An 11 year old in a Britax REGENT?????

[dubfam]

SO I was perusing my local Craigs List yesterday morning, and I noticed an ad for 2 new Britax Regents. The woman had purchased the seats without taking her ELEVEN year old child with her. When she got the seats home she realized that the boy was too tall for the seats (among other issues I'm sure).

Anyway, it sounded completely nuts to me that someone would consider putting their Middle School aged child in a Regent. Am I missing something here? Aren't most kids way to big for the Regent by 11?? And wouldn't it be a little humiliating for them since no other kids would be in a harness car seat?
I am considering moving my 6 year old to a booster....I can't imagine harnessing him for another 5 years.

[chickabiddy]

Some 11-year-olds would fit. IMO/IME, 11yos who are physically and developmentally typical do not need to be harnessed.

[ann_of_loxley]

If they could fit in it - I would have them in it. I do think it says 'average age up to 11 years' or something like that. I was not yet 80lbs at 11 years of age myself! (skinny bean I was hehe)... I think I finally got to 80lbs at 12 years of age.

Anyroad - safety over worrying about what they look like?... Ill take safety!

I am sure my DS will reach 80lbs way before 11 though lmao...unless he slows down anytime soon

[pers]

I'd think perhaps the child was special needs or something, but then it would be unlikely that they would just be moving to a harnessed seat now. Perhaps just someone made paranoid by the David Kyle Miller video?

I guess if I just had lap belts in the back, I would keep the kid harnessed as long as possible - even to eleven or longer, if the kid still fit - then do whatever I had to to get a new car rather than put a child in just a lap belt.

My five year old recently moved to a booster since she is now over forty pounds and mature enough to sit properly in one the entire ride for every ride and not mess with the buckle or anything. Under normal circumstances, I can't imgaine making an eleven year old ride in a harnessed seat either.

ETA: I am a big believer in extended rearfacing because there is substantial evidence of a significant safety benefit. But extended harnessing forward facing is a bit more controversial, and I wouldn't force an older kid into it on the basis that it maybe might possibly be a little bit safer.

[Eman'smom]

My eight year old still fits (barely) in a Regent. He's never once complained about it. For me maturity is only part of it. Being harnessed is safer, I've told him that and he's fine with it. I never felt the need to change to a less safe booster simply because of what other people might think.

[Equuskia]

Makes me wonder if the seats were stolen. Why not just take them back if they didn't fit, you know? I took back two seats to TRU because they didn't fit in the car properly.

[StephandOwen]

My ds is 5 1/2 and fits in his Regent with tons of room to grow. He'll fit in it for a long time. He'll stay in it as long as he fits in it, even if he is 11. Does it make me paranoid? Nope. It's just how I choose to parent. Just like I wouldn't call the person earlier in the thread who chose to move their 5 year old to a booster any names.... that's how they choose to parent. Which, in this case, is completely different than how I choose to

[JavaJunkie]

My ds is growth hormone deficient(he is on HGH treatments for it). He is 12 and at his last check up with the pediatric endocrinologist, he weighed 59 lbs and was 52 inches tall. He's grown 4 inches since starting the treatment over a year ago. HUGE for him. But I digress...LOL My main point is that yes, there are 11 year olds out there that could fit into a Regent.

[dubfam]

Well I guess that I am coming from the standpoint that I was a C-cup and had started my period when I was 11. I cannot imagine riding to school in a car seat with a 5 point restraint in junior high.

I can understand special needs kids, but for average kids? I would never...unless it was somewhat common. I think it would be humiliating for the child.

I guess I almost view this as safety vs. emotional well being. And for me emotional well being would trump. But I could be way off base here...maybe there are 6th graders that would have no problem with it. I certainly wasn't one of them.

[dubfam]

Originally Posted by JavaJunkie

My ds is growth hormone deficient(he is on HGH treatments for it). He is 12 and at his last check up with the pediatric endocrinologist, he weighed 59 lbs and was 52 inches tall. He's grown 4 inches since starting the treatment over a year ago. HUGE for him. But I digress...LOL My main point is that yes, there are 11 year olds out there that could fit into a Regent.

Oh my!! I am glad to hear that his treatment is helping him. 4 inches in a year? you must be going broke buying clothes!!

[Sharlla]

My 10 year old fits in the harness of a Nautilus. He's still in a booster seat and probably will be for another 3+ years.

[alegna]

Originally Posted by dubfam

I can understand special needs kids, but for average kids? I would never...unless it was somewhat common. I think it would be humiliating for the child.

I guess I almost view this as safety vs. emotional well being. And for me emotional well being would trump. But I could be way off base here...maybe there are 6th graders that would have no problem with it. I certainly wasn't one of them.

But... if your argument against is appearances and what everyone else is doing, then it's not going to become commonplace until people start doing it...

Same thing could have been said about seat belts not so very long ago.

