OT: Thinking of changing carseats for our 4 year old DGS? NEED ADVICE!

[Tiggerlovinggrandma]

DH and I are grandparents. Our grandson is 4 years old (March). We have used the same Graco full size car seat since he was born. It a full size car seat that has a harness style belt and fits in the middle of the backseat but does not transfer into a booster. Our grandson can still fit into this seat. Our daughter who has the same car seat as us has already made the switch to a Graco High-back Turbo Booster car seat this past month. It uses just the car seat belt which fits into a slot near one shoulder and runs across her son and locks into place. The seat is now on one side of the backseat.

DH and I are wondering rather to follow suit and get a Graco Turbo Booster for our car or wait a bit longer to make the switch. Our reasons for waiting are the full size car seat we have now has a better, safer, we think, harness belt than just a regular car seat belt and the seat itself fits in the middle of the backseat which we feel is safer area overall. However we are not sure whether we are just being overly safe as grandparents or whether these are legitimate reasons for a 4 year old. If we do wait, how long? Is there a age, height, weight that is better to transfer to a high back booster seat?

Does anyone have the Graco High-back Turbo Booster Seat for a 4 year old? What do you like and/ or dislike about this style of car seat. How has your child adjusted to his or her new seat? At what stage/ age/ height do you remove the high back part? Any advice will be greatly appreciated!

Thank you!

 

[bounce76]

I would keep your DGS in the harnessed seat, as long as he still fits the height/weight restrictions. Every level up in a car seat is a level down in safety. My 6 yr. old dd is still in a 5 pt. harness, even though both she & her younger brother (4) legally could sit in a high back booster. The legal height/weight for a car seat is the minimum a child has to be, not what size you have to move them. Their seats have a harness weight limit of 65 lbs, so they could be harnessed for a very long time! My dd has sat in a high back booster before, and honestly, the 5 pt. harness is easier for her to buckle/unbuckle, in addition to being safer. Just remember, most car seats have an expiration date of either 6 or 7 years from date of manufacture, something to do with the plastic in the seat breaking down & becoming fragile.

 

[daniele_ut]

Which specific model of Graco car seat is he currently riding in? How much does your grandson weigh? Are his shoulders beneath the top slots of the harness. If it is a Graco ComfortSport, the odds of him still fitting in it at 4 years old are pretty slim.

A 4 year old is really too young to be riding in a high back booster like the Turbobooster. If you want to replace his seat, then I would suggest something like the Graco Nautilus, which has a harness that can be used until 65lbs and then can be used as a belt positioning booster. Even if a 4 year old meets the minimum weight requirement for a Turbobooster, they aren't mature enough to sit still and keep the belt in the correct position all the time. My DS rode in his Nautilus full time until he turned 6 and now uses a high back booster. I plan to keep DD harnessed just as long.

 

[labdogs42]

I'd go with a Graco Nautilus. It can keep him harnessed until he's 65 lbs, then goes to a high back booster, then a backless booster. It is a great seat! My 6 year old loves his!

 

[LisaNJ25]

I'd go with a Graco Nautilus. It can keep him harnessed until he's 65 lbs, then goes to a high back booster, then a backless booster. It is a great seat! My 6 year old loves his!

same here.. my 5 and 6yo both use it with the 5pt still.

 

[Lstar311]

I'd keep him in the 5 pt harness as long as you can. Its much safer to ride in a harness than just w/ the lap/shoulder belt. If he is the minimum weight than you can legally move him but if he's not complaining I'd keep him in the car seat. My son is almost 4 and I have no plans of switching him over any time soon. There are lots of links to car seat safety and it is recommended to keep them in the carseat until they exceed the height/weight maximums.

 

[MSSANDRA]

I'd go with a Graco Nautilus. It can keep him harnessed until he's 65 lbs, then goes to a high back booster, then a backless booster. It is a great seat! My 6 year old loves his!

This

We moved DGS at 4 when he hit 40 lb-40 inches and outgrew his convertable seat. We love his Graco Nautilus.

 

[laughinplace199]

As long as he still fits well in the carseat, I'd keep him in it. A seat with a 5 point harness is safer than a booster.

I have a DS4 and I recently considered getting a booster for occasional trips in my parent's car. After doing some research, I realized that my DS is too small for a booster.

 

[dragonfly08]

I'd go with a Graco Nautilus. It can keep him harnessed until he's 65 lbs, then goes to a high back booster, then a backless booster. It is a great seat! My 6 year old loves his!

