What age to move from a car seat to a booster?

[ilovefh]

DS is getting to a weight that he is about to outgrow his harness car seat. He is 5.5. I know the laws for my state, that isn't my question. I'm just trying to figure out where to go next. Some of my friends have their kids his age in a booster using the seat belt. I found a car seat, Britax Frontier, that has a 90 lb weight limit on the harness and then becomes a booster. Another option could be the Graco Nautilus 80, which works until 80 pounds.

I guess my question is, am I being too over the top in thinking that he could be harnessed until 90 pounds? I know I tend to err on the cautious side. He is delayed and stayed back for another year of prek so he won't even start kindergarten until next year. Plus we live in Orlando and travel 192 and I-4 a lot with people who, no offense tourists, have no idea where they're going and huge accidents happen all the time.

 

[wilkeliza]

DS is getting to a weight that he is about to outgrow his harness car seat. He is 5.5. I know the laws for my state, that isn't my question. I'm just trying to figure out where to go next. Some of my friends have their kids his age in a booster using the seat belt. I found a car seat, Britax Frontier, that has a 90 lb weight limit on the harness and then becomes a booster. Another option could be the Graco Nautilus 80, which works until 80 pounds.

I guess my question is, am I being too over the top in thinking that he could be harnessed until 90 pounds? I know I tend to err on the cautious side. He is delayed and stayed back for another year of prek so he won't even start kindergarten until next year. Plus we live in Orlando and travel 192 and I-4 a lot with people who, no offense tourists, have no idea where they're going and huge accidents happen all the time.

I don't think you are being over cautious. Remember weight is not the only thing to consider with the harness. They all have height maximums as well. The great part of the Britax Frontier is the fact it can be a booster too when the time comes so if you went that route now you shouldn't have to replace it again for awhile. I say do what is best for you and your son. If you think he is safe in a harness and is still with in height and weight then go for it.

 

[bcla]

By that age, height is going to be more of a concern than weight. Even a lot of the high-back seatbelt adjusting boosters are going to run out of height.

Our kid is in a backless booster now, but still barely fits a Britax Marathon 70. Part of the issue is that the straps are pulled out as far as possible and the headrest is extended to the maximum. I've heard of an extender being available but can't find one. Our kid is pretty skinny, so the weight limit isn't going to be much of an issue.

Supposedly a five point harness should be safer, and the back support should have some sort of foam head protection. You can get the latter in a high-back booster. However, it's a lot easier to move a backless booster around. Our main concern is when our kid falls asleep and slumps in the seat. With a five point harness, the head might slump, but the body is still held in place.

 

[pumpkinmomma]