Question about booster seats for cars...

[mommy*RN]

Hi,
My DS just turned 4yrs and is ready for a booster seat in the car . I've been looking at models online and I see there are some "no back" boosters that would be so great for switching between DH and my cars and for gate checking when we travel (I read somewhere you can't use boosters on a plane???). I was just wondering if these are as safe as the other models that have backs...I can't seem to find any comparisons that I can trust.

Thanks for your help!

 

[LynnTH]

I was at a local County Days a few years ago. And the transportion dept (or something like that) had a booth set up with info on car seats and such. I asked her the exact same question as I had high back boosters for my kids but was wondering about getting the ones without backs. She said both were equally as safe for the kids. So, now we only have the backless ones for the kids - they like them better and much easier to get the kids in and out of and the seats themselves are easier when needing to use in another vehicle. We brought these on our trip to Disney this year. Just brought them up to the airline counter and they put them in a big bag for us and we checked them as luggage.

 

[SarahKate]

The biggest key w/ the backless booster is that the seat belt crosses across their chest in the right spot. For a smaller 4-year old, the belt might not hit them in the right spots. But I agree w/ other poster, they are definitely safe and SO much easier to tote around! No more LATCH carseats!!!

Also, taking them on vacation is a lot easier as well.

 

[WantToGoNow]

My ds5 has a backless in one car and a high back in the other. The only real purpose of a booster is to raise them up high enough that the cars seatbelt fits properly. I like the high back better because he still sleeps occassionally in the car and the headrest gives him somewhere to rest his head. Otherwise he tends to lean sideways -- one time I looked back and his bottom was still on the booster and his head was on the seat -- not safe at all.

 

[jessica52877]

My ds5 has a backless in one car and a high back in the other. The only real purpose of a booster is to raise them up high enough that the cars seatbelt fits properly. I like the high back better because he still sleeps occassionally in the car and the headrest gives him somewhere to rest his head. Otherwise he tends to lean sideways -- one time I looked back and his bottom was still on the booster and his head was on the seat -- not safe at all.

Another small thing to look at is does your back seat have headrests. You just want to make sure that your son's head is not above the back of the seat as that is not as safe either, but most newer cars have backseat headrests. But if not that would be a reason to not have backless booster.

 

[Gillian]

We have 2 high back boosters, one in each car, and I prefer them for longer trips, mainly because I feel the seat belt fits better than the no back ones. And also because it's more comfortable if DS sleeps, which he often does.

The ones we have are Graco Car go's that we also used for a while with the 5 point harness. I have another one that DD still uses as a regular car seat.

We also have a couple of backless boosters for grandma's car and as a spare.

You will probably find that with carpooling you'll have an extra or 2. They aren't expensive like car seats.

 

[3littleHalls]

We have a backless booster as an extra, but I wouldn't use ours for a long car trip. The backless booster would end up sliding out from under my DD all the time even with the no skid thing under it. We now have the Parkway(for our 2 oldest) by Britax and loving them! It is very easy to move back and forth. We feel safe with them esp with having head and neck proteciton too.

 

[all4fun]

High back boosters provide more head protection in a side impact over backless boosters. Here's an article about it:

How to best protect children in side impact crashes

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), 42 percent of child fatalities to rear-seated children ages 0 to 8 years occur in side-impact collisions. Overall, side-impact crashes kill about 300 American children under age 8 each year and result in more severe injuries at lower crash severities than frontal collisions.

and

Key findings from the PCPS research study that were presented at the AAAM Conference:

"Effectiveness of High Back and Backless Belt-Positioning Booster Seats in Side impact crashes"

* Belt-positioning booster seats provided a 58 percent overall reduction in risk of injury to 4-to 8-year-olds in side-impact crashes as compared with seat belts alone. (These findings support prior PCPS research, which shows booster seats to be 59 percent effective in reducing injury risk to 4-to 8-year-olds in crashes of all impact directions.)
* The risk reduction provided by booster seats in side-impact crashes varied by booster seat type: 4-to 8-year-olds riding in high back booster seats were at a 70 percent reduction in injury risk, while those in backless boosters did not experience a statistically significant risk reduction as compared with seat belts alone.
* However, both types of booster seats provided significant protection from "seat belt syndrome" injuries to the internal abdominal organs and lumbar spine. Most of the injuries to children seated in backless booster seats were head injuries.
* Possible explanations for non-significant reduction in injury risk for backless booster seats are that parents may be less likely to use to use the shoulder belt- positioner that comes with backless booster seats and that high back boosters have a contoured back that may better contain the occupant in side-impact crashes.

hth,
Cheryl

ETA: you might want to look at this list of Recommended booster seats here as well.

