OT question, when do you put DC in booster seat?

[las3888]

I know we are not there yet, but I am curious about when these things happen. When did you move your DC to a booster seat at both home and restaurant. DS is only 17 mos and does very well in his high chair. I just know these phases go so quickly...when do I get prepared for the next one?

Thanks!

 

[denimore]

You move them out of the high chair when they can wiggle out of it...let themselves out of it..or throw such hissy fit tandrums that it causes them to tip the high chair.

Or if you go to a restaurant and they don't have any high chair seats available then you take the booster set

 

[nicolem]

Our DS turned 2 last week, and we use a booster seat (with a lap belt) at home, but at restaurants we still use a high chair. We have had to settle for a booster seat a couple of times, but it's been pretty disastrous. They don't have straps, and he's way too wiggly to stay seated in one. Oddly enough, we usually don't strap him into a high chair at restaurants; he just knows not to try to get out. I think he started using his booster seat at home on occasion when he was around 18 months old, but he didn't switch over to it full time for a couple of months. (That high chair tray was much easier to clean than the placemat and table and floor, so I was sorry to see him outgrow that phase!)

 

[Lisa_Belle]

I moved mine out of her high chair when she figured out how to climb out of it. She's 4.5 and has a "toddler chair" that is wooden, high like a high chair, but doesn't have a bar. In other words, it's basically a tall chair that matches my windsor-style kitchen chairs. Mom got it for me at the unfinished furniture store and I stained it to match. I really like it because the booster seat just didn't fit my kitchen chairs well.

Mine is too squirmy for booster seats in restaurants. She would knock them off under the tables. I just have her sit on her legs.

 

[sara74]

Neither of my kids tolerated the high chair well at home, so we had a booster that strapped to a kitchen chair in 2 spots that both kids started using before they turned one! Now DS turned 2 last week and he has been out of that seat for a few months and likes to sit on his knees on a kitchen chair.

So I guess my kids were out of the high chair earlier than many little ones. It was a pain for me with DD because I tried to force it, but with DS it was very 'been here, done this before' and it went much smoother!

 

[va32h]

None of my three children used a booster seat - we just went straight from the high chair to a regular chair around 18 mo.

I have a child size table and chairs that they use when their dad is gone or working late; when we all ate together, or in a restaurant, they would sit on their knees.

With the booster seats, they were always shaking them or tipping them over - or the height was such that I couldn't get their knees under the table, so they had to lean over....it just never worked out.

 

[Oceana]

Every kid is sooo different

My now 3 year old never sat in a highchair, he sat in our laps till he was 18 months and then moved to a chair. He would shoot out of a booster! Still sits in chairs, booths are the best because we put him on the inside. He was just allways too much of a wiggle worm to stand for it

OUr 1 year old is perfect in a highchair, I plan to take him out when he gets to highschool

 

[KristinU]

DS moved to a booster when I got sick of the behemoth high chair taking up space in our dining room - LOL! I guess that was about 12 months or so. We moved into the Fisher Price booster that has a high-chair type tray and used that with the tray for a while then without. We moved him to a youth chair (from an unfinished furniture store) when his legs got too thick to fit under the table with the booster seat (our table has a wierdly wide apron, so even his youth chair had to be cut down), that happened at about 18 months I think - we added a strap to keep him in at first, but since around two he's been sitting well on his own. As for restaurants, he's not big on booster seats at this point (2.5 yrs) and hasn't liked the restaurant high chairs for quite a while - he prefers just sitting on his own or kneeling. Seems uncomfortable to me, but he's happy so we go with the "suit yourself" mentaility.

Cheers!

 

[las3888]

So is there any advantage (or disadvantage) to putting your DC in one sooner than later, or later than sooner? Sorry for my ignorance...just new to the whole parenting thing!

DS sits really well in highchair at home and restaurant. It sounds like I should continue down that road as long as possible????

Thanks all!