OT - moving to a highback booster

[dragonfly08]

Each of my girls was about 5 1/2 when she switched to a high backed booster. I made sure they knew the importance of sitting properly, and they're fully aware that Mom would have no problem at all putting the five point harness straps back on their seats if they don't! Since they're almost 7 and 10 now, the thought of that happening is a pretty good deterrent.

When #2 outgrew her Marathon but still wasn't (IMO) ready for a booster yet, we got a Graco Nautilus. She used it as a five point harness car seat for almost a year until I was ready to convert it to a high backed booster. FWIW, my almost 10 year old still sits in her Nautilus booster (backless at this point) and will for quite a while since she's a peanut. I've told her I don't care what her friends are doing, her safety is my responsibility and that's the end of it. It helps that her BFFs mom is as big on car seat safety as I am and still has her 10 yo daughter (who is much bigger than mine but still within the limits for the booster) still using a backless, as well.

 

[Snooks23]

My DD will be 6 in July. She's still in a 5 pt harness & will be for awhile! My brother just asked me today "she will be sitting in there until she's 16, huh?" I said "If she still fits!" Hahaha ;x

 

[MSSANDRA]

We moved DS to a Graco Natalus with a 5 point harness at 4 when he out grew his convertable Graco seat. At 6 1/2...49 inches and 51 lbs he still fits fine and will stay harnessed as long as he fits. We travel by car a lot (family... 8 hours away, and the beach condo...4 hours away) and I want him to be able to sleep if he wants and move around a little more to play. He could be pretty safe in well fitting backed booster IF he sits perfectly all the time and I don't want to worry that he will. I do allow him to use a non harnessed booster for the 2/10 mile ride to school on the occasion that DS takes him and if we need a booster for a play date or other short ride. The GN are about 130.00, now. Down from the 200 we paid a few year ago because there is more options now.

Around here, four is NOT the norm to move to a backless booster and the few parents that do, are the ones people shake their head at. Most kids ARE in harnessed seat around here at least through age 5 and many past that.

 

[GusGus77]

We have a frontier 85 and my almost 5 yr old is still harnessed. I plan to keep her harnessed at least another year. Plus the frontier can then be used as a booster, but still seems safer than one of the stand alone high back boosters.

 

[Kemorr]

As a previous poster said, putting an older child into a booster is NOT less safe than a 5 point and many car seat techs are now beginning to believe that boostering is safer. Many extended harness advocates use the race car driver analogy to "prove" that a harness is safer. The problem with that is that ALL race car drivers have their head harnessed to the back of the seat (via the helmet) and before they made that mandatory many race car drivers died from neck trauma in accidents. When your torso is harnessed, all the forward inertia in an accident is absorbed by your neck because your torso is prevented from moving forward. With a seat belt there is more give and movement and that energy is absorbed by your torso, NOT your neck. Younger kids are safer in a harness because they can't be trusted to sit properly, not slump and keep the belt in the right spot. However once your kid has reached that maturity level, typically by 6, it is highly likely they are safer in a booster, unless harness manufacturers start adding head harnesses to their seats (unlikely).

 

[samacita]

We made the switch a few months after she turned 5. She is super tall and outgrew her Britax Roundabout at least a year before that. I got a Graco 3-in-1 to keep her in the 5 pt harness for as long as I could. She could still be in some 5 pts if weight were the only factor, but the placement of straps above the shoulders is also important (if not more so), and she is just way too tall.

 

[spel]

My 6 -year old just moved to a bottom only booster using a seatbelt.

My 4-year-old just moved to a high back booster WITH five-point harness. She'll stay in there til she's 6.

That seems to be the norm here in northern NJ.

 

[angelmom27]

I moved both my 5 and 4 yr olds into a graco nautilus just to keep them harnessed longer. We are replacing the seats we lost due to an accident with the new harmony defender. I am keeping them harnessed as long as I can. They have 20 lbs to go.

 

[tyzzle]

My five and a half year old is in the nautilus/frontier (we use both). She consistently sleeps in the car so I will not be switching her for as long as possible. She is 47 inches and 47lbs. I have been in two horrible accidents (passenger not driver) and know pediatric trauma nurses and they all 5pt as long as possible and safe.

 

[Mama Who]

When did you move your kiddos to a highback booster? Age?

My daughter is turning 5 in a few weeks. And she is outgrowing her britax marathon! I think we will barely make it thru summer with her seat. I've been looking at harnessing her longer in a frontier 85. But my family thinks I'm going overboard and should move her to a highback booster!

I know the rules on being able to sit correctly and bet position... I'm a car seat maniac! And would love to 5 pt my kids till they are 16!!

