car seats

[devientenigma]

My ds is too heavy for any car seat including booster cushions. He is not yet 12 or 135cm. What do I do??? What should he use?? TIA x

Keep using the booster cushion. It's all about seatbelt posistioning at that age.

www.dft.gov.uk/think/focusareas/children/childincar?page=FAQ

"8. My child is under 135cm tall, but already weighs more than 36kg. Should he use the adult belt?
"No. A child under 135cm must use a child restraint. It's far better to use a booster and an adult belt even if a child is over 36kg rather than using the adult belt alone. If there is a crash, it is the adult seat belt (which is tested to cope with adult weights) that will take the force of the impact, not the booster.

"The approval process for child restraints requires manufacturers to test their products for specified weight ranges. The highest range for these tests is 22kg to 36kg - the weight ranges shown on the labels are those for which the tests have been done.

"In practice however, such boosters can take weights greater than 36kg. They are simply polystyrene foam blocks in the form of a hard cushion, some with guides for locating the adult seat belt. If there is a crash, it is the seat belt that takes the loads."

Thanks for that. My ds is in a britax traveller plus...he needs the 5 point harness. Still waiting for the OT to get back to me (since September for this prob)with a suitable seat. Though I did look at the crelling harness until I seen he was too heavy for a booster. May still go for that unless anyone can think of something better.
I never saw the FAQ section on Think website so I got on the phone and left a msg. Gonna have another look to see if there's any other queries relevant. Cheers ouryve x

The crelling harness with a booster cushion to ensure the seatbelt is crossing all the right places would probably be the safest option. The important thing is that the seatbelt crosses his shoulder and chest and not his neck and that the lower portion crosses the top of his lap, as it would an adult and not his abdomen. This is why the booster seat is needed, even if he is above the maximum tested weight.