I have two of these, as well. DD#1 (7) uses hers as a high backed booster, while DD #2 (4) still still has the five point harness. She's legally old/big enough to be in a booster but other than when I'm driving her school carpool I prefer the greater safety of the harness (I do put her in her big sister's booster for carpool, because her friend is not legally able to sit in a booster yet so I give him the five point harness for the short ride).

 

[Bren's Mom]

I concur with the pps...I am fairly certain your dgs has likely outgrown the seat he's currently in, and I also would not recommend ANY booster seat for a 4 year old. The suggested Graco Nautilus is a great choice, I would encourage mom to get one as well!

Coleen
CPST

 

[ktlm]

Depending on his size, I would wait a little while unless he is complaining about the current car seat, and then switch to the Graco High Back Turbo Booster because after safety testing, versions of it made the Best Best and Good Bets lists for 2010. I would be sure to get one of the versions from the list. The Graco Nautilus was also tested, but it did not make the recommended lists for safety. The good news for those who have it is that it did not make the "not recommended list" either.

http://www.iihs.org/research/topics/boosters/best_bets.aspx

DD switched out to a booster right at her 5th birthday. We gave her the option of some of the seats on the best bets list and let her sit in them to pick the one she thought was most comfortable. She picked the Britax Frontier. I was hoping she would pick that one because while it is expensive, it still has the 5 point harness so we can keep her in that a while longer. Plus, Britax always seems to get really high safety reviews. I have a feeling it was the cup-holders that won her over though!

 

[nchulka]

My kids were both in turboboosters at age 4 and they are both alive and well today. Think back did you really have your kids strapped into 5 point harness' when they were 4?

 

[ThreeBeans]

Depending on his size, I would wait a little while unless he is complaining about the current car seat, and then switch to the Graco High Back Turbo Booster because after safety testing, versions of it made the Best Best and Good Bets lists for 2010. I would be sure to get one of the versions from the list. The Graco Nautilus was also tested, but it did not make the recommended lists for safety. The good news for those who have it is that it did not make the "not recommended list" either.

http://www.iihs.org/research/topics/boosters/best_bets.aspx

DD switched out to a booster right at her 5th birthday. We gave her the option of some of the seats on the best bets list and let her sit in them to pick the one she thought was most comfortable. She picked the Britax Frontier. I was hoping she would pick that one because while it is expensive, it still has the 5 point harness so we can keep her in that a while longer. Plus, Britax always seems to get really high safety reviews. I have a feeling it was the cup-holders that won her over though!

Apples and oranges....the IIHS ratings have nothing to do with the Nautilus in harnessed mode.

As a CPST I would not recommend putting a four year old boy in a belt positioning booster. Most if not all four year olds simply do not have the maturity necessary for those sorts of seats. Continuing to use a harnessed seat until the boy is a older (5-7) is a better idea.

As far as 'safety ratings' go, Britax does not have better 'safety ratings' than the Graco Nautilus. They just have a better PR department and appeal to brand-conscious parents (Not that there's anything wrong with the Britax Frontier 85, it's a lovely seat.)

 

[ThreeBeans]

My kids were both in turboboosters at age 4 and they are both alive and well today. Think back did you really have your kids strapped into 5 point harness' when they were 4?

My oldest was in a 5 point harness until his sixth birthday. My five year old is currently in a five point harness and will be until she outgrows it, as will the three year old.

Most four year olds do not have the maturity to correctly use boosters. Them being 'alive and well' is more a stroke of luck than anything. If you got into an accident, and had they been 'out of position' at the time of the accident, the results could have been deadly.

When we know better, we do better. That is why we no longer carry our babies in our laps in the car as we did in the fifties, or move children out of restraints entirely at two or three years of age as we did in the 80s, and why we now tell parents to keep children rear facing until at least two, harnessed until they outgrow their five point harness (and at least until 4-7 years of age) and boostered until 4'9" (between 8 and 12 years of age.)

Saying, "I did XYZ and my child survived" is a non-argument. All it means is, 'you got lucky'.

 

[Bren's Mom]

Hello 3B!!!!! And thank you, I was feeling rather lonely around here answering the car seat questions!

 

[nchulka]

Most four year olds do not have the maturity to correctly use boosters. Them being 'alive and well' is more a stroke of luck than anything. If you got into an accident, and had they been 'out of position' at the time of the accident, the results could have been deadly.

When we know better, we do better. That is why we no longer carry our babies in our laps in the car as we did in the fifties, or move children out of restraints entirely at two or three years of age as we did in the 80s, and why we now tell parents to keep children rear facing until at least two, harnessed until they outgrow their five point harness (and at least until 4-7 years of age) and boostered until 4'9" (between 8 and 12 years of age.)