Looking for a realistic approach. She can move to a booster based on the rules, but I just can't kick the added security of 5 pt.

I have a young friend (12 now) who is very small. He rode in a high backed booster until he was 10 because it was not only safer, but more comfortable. Mom took the back off at one point and he asked for to be reinstalled.

There's no reason to move her to a HBB if she still fits in her 5 point harness. Keep her as safe as you can for as long as you can.

 

[scoochie75]

I moved my oldest to a high back booster at 5 (when he was first big enough) because that is what you do right. A few months later driving on I-95 at 65 mph I looked in the rear view mirror and saw my son walking across the back row of the van. I nearly had a heart attack. I have never yelled so loud at anyone in my life. Scared the daylights out of him. At the next exit we got off and purchased him a britax (don't remember the model back then) carseat and put his behind back in a 5 point. That poor kid was in it forever. The scariest part is that he is my overly responsible crazy intelligent child. He got out to pick up the pacifier his brother threw (thinking he was helping out).

 

[Sheepdog23]

It is not safe to restrain a large child in a harness. In an accident, it holds their chest back in the seat and allows their head to move unrestricted which is a recipe for disaster like broken necks. In sweden where we have the fewest deadly accidents, children are rearfacing until age 4-5 and then forward in a booster. Five point harnesses work in race cars because their head and neck are also tethered which they are not in a child's carseat. I think the site is carseat.se

 

[CandleontheWater]

My DS is getting big for the Scenera that we use in my Mom's car, so I'm starting to look at other options. I want to get a 5 pt harness booster, but I need one that has a small "footprint" so that we can fit the infant car seat and have room for an additional adult passenger.

Which car seat is narrower the Graco Nautalis or the Britax frontier? Is there another model I also should be considering?

 

[garjanjones]

My son is 5 and a half and is in 5 pt, although we may go to a high back booster in a year or so. One word of caution is that if you are using latch, make sure the latch system in your car is rated for higher weights, not just the car seat. If the latch system were to fail from too much weight, then the seatbelt would have actually been safer. Only you can check into your specific car's scenario.

 

[tms295psu]

My DS is getting big for the Scenera that we use in my Mom's car, so I'm starting to look at other options. I want to get a 5 pt harness booster, but I need one that has a small "footprint" so that we can fit the infant car seat and have room for an additional adult passenger.

Which car seat is narrower the Graco Nautalis or the Britax frontier? Is there another model I also should be considering?

Radian... Narrowest seat we've found.

 

[tms295psu]

It is not safe to restrain a large child in a harness. In an accident, it holds their chest back in the seat and allows their head to move unrestricted which is a recipe for disaster like broken necks. In sweden where we have the fewest deadly accidents, children are rearfacing until age 4-5 and then forward in a booster. Five point harnesses work in race cars because their head and neck are also tethered which they are not in a child's carseat. I think the site is carseat.se

I'm glad this was mentioned! Very true!

I know our marathon has "stages" in the top tester than are designed to give/break in stages during an accident. Guess that helps with easing forward momentum on the neck.

Right now we are leaning toward the britax parkway

 

[laughinplace199]

I moved DS to a high backed booster a couple of months after his 6th birthday, but that's mostly because he had not reached 40 lbs until then. My older two were in boosters at age 4-5.

 

[Lisa71]

We have the Britax frontier for both our kids .DD is 7 but petite. DS is almost 6 and big. It can be used with the seat belt or the five point harness. We still use the harness and love it.

 

[Lisa71]

And if people think you are crazy send them to the Kyle David Miller website. My kids will be in five points as long as possible. It is not hard to do so why not?

 

[mamaloya]

My kids road in low back boosters until 10. Can't remember the ages try moved from 5 pt to high back to low back. My youngest will be 10 in May and JUST now moved to low back. She is small and I joke that she will be riding in a booster to prom. I will put the high back on the booster on long trips do she can rest her head. She is 49" tall. When my oldest son was 8, we bought a new can because his head was getting above the seat back and that can did not have head rests. They did not have high back boosters back then. I had 4 boosters/ car seats in my van at one point between all the kiddos. An infant seat (1 yo), 5 pt (3 yo), high back (5 yo) and low back (8 yo). I am finally down to one for my almost 10 year old. No way the seat belt fits her right w/o it. I go by for of the belt. A car seat fitter told me to go by thigh bone. If they cannot sit with their but all the way back and their legs bent over the edge of the seat, they need a booster no matter how old. Proper belt position is the most important thing.

Long story short, YOU are the parent. YOU make the call thy is best for your child. I have 6 kids and that is the best advice I can ever give. They are YOUR children and you are the one that is responsible for them. Listen to your gut.