Results 1 to 8 of 8
  1. #1
    TwoBees is offline Diamond level (5000+ posts)
    Join Date
    Jul 2009
    Posts
    7,017

    Default Would you let a 34-lb 8-year-old use a HBB occasionally?

    This is a follow-up to my previous thread about the Evenflo vs Graco HBBs. Some of the HBBs list a minimum weight of 30 lb and some list 40 lb. I chatted with an Evenflo rep who said that with the new car seat guidelines, it should be 40 for HBBs (even though 30 is still listed on their site as the minimum weight for the AMP and Big Kid seats). I am now so frustrated. DD1 is newly 8 but weighed only 34 lb at her well visit a month ago. We have been letting DD1 use a HBB for short rides in my parents' car for about 6 months and for carpool once a week since the beginning of the school year (about a 20 min ride). I have felt that she is safer in a correctly-used HBB for short rides rather than a harnessed seat that is taken in and out of the car frequently and where I cannot install the seat or check the install every time. Now I am second-guessing myself. Thoughts?
    Mom to a spirited, red-headed, former 28-weeker 10/2009 and a more mellow monkey 12/2013.

  2. #2
    sariana is offline Diamond level (5000+ posts)
    Join Date
    Sep 2008
    Location
    Bay Area, CA
    Posts
    6,250

    Default

    For me it probably would depend on why she weighs only 34 lbs. if she is just very small but otherwise developmentally on track (muscle tone; etc), I probably would be okay with that as long as she was positioned properly.

    If she's so light because she's somehow fragile, and there is a chance her bone development is delayed, I would hesitate.

    The weight limits are guidelines based on typical child development. Most 34-lb children are toddlers and generally should not be in boosters. But an older child who is just petite will be more fully developed in other ways, and that weight limit may not be valid.

    FWIW, I have a 13-year-old boy who weighs only about 85 lbs. He's just really lean.
    DS '04 "Boogaboo"
    DD '08 "Lilybear"

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Apr 2013
    Posts
    4,469

    Default

    I think one of the concerns is that kids under 40 lbs are more likely to submarine under the lap belt in addition to being less likely to have a good seatbelt fit. But at some point you have to be realistic and compromise in real world situations. In this case I think keeping an 8 year old harnessed in the primary vehicle(s) but allowing use of a high back booster rated for 30+ lbs in other vehicles is a reasonable decisions, assuming the seatbelt fits her well with that vehicle/booster combination. I mean she is probably not growing very quickly now either, so it's likely to remain an issue for at least a couple more years.
    DS 2/14
    DD 8/17

  4. #4
    mikala is offline Diamond level (5000+ posts)
    Join Date
    Aug 2009
    Posts
    5,776

    Default

    I agree with pp and assuming typical bone growth and ability to sit properly would be OK with it part time. I'd still try to keep the child harnessed in the main vehicle but I agree with your reasoning about others safely installing a high back booster frequently versus a harnessed booster.

  5. #5
    AnnieW625's Avatar
    AnnieW625 is offline Black Diamond level (25,000+ posts)
    Join Date
    Jan 2006
    Posts
    35,646

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by sariana View Post
    For me it probably would depend on why she weighs only 34 lbs. if she is just very small but otherwise developmentally on track (muscle tone; etc), I probably would be okay with that as long as she was positioned properly.

    If she's so light because she's somehow fragile, and there is a chance her bone development is delayed, I would hesitate.

    The weight limits are guidelines based on typical child development. Most 34-lb children are toddlers and generally should not be in boosters. But an older child who is just petite will be more fully developed in other ways, and that weight limit may not be valid.

    FWIW, I have a 13-year-old boy who weighs only about 85 lbs. He's just really lean.
    my DD2 is 7 and maybe 48lbs and I just switched her Frontier 90 to a belted booster. My DD2 is 4 months shy of 12 and is maybe 75 lbs. I would want to know why the 8 yr. old is 34 lbs.


    Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
    Annie
    WOHM to two wonderful little girls born in April
    DD E, 17
    DD L, 13,
    baby 2, 4-2009 (our Tri-18 baby)

  6. #6
    TwoBees is offline Diamond level (5000+ posts)
    Join Date
    Jul 2009
    Posts
    7,017

    Default

    We recently had an appointment with an endocrinologist and her bone age is delayed by about a year or so. Otherwise she is just tiny because she was a micro preemie and simply does not eat (other issues, not related to the car seat, we could start a whole different thread). She is short but the belt fits her well in a HBB (she is tall for her weight although not tall for her age). She is still harnessed in our two primary cars and in my FIL's car since he drives her to activities a few times a week and I installed the seat (and it stays there). She has started to question the harness and I have flat out refused to allow her to sit in a HBB in any instance where she is in one of our cars or another harnessed seat is available. I wanted to get another HBB since I occasionally find myself in a position where I need a babysitter to pick her up and I would not be able to install a seat in the babysitter's car first - like this weekend where I can drop her at an activity and leave a HBB with her, and the babysitter can pick her up. It's about a 10 minutes drive, I'm just in a bind with pickup for this occasion and I realized I need a backup seat for this type of thing.
    Mom to a spirited, red-headed, former 28-weeker 10/2009 and a more mellow monkey 12/2013.

  7. #7
    AnnieW625's Avatar
    AnnieW625 is offline Black Diamond level (25,000+ posts)
    Join Date
    Jan 2006
    Posts
    35,646

    Default

    DD2 has a friend who is small like that as well and otherwise a happy 7 year old. For your situation though I would be okay with it.


    Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
    Annie
    WOHM to two wonderful little girls born in April
    DD E, 17
    DD L, 13,
    baby 2, 4-2009 (our Tri-18 baby)

  8. #8
    Join Date
    Jan 2009
    Location
    Michigan
    Posts
    4,465

    Default

    I am pretty car seat crazy and I would let her go in a HBB. I agree that it's safer than an un-correctly installed harnessed seat.

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •