Car seats

[Caitlin19]

Hello :) my son turns 3 in may and I'm finding it very hard to find a car seat he fits in he is overweight and weighs nearly four stone(seeing people about his weight,his dad is big built to) we have bought 3 in the last couple of mouths that are all up to 36kgs but he is far to big for them the straps are as lose as they can be but they are still tight and still digging into his legs and shoulders. I would appreciate any advise you have but please no negative comments about my sons weight :) thank you

Most 4 year olds go into the seats that you use the seatbelt for I think? Try one of those?

I am sure there are groups on Facebook that are ace at helping with car seat issues. You can submit car details and they can suggest best seat for the particular circumstances.

Someone will be along soon, hopefully, who can point you more accurately to the groups.

There aren't really any seats that harness beyond 25kg so you'd be looking at a high back booster. I'd recommend you get one with crotch strap to avoid submarining under the seatbelt. The britax kidfix range are good, also the axkid big kid.

It could also be worth checking out the Car seat advice uk Facebook group or giving the in car safety centre a call as they should be able to advise. Ideally you'd want to avoid a booster before about aged 4 if possible.

Your son is still only two years old, and even four is a bit young to trust them with an adult seatbelt in a high back booster. There's a very strong chance he won't be safe in one because of his age, what will stop him just unbuckling the seatbelt or pulling on it to loosen it?

There are some great harnessed seats going up to 25kg but that's not going to be enough for your son. The ones going up to 36kg are designed to be used as a high back booster after 18kg. The harness is too tight because he's too big for it, and I would worry that it wouldn't hold him in a crash as well as obviously making him miserable due to being too tight. They're only crash tested up to a child weight of 18kg; after that kids are usually old enough to use it in high back booster mode with the seatbelt.

I would get some advice from the In Car Safety Centre, they really know their stuff. It might be that you need to look into special needs equipment. You can get harnessed seats for children well over 25kg in that section, but it will come at a cost unfortunately. :-(

In the meantime, if you can find a way to keep him sitting properly in the seat you have e.g. an adult next to him to ensure he doesn't mess with the buckle or seatbelt, it would probably be safer to use the adult seatbelt with that seat. The risk of the harness not being able to take his weight in a crash is just too big.

But mostly, don't listen to me or anyone else on here unless they're a child car safety professional - go direct to the experts. :-)

How much does he weigh for a start? Car seat advice UK is a great Facebook group but posting is never really open

incarsafetycentre.co.uk/special-needs

@Rainbowdino he is nearly four stone (around 25kg). The OP has put this information in her original post.

@GreenSlide he's only two years old. Not sure how the fact that many FOUR year olds transition to high back boosters relevant here?

Thanks, sorry OP I missed that.
Try joining that Facebook group & do a search on there, I’m sure somebody else will have been in your position.

You need to contact the In Car Safety Centre, they specialise in unusual situations like this, and their prices are comparable to other shops.

Although there are harnessed seats sold as up to 36kg, the harness can only be used up to 18kg or 25kg (depending on the seat) and the 36kg part refers to where you use the adult seatbelt, which is why the harness won't reach to do up around him. It is very dangerous to use the harness on the seat past its stated weight limit, so I would strongly recommend you don't do this. It could fail or come apart if you had an accident.

The in car safety centre will be able to advise whether you'd be best off with a high backed booster seat using the adult seatbelt, and if so, what kind of booster, or whether there's a higher weight harnessed seat which will take him - they do exist but are normally designed for special needs children who can't understand the implications of staying safely in a seatbelt, and are very expensive, so might not be right for your situation.

The other option is to import a seat from the USA where they have much higher weight limits, some up to 65lbs. They are not strictly legal here, but it's very unlikely that you'd actually be stopped for this and if you were I would just explain the situation. Not quite 3 is very little to go into a seat using just the seatbelt. If you do this you would also need to source a metal locking clip from the American seat manufacturer as US car seatbelts are different from ours and lock for car seat installation. When you can't lock the seatbelt, you need the locking clip, which is different from the plastic locking clips you can get for European/UK car seats.

Thank you for your reply and your advice I will join that group now I'm so worried that something is going too happen too him in the car I sit in the back with him as I feel it's the safer option. I will have a look at the link you sent aswell. Thank you so much for your help I was starting too get stressed and worried I wouldnt no what too do thank you again

[quote BlibBlabBlob]@GreenSlide he's only two years old. Not sure how the fact that many FOUR year olds transition to high back boosters relevant here?[/quote]
I completely read the OP wrong sorry OP!

Hope you get it sorted @Caitlin19 and well done for seeking advice, so many parents just don't seem to take car safety seriously and I really don't understand why.

In the meantime, if I were you I would install your existing seat in high back booster mode i.e. he will be secured with the adult seatbelt not the harness. Then always make sure somebody is sitting next to him, to stop him fiddling with the buckle or belt. He will be safer that way than trying to use the harness when he is 7kg over the weight limit for it.

I can only think of this or a special needs solution like using a high back booster with the main seatbelt and then a crelling harness or this as suitable options.

A crelling harness isnt a substitute for a car seat with straps because a child is over the minimum weight limit. They're not crash tested for starters as they're not meant to be used instead of a seatbelt.
They dont interface with all booster seats and the child needs to be a minimum height or the straps of the crelling will dig into their neck. And you use them in conjunction with a car's seatbelt as well. If the seatbelt doesnt sit properly on the child then it's still dangerous.

I've got a crelling for my ds who needs it on genuine safety grounds, but we had gone down the harnessed to 25kg car seat route first. Basically the crelling stops him escaping and knocking 10 bells out of anyone in the car, and the booster and seatbelt he uses keep him safe.

If you do end up going down the SN carseat route, then definitely get in contact with the incar safety centre. Like all carseats really they are not an off the peg solution and not all seats fit all cars.

Thank you for much! This was the last thing I knew I could try too get advice. And honestly I agree 100% with you @BlibBlabBlob I've spoken to a couple of people and they have told me he is fine in there I knew in my gut and my heart he wasnt safe at all. I really appreciate your advice thank you again xx