And you're correct, you cannot use bpb's on the airplane, only seats that have an internal 5-pt harness, that are also approved for use on airplanes.

Btw, how much does your dc weigh?

 

[kathi29]

All4fun.... are you a tech?

 

[virginiamama]

I'm so glad I found this thread. We were considering picking up a backless booster to take on the plane since we'll be limited on space on our cruise. Not now!

 

[kathi29]

I'm so glad I found this thread. We were considering picking up a backless booster to take on the plane since we'll be limited on space on our cruise. Not now!

How old / big is the child you are taking? Are you planning on renting a car at any of the ports? When we took our last cruise my DD was 6 and we took along a backless booster for when we had a rental at a couple of the ports.

 

[all4fun]

All4fun.... are you a tech?

No, I have just done a lot of reading on the subject (mainly online) and enjoy passing my knowledge around. I've thought about it though! Maybe it will be my next career.

 

[alloyd1170]

Boosters wont work on planes because you need shoulder/lap combo belts, which dont exist on planes! We have a Graco Turbo Booster where the back can be removed. I would only use the bottom part for a very short drive or if lugging the whole thing was too hard. I believe the back offers more support as others have said, and I would definitely not use the backless part on a smaller child. My son likes to rest his head on the wings when he sleeps anyways.

alison

 

[tatooed goofy]

We went from the seat to no back boosters. Easy transferring from car to van and vice versa.....but, you knew that already, hey? LOVE, SIL

 

[kathi29]

No, I have just done a lot of reading on the subject (mainly online) and enjoy passing my knowledge around. I've thought about it though! Maybe it will be my next career.

Ahh, okay. You have good information and convey it well, so I was just wondering. I find I am better in the one on one with a parent than the written word part of it. Probably because my DD is in a booster so I don't get as much experience playing with the harnessed seats unless I am at a check.

If you decide to become a tech or want more info on it let me know. I've been certified for almost 2 years now. There is also a carseat forum that I can point you towards if you are interested.

 

[Mouse House Mama]

We use a high back booster for ds. I just figure he could use the extra protection just in case. My dh just checked something with the carseats today and it said if the child is over 40lbs you can use it backless. Now my ds was tall enough and weighed enough for a booster (backless even) at 2 years old. Of course there was no way I would out him in one and we stuck to our Britax carseats. Now he is 4 and way too big for a regular carseat so we got the Graco Turbo Booster. The Parkway was too narrow for his shoulders. I would just check your carseat for the requirements. - All4Fun- thanks for all the info! I'm glad I'm not the only one who researches carseats like crazy!

 

[campingcorgi]

We have a high-back booster in one car but in the main vehicle we have the Britax Husky (replaced with the Regent). It is our favorite seat--5 point harness to 80 lbs. Our kiddo is 6 1/2 and still using it daily. This is a huge seat--very heavy--so we install it and leave it in place as much as possible. This would be a great seat for kids who need the 5 point harness still or sleep a lot in the car seat. It is great for long trips!

 

[mommy*RN]

High back boosters provide more head protection in a side impact over backless boosters. Here's an article about it:

How to best protect children in side impact crashes



and



hth,
Cheryl

ETA: you might want to look at this list of Recommended booster seats here as well.

And you're correct, you cannot use bpb's on the airplane, only seats that have an internal 5-pt harness, that are also approved for use on airplanes.

Btw, how much does your dc weigh?

Hi! Your post was very helpful...thank you! My DS was 41# as of his bday so I know he is ready...I will keep looking around. We do have a high back booster that is usable so we will go with that for now...

 

[ksloane]

My DD will soon be 6 and we also do what I saw someone else mention. She has a booster with the back because she still falls asleep a lot in the car (I teach and we go to some sort of ball game all year that gets out late). I don't know how she'd sleep if she didn't have those sides to lay her head on? BUT...because the backless ones are so much cheaper we have one of those we keep in the house in case we are jumping in to ride with someone else and all grandparents have their own in their vehicles.

Also, I'm not sure of the exact model though (I would check if someone wanted to know), but ours that has the back is very light and pretty easy to move when necessary. The back also comes off and it can be used for a booster only. I've never done this, but I got it so that it would hopefully last until she's big enough for nothing.