clek ozzi i have (bought it new from amazon in jan or feb of this year) is THIRTEEN full inches inside the armrests! but...on this page, it shows it being 13.75" with an upper weight limit of 120#. guess i'm gonna get my niece a new clek.


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## chickabiddy (Jan 30, 2004)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *moonlitemama* 
Not sure what the measurements are for width, but the Clek Ozzi, Britax Parkway SG, and Sunshine Kids Monterey all go to 120lbs.

And the Monterey will come out as a backless (called the Santa Fe) in the near future.

OP, I just linked the Cosco Apex65 in another thread. It is the widest seat I can think of. Your niece is obviously over the harness limit, but may be able to use it as a booster. http://www.amazon.com/Safety-1st-Ape.../dp/B000RNM7JW

While using a booster over the weight limits is misuse, so is putting a child in a seatbelt that doesn't fit. Sometimes there are no good solutions.







For my child or a child I loved, if those were my only choices, I'd use the booster over the weight limit, absolutely.


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## JElaineB (Nov 12, 2005)

We have the Sunshine Kids Monterey (two, actually) and the great thing about it is that it is adjustable in width and height (as a high back booster). The weight limit is 120 lbs. It can also be used as a backless booster, if appropriate. I agree it would be better to go over the weight limit on a booster than not use one at all, though, for a kid who is too short/young for a regular seat belt.


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## blessedwithboys (Dec 8, 2004)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *JElaineB* 
We have the Sunshine Kids Monterey (two, actually) and the great thing about it is that it is adjustable in width and height (as a high back booster). The weight limit is 120 lbs. It can also be used as a backless booster, if appropriate. I agree it would be better to go over the weight limit on a booster than not use one at all, though, for a kid who is too short/young for a regular seat belt.

i love a booster with LATCH, and the adjustable feature is great, but it expands in the shoulders, not the hips, which is where we need it. still, it may be wide enough. is there any chance you might be able to measure the hip room inside the armrests for me? i would be ever so grateful!









the apex looks great, but it only goes to 100 lbs as a booster.

Quote:


Originally Posted by *chickabiddy* 
While using a booster over the weight limits is misuse, so is putting a child in a seatbelt that doesn't fit. Sometimes there are no good solutions.







For my child or a child I loved, if those were my only choices, I'd use the booster over the weight limit, absolutely.

i would feel better after hearing that if i had to put her in a 100 lb booster, but the issue of hip room is still there... they need an extra-wide, high weight limit low back booster! maybe i'll add that to the safety fantasy thread LOL


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## luv-my-boys (Dec 8, 2008)

Not sure if this would be appropriate or not in your situation but this is a compnay that has adaptive car seats available for children with special needs. Not sure if your looking for something long term or not

http://www.especialneeds.com/adaptiv...car-seats.html


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## blessedwithboys (Dec 8, 2004)

thanks for the link. her physical issues are mostly fine motor and balance related. she can get in the car on her own, though we sometimes need to be extra patient, and she sometimes has a hard time buckling herself, but she isnt impaired to the point of needing a seat like that. and oh, my! how can anyone afford a $1k carseat anyway?! hope thats something covered by insurance


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## chickabiddy (Jan 30, 2004)

Generally, special needs carseats are considered durable medical equipment and covered by insurance.

And the Apex is huge, really. I'm a plus-size mama and I can almost sit in it. I rarely recommend it because it is just too wide for most children, especially as a booster, but it seems as if it might be what you need.


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## blessedwithboys (Dec 8, 2004)

ok, i'll try to find an Apex in a local store and check it out. thanks again for all the great info!


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## sapphire_chan (May 2, 2005)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *an_aurora* 
No, absolutely not. The armrests are what positions the lap belt and creates "artificial hips" in children who have not yet reached puberty.

I can see that for kids who are narrower than the seat, but not for a larger child.

That said, good thing there are wider boosters available.


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## JElaineB (Nov 12, 2005)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *blessedwithboys* 
i love a booster with LATCH, and the adjustable feature is great, but it expands in the shoulders, not the hips, which is where we need it. still, it may be wide enough. is there any chance you might be able to measure the hip room inside the armrests for me? i would be ever so grateful!









You're right, at the hips it's not too much different than most other seats. It looks to be about 14 inches across at the top of the armrests, then narrows going down towards the seat.


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