Personally, I'm still researching the added safety of harnessing. It does appear to be less clear-cut than rear facing. BUT if it's clearly significantly safer, you bet your bottom dollar that I'll keep my kids harnessed as long as possible


-Angela

[Marsupialmom]

I just could not imagine an 11 year old in a car seat......but I have a 5'2" 11 year old that is 78lbs....... From the ages of 13 to 21 I was 5'7" and went from 97lbs to 109lbs. I got pregnant and all my bad eating habits caught up.

My son is 14 and 6' 1" (maybe more now) tall.....so I really do have a different perspective on legnth/hieghts of ages. Weights are messed up also. My kids were in the 90 plus percentile for hieght and 5 perenctile or less.

[roxyrox]

Yeah, that sounds pretty crazy. I think there is no evidence children are safer in a 5pt harness after 4 years old (provided they are mature enough to sit properly) and actually speculation a 5pt harness is less safe for bigger kids.

[TiredX2]

Originally Posted by dubfam

I can understand special needs kids, but for average kids? I would never...unless it was somewhat common. I think it would be humiliating for the child.

This came up for us this year. DD is in 5th grade. She is about 57-58" and 74-75 lbs. She is not in a booster. Personally, I feel she is safer out of the booster, but that isn't the point.

I was driving for a fieldtrip and they wanted me to say that I would have any child in my car that was under 8 OR under 80 lbs in a car seat/booster. I talked to the teacher about the fact I was not comfortable enforcing that with 11 year olds, most of whom had been out of carseats for 5 years (DD was the last person in her class in a carseat and she took it with her in 3rd grade on fieldtrips, she didn't in 4th). I would say that at least 1/3 of her class is under 80 lbs, and at least half are under 4'9" (since she is just over and is in the tallest third). Anyway, I ended up crossing out the "OR under 80 lbs" part and not having the kids sit in boosters.

[boheime]

Originally Posted by StephandOwen

My ds is 5 1/2 and fits in his Regent with tons of room to grow. He'll fit in it for a long time. He'll stay in it as long as he fits in it, even if he is 11. Does it make me paranoid? Nope. It's just how I choose to parent. Just like I wouldn't call the person earlier in the thread who chose to move their 5 year old to a booster any names.... that's how they choose to parent. Which, in this case, is completely different than how I choose to

Ditto, except my oldest is 6 1/2. He and my 4 1/2 year old dd are in Regents. My 22 1/2 month old is still rear-facing.

My kids have absolutely no problem with being in carseats. In fact, they prefer it.

[Just My Opinion]

Originally Posted by dubfam

Well I guess that I am coming from the standpoint that I was a C-cup and had started my period when I was 11. I cannot imagine riding to school in a car seat with a 5 point restraint in junior high.

I can understand special needs kids, but for average kids? I would never...unless it was somewhat common. I think it would be humiliating for the child.

I guess I almost view this as safety vs. emotional well being. And for me emotional well being would trump. But I could be way off base here...maybe there are 6th graders that would have no problem with it. I certainly wasn't one of them.

Wow I agree 100%. I would have died from humiliation, nevermind car accident.

[Amylcd]

Originally Posted by dubfam

Well I guess that I am coming from the standpoint that I was a C-cup and had started my period when I was 11. I cannot imagine riding to school in a car seat with a 5 point restraint in junior high.

I can understand special needs kids, but for average kids? I would never...unless it was somewhat common. I think it would be humiliating for the child.

I guess I almost view this as safety vs. emotional well being. And for me emotional well being would trump. But I could be way off base here...maybe there are 6th graders that would have no problem with it. I certainly wasn't one of them.

I agree.

[JavaJunkie]

Originally Posted by dubfam

Oh my!! I am glad to hear that his treatment is helping him. 4 inches in a year? you must be going broke buying clothes!!

It has been pretty amazing. At the beginning of 5th grade, he was still wearing size 6s. Now he's in size 10! I'm betting by the beginning of school next year(7th grade), he'll be in a size 12. I am so not used to having him grow out of clothes. LOL Or shoes. He could always wear a pair of shoes until they were completely falling apart, which was good, because he has XXW feet. His shoes are pricey. He's always been on the small side...never higher than 5-10% for height. But around 3-4th grade he just completely fell off the chart. Waaaay off.

To stay on topic, he is in a backless BPB now. I had him in a harness until he was 8 or 9. Then I let him have a BPB with a back. Now we do a backless...no one can tell he's in a carseat. He's very prone to carsickness, so sitting up and being able to see out better helps with that. He tolerates the BBPB.

[chickabiddy]

My smallish 7yo still fits in her Nautilus harness, and she'd probably fit in a Regent for three more years yet -- but I'll likely be moving her to a good highbacked booster full-time this summer. I don't think there's anything WRONG with harnessing a child of 7/8/9/10/11/etc. if they are okay with it, but I also think that a good booster is a perfectly safe and appropriate choice (for a child of typical size and development) and harnessing is not necessary at that age.