OT: Booster seat question

[karajeboo]

My DD is 7 yrs old, 47" tall, and about 44 lbs. She's been in a booster seat for awhile, but it's a convertible booster seat, meaning that the back comes off to just use the seat portion, with the regular shoulder belt. Her head is just poking past the top of the booster seat back. Does this mean it's time to just use the base of the seat? I can't find this info anywhere on the web!

 

[mom2faith]

My Dr. told me that it was when the base of the head is at or near the top of the seat. If you are in a collision, the neck would snap back and she could be injured. If the seat still comes past the middle of her head you should be fine.
Go to your local ambulance or fire department detachement and ask - they are often running clinics here and are always willing to assist.

Good Luck!!

 

[WDWorBUST]

I'm not 100% positive....in other words keep looking for the answer .....but I want to say that it is if the tops of their ears are over the back of the seat then they need to quit using the back.

 

[buckler]

I thought the ears had something to do with it so I did a google search on "high back booster" and the word ears and found this.

"Your child will have outgrown a high-back booster by height when the tops of the child's ears are above the top of the booster shell. Many booster seats offer an adjustable-height back to accommodate a growing child, and many also can be converted to a low-back booster seat."

So when her ears get to the top of the seat back switch her to just the base.

 

[AlisonR80]

Please no flames, but have you considered putting her back in a 5 pt. harness? She is 2 inches taller than my almost 5 y.o. and the same weight as him and I've got him in a Britax Regent, it harnesses to 80 lbs (though I know he'll outgrow it by height before 80 lbs). I did have him in a belt positioning booster and after doing more research and learning about www.kyledavidmiller.com I decided to put him back into a 5 pt. harness. The Graco Nautilus is another good seat and it converts to a HBB.

 

[campingcorgi]

Check the top of the back of the booster seat--there may be a height adjustment handle there. My 8 1/2 year old has a booster seat for use in other people's cars (she is 51 inches and 51 pounds) and she still has room in hers. She is in the Britax Husky (before the Regent) with a 5-point harness and loves it! We were just looking at a Britax booster online last night (I'm worried that her friends might begin to tease her) but after we saw a couple of crash test videos on YouTube she told me she wasn't coming out of her 'big' carseat.

 

[CDNTech]

I am a tech (this is my job ).

A booster seat is outgrown when *one* of the following two are met...

1. Weight limit exceeded.
2. Tips of the ears go above the top of the shell.

At your daughter's age, she is probably fine in the booster... as long as she is sitting correctly and not leaning out of position, she will be fine.

A 5pt harness *is* safer, but the booster option *at her age* is safe as well.

Check the back of the booster and make sure there isn't a height adjustment... most boosters should go taller than this to accommodate your daughter's height.

If your booster for some reason does not adjust higher, then I would consider getting a different high back booster. High back boosters also offer side impact protection in a collision and help car sleepers stay positioned properly.

A few of my favourites include the Britax Monarch, Sunshine Kids Monterey, Graco Airbooster (for kids 6+), and the Recaro Vivo.

The only thing you need to watch out for if you choose to go backless is that your daughter will *still* have head protection in the vehicles she rides in. The tips of the ears rule applies to *everyone* that rides in a vehicle... we *all* need head protection.

 

[AlisonR80]

Good point Jen, a BIG reason we put our son back in a 5 pt harness was his behavior- leaning out of the seatbelt, playing with it, unbuckling it, etc.

 

[tanyaandallie]

I'm a tech as well and 100% agree with Jen. At 47 inches, you should be able to find a hbb that fits her. What type of seat is she in? Most do adjust taller so check to make sure your does not. If you go backless, just make sure there is a headrest or high seatback behind her head.

 

[CDNTech]

Good point Jen, a BIG reason we put our son back in a 5 pt harness was his behavior- leaning out of the seatbelt, playing with it, unbuckling it, etc.

At your son's age, I can definitely see the need for a 5pt harness.

The brain synopses that govern impulse control do not fully develop until age 5 or 6 years old. This is why we recommend keeping kids under 5 - 6 years old harnessed. There are plenty of seats on the market now to help parents achieve this. The Regent, Radian, Nautilus and Frontier all help parents keep their kids harnessed longer in a variety of budgets.

If you have more questions or would like more info, a great site to visit is www.car-seat.org. That board is full of techs that can answer questions and help you find the best seat for your needs. I hope that's okay to post the link... if it's not, I'll edit it out, just let me know.

 

[karajeboo]

Wow!!! Thank you ALL for the great responses! She actually has two seats, the one is DH's car is the convertible booster, but the way it's made, I doubt if the back can be raised. In that one, she's fine height-wise. It's the booster in MY car that I'm starting to see her head pop above the top (not her ears though, so I have lots of time).

She is very mature in the sense that she wears the seatbelt properly and sits straight.

Thanks again for all the responses!