My 7 year old boy is 4 foot 2 and he weighs 106 pounds, I can't find any car seats which are in his weight range, and I cant find any seats that he can fit into, ive looked everywhere. Can anyone help me ?
Also- I should point out that i'm not in Iowa, i'm in New York
I would just do a booster. My older son stopped sitting g in a harness at 31/2 and I'm planning on moving my little guy to a booster when he's around 4. So I really think a booster is absolutely fine at that age and size.
Car seat laws and car seat realities don't match.
At 7 years old a child's skeletal structure isn't fully developed and can't take the jolt that could be sustained in a crash. This is why an adult that is under 4'9" does not need boosters or car seats and a child that is under 4'9" does.
The rule is: if a child can sit on the car seat with their bottom completely back, knees bent over the edge of the seat, feet flat on the floor and the seat belt comes across their chest-not their neck and sits on their hips-not across their stomach they do not need anything. Weight has nothing to do with it all either.
There are seats that are made with higher weight limits because they are catering to the special needs child that still needs the restraint but are older and larger. Try looking at Diono and Britax. You may also be fine with a booster. Can you 7 year old be trusted to keep the seat belt on correctly and not put it under his arm or anything else or unbuckle when he shouldn't be? That is a very important thing to look at when deciding between a booster or 5 pt harness.
I am also going to be the first to address the elephant in the room. Are those stats a typo? I ran them through a BMI calculator and it actually asked me if I had typed them in by mistake because it was so far off the charts that it couldn't calculate anything and strongly warned me to seek medical help. Does this child have a medical condition? I wouldn't take this lightly. A part of me really, truly hopes that you are trolling the site and not real. I'm only answering the car seat portion because it's a very important topic to me and in case someone comes and reads this I want correct information to be posted.
Are you on FB? There is a FB page called: Car Seats for The Littles. They can give you a good recommendation.
Disclaimer: I think they are a little obsessed on that page. They support rear facing until 4-5 years old and boosters until 12. But, they could answer your question.
Update: We have a Britax Frontier and a Britax Parkway...both are weight rated to 120lbs. I am 5'2" and 100lbs and my butt doesn't fit--it hits the armrest. They may be weight rated to 120lbs, but I'm not sure a person that size would fit in one.
Get a backless booster.
My daughter is 52 inches and weighs 72 pounds. She is in a backless booster. The great thing about them is they cost $25 or less. Just make sure the belt sits right.
http://www.thecarconnection.com/news/1086949_the-best-boo...
there are two by Britax on this page that support up to 120 lbs.
Best,
F. B.
The Safety 1st Incognito Belt Positioning Cushion goes up to 120 lbs and 5 feet tall. It doesn't have arms at the side so it can suit wider hips.
http://www.amazon.com/Safety-1st-Incognito-Positioning-Cu...
If you Google it shows up as being sold on WalMart, Kohls, Toys R Us, etc. as well. You might have to order online if your local stores don't stock it.
People often mention state laws but that is only useful for legal compliance. Many state's laws are insufficient in terms of safety. For a child to be safe in a seat belt only, they must pass the "5 Step Test".
At 100 lbs., he would be too heavy for a harness, even in my Britax Frontier 90. For me, it would depend on where the belt hits him without a booster (backed or backless). He's heavy enough to be completely safe in just a booster or a regular seatbelt. The only issue would be whether the seatbelt sits over his shoulder correctly without the booster. Most boosters have limits for standing height and shoulder height when seated.
What are the guidelines from the state? In Oklahoma they go out of car seats when they turn 6. If a 6 year old kid in Oklahoma can be safe in a regular seat belt a kid in New York can sit in pretty much any sort of car seat and be safe.
http://www.ghsa.org/html/stateinfo/laws/childsafety_laws....
For Iowa:
An adult safety belt is permissible for ages 6 through 17.
You don't need a booster seat for him.
