United Brachial Plexus Network, Inc.

Gabrielle is ready to go into a booster carseat. She is to big for the ones that come with their own straps. If she has a booster using the shoulder belt from the car which is better with a RBPI? 1. the strap going over her right should or 2. strap going over her left shoulder.

I have heard that a seat belt straps can cause a BPI. If this is true do I want to protect her uninjured arm by placing over her injured arm. Or protect her injured arm? SO CONFUSING.

I was born blind in one eye, so my parents always wanted to protect the one good one I had. Should the same logic apply? Protect the one good arm she has. Thanks for any help.

Tina,
How old is Gabrielle and how much does she weigh? If she is under 40 lbs she can still use the harness stystem. My daughter was close to 5 before we took her straps off. Kids over 40 have to use the seat belt. There was at one time a car seat that allowed you to use the harness until 60lbs. It was a Fisher Price Futura but I haven't seen it in stores. Also there is a seat by Britax... called the LapTop. It also was hard to find. it actually goes over the child's lap and the seat belt goes around that. There are no straps over the upper body (it can be used up to 60lbs).

I would think that depending on what her injured shoulder looked like might help to determine what side you would want her seat belt strap to go over. If her BPI side slops a lot and you can't get the shoulder strap into the best position then you would want to use the right side for a better fit.

I have heard of BPI with vehical crashes but thoes are mostly motorcycles. I know of one car crash but I belive that it was the air bag that caused the BPI not the seat belt itself. In my car seat class I was not taught about seat belt injuries to the Brachial Plexus but we did learn about "seat belt" syndrom which affects the lap portion of the body.

Here are a couply of links you might find helpful:
This one can help you find someone in your area trained in car seat safety:
http://www.nhtsa.dot.gov/people/injury/ ... /index.cfm
This one is from University of NC they have lots of good info on finding which car seats to use:
http://www.hsrc.unc.edu/pubinfo/child_question.htm#top

Hope this is helpful!
Blessings,
Kristie

Tina - I have heard that TCH - specifically Dr. Shenaq has seen a LOT of children who have gotten bpi's from seat belts. Maia still fits in the 5 point harness kind - they now go to 100 pounds. I hope to keep her in a 5 point harness until the very last second. How about calling down there and speaking with Dr. Shenaq about it?

and actually when she gets into a situation where there is no car seat - I opt for the lap belt with NO shoulder harness...I just don't want to take a chance.

Francine,
Since I am not longer in car seat safety I am some what out of the loop but I did some research and from what I found harnesses are still not to be used with kids over 40lbs. There is one seat that I found today made by Britax that can be used up to 80 lbs. You will find that some booster seats will say the go up to 100 lbs limit but they are refering to being used as a belt positioning booster seat (used with Lap/Should belts). The web site that I got my current info from is the one I posted earlier...
http://www.hsrc.unc.edu/pubinfo/child_q ... ter%20safe
I encourage you to read the following questions/answers:
Which car seat is the safest or best seat for my child?

How do you protect the larger child? Are booster seats really needed?

If I'm going to use a seat belt for my child, how should it be done?

This web site was last updated in April of 2003. Some of the question/answers have not been revised for a year... I think that is because they are still correct information.

Also while I know that you want to protect from another BPI/injury to the unaffected side and prevent further injury on the BPI side most child passanger saftey people will tell you that lapbelt only is not a good way to go... there are very many dangerous injuries from lap belt only. If you want to avoid this I suggest that you look into the seat (Laptop) by Britax mentioned on the web site I mentioned earlier. Or even the harnessed one that goes upto 80 lbs.

I was not a good example when we rode with you recently since I let Karis go with just a lap belt I knew I was taking a risk, I know better than to let her ride in a lapbelt only and was praying that I wouldn't regret it! And I PRAISE God I won on that one but we never know when we will lose and typically I never let my kids ride in a car in a fashion that will jerpordize thier safety. I even have gone to the point of owning extra seats (currently the LapTop, previouly many others!)so I can assure their safety in any vehical. We never know when we will get in a crash and child saftey seats can save lives and reduce injury.

I care very much about this particular issue and have had a hard time since I am no longer working/volunteering in this field. A lot of times I say nothing about kids that I see in unsafe situations because I know parent will think I am nuts because car seats aren't that complicated... but 4 out of 5 are installed incorrectly and more kids get hurt because no one educated the parents. Car seats are a lot more difficult to deal with than we think. It is being worked on but as well all know change takes time. I enourage EVERYONE to have thier seat checked by a Child Passenger Safety Tech...
This link will help you find one in your area...
http://www.nhtsa.dot.gov/people/injury/ ... /index.cfm
The check will take about 30 mintues. They are very through and they teach you how to be sure your child is safe.
Blessings,
Kristie

Kristie and Fran, Thanks so much for the helpful information. Gabrielle is only 3 but is over 40 lbs. and is very tall (5T) over 40 inches. You can just tell she does not fit in her 5 point cars anymore. I was afraid that her size may make this type of seat unsafe. Thanks again. I have a lot of reading to do.

Tina... Maia is 44" and weighs 59 lbs and fits in her Century Next Step fine...it's one of those highback seats with a 5 point harness....the straps are easily adjusted (although you adjust them in the back)

Tina,
I hope you find the web sites helpful! If at all possible I do recommend that you contact a local tech for check (before and after you purchase your new seat). I did some checking on line and have found one seat on Britax's web site that can be used with harness until 80lbs. It is called the Husky. One of the sites I listed earlier mentioned the Super Elite by Britax but I didn't find any info on their site about it. I looked on the web for it and from the photos it appears that the Husky and the Super Elite might be the same or similar seats. It is a very expensive seat at close to $200 or more depending on where you buy it.
From all the research I have done (I still am waiting on some return e-mails and plan on making some calls later today!)when a child reaches 40 lbs they are to use the vehical seat belts instead of the harness. What I recall from my class is that the harness straps are not designed to take the impact from weights over 40lbs in a crash. I haven't recertified as a tech in over a year so I am contacting others to be sure that the info I am providing you is up to date and current.

The heighth should not be a huge issue but you will have to check with the particular seat to see what they recommend on that end. Personally my daughter is about 47 inches tall and still fits her belt positiong booster seat. I wish car seats were easier! Good luck with your search! If I can help any furhter please let me know!!
Kristie

We bought the Britax Super Elite for our 4 yr old daughter (non-BPI) last year. We had to get on a waiting list to get it because of production delays. We love the seat and it is VERY well made. (We also used Britax seats for the girls when they were littler.) Be warned it is a very large,tall seat so you might want to check the specs. to see if it will fit in your particular vehicle. If anyone has any more questions about the seat, let me know.

Kristie,
I am so gald you posted this info. I checked on my Cosco booster and it specifically says in red bold letters: "If your child weighs over 40 lbs you must remove the harness and use this seat as a belt positioning booster". I knew that height could be a concern when wearing straps, because you want them to be above the child's shoulders by a certain amount, but I had not thought about the weight. Also, for people using the regular seat boosters (ie, the ones that are bases only with no backs), watch out for where your child's head hits the back of the seat. If the midpoint of their head is above the top of the seat you may have to adjust the head rest. This is true for older kids who do not weigh much and really need to be in a booster w/ no back on it. However, if their head does come over the top of the seat, discontinue use.
I encourage everyone who uses boosters with straps to double check their manuals for the weight statement on seats with harnasses.
Kelli