Saying, "I did XYZ and my child survived" is a non-argument. All it means is, 'you got lucky'.

So where does it end??? 10 years from now are we going to have kids in carseats until age 15? Maybe 20 years from now someone will invent carseats for adults. And since rear facing is safest maybe we can all just drive backwards! There's safety and then their is overdoing it. My mom was one of those kids in the 50's who was held, she is alive and well as well. We didn't just get lucky, we're alive because most people do live. Sure some will die in car accidents, some will get cancer, but statistically speaking most people do continue to live. We get so wrapped up in what is the "safest" that people can really lose perspective. I've seen kids at the roller rink in helmets, sure it may be "safest" but it looks ridiculous, as does a 6 year old belted in like a baby!

 

[nchulka]

To the OP these boards are full of car seat fanatics. What they suggest is not consistent with what really goes on is real life. You can see that by the fact that at home your DGS is already using a booster. My kids are 9 & 7 and all of their friends are out of even boosters at this point. There was a time when my kids and their friends were around 5-6 that if they rode with me the kids would show up with a backless booster but not anymore. There is not one kid in the real world that I know over 4 that is in a 5 point harness (except one with special needs). Even the fanatics on the board will tell you that in their real life experience kids are not staying in 5 point harnesses past 4 or in booster past 7. They like to keep their kids strapped in, but most people do not. My 9 year old is only 55 pounds according to all these 65 pound seats she would be in a 5 point harness well into middle school! I'm sure that would go over well

 

[Bren's Mom]

I think that the parents of the 7 and 9 year olds who DID die, or who were permanently and irreparably injured in accidents, would say 'there is no end, we continue to do better as we know better' just like ThreeBeans said.

There IS a point at which a child is physically ready to forward face, we encourage parents to keep kids rear-facing until then.

And there IS a point at which a child is mature enough and physically ready to be in a booster with the adult seat belt, and we encourage parents to keep kids harnessed until then.

And there IS a point at which children have grown large enough for the adult belt to fit them properly, and we encourage parents to booster their kids until then.

Ultimately, you get to make your own decisions regarding your own children. It is my job as a CPST to educate parents so they are making INFORMED decisions, but I know that it IS your right to make the final call. And I respect that.

No doubt, in earlier years people were making the same silly arguments about seat belts in general that you're making about car seats now. The truth is, car accidents are the # 1 cause of death for children. There is no disputing that. If educating parents and encouraging them to use best practice in their own vehicles with their own children makes the death toll even one less each year, totally worth it for me.

 

[Bren's Mom]

T Even the fanatics on the board will tell you that in their real life experience kids are not staying in 5 point harnesses past 4 or in booster past 7. They like to keep their kids strapped in, but most people do not. My 9 year old is only 55 pounds according to all these 65 pound seats she would be in a 5 point harness well into middle school! I'm sure that would go over well

First, not one person on here has EVER said that that your 9 year old, or any typically developing 9 year old should be harnessed.

Second, I would NOT call myself a fanatic...but I am very passionate about keeping kids safe in vehicles and I do have my 5.75 year old still harnessed, something he's perfectly fine with. He's in kindergarten. Several of his friends are still harnessed. I just installed two Graco Nautilus seats in two vehicles this weekend for unrelated people both of whom have 4 year olds and have just purchased these seats to keep their kids harnessed. MOST people DO keep their kids harnessed longer AND boostered longer after they have been educated about WHY it's a good idea to do so.

Coleen
CPST

 

[Minniemouse07]

I think that the parents of the 7 and 9 year olds who DID die, or who were permanently and irreparably injured in accidents, would say 'there is no end, we continue to do better as we know better' just like ThreeBeans said.

There IS a point at which a child is physically ready to forward face, we encourage parents to keep kids rear-facing until then.

And there IS a point at which a child is mature enough and physically ready to be in a booster with the adult seat belt, and we encourage parents to keep kids harnessed until then.

And there IS a point at which children have grown large enough for the adult belt to fit them properly, and we encourage parents to booster their kids until then.

Ultimately, you get to make your own decisions regarding your own children. It is my job as a CPST to educate parents so they are making INFORMED decisions, but I know that it IS your right to make the final call. And I respect that.

No doubt, in earlier years people were making the same silly arguments about seat belts in general that you're making about car seats now. The truth is, car accidents are the # 1 cause of death for children. There is no disputing that. If educating parents and encouraging them to use best practice in their own vehicles with their own children makes the death toll even one less each year, totally worth it for me.

I could have written every word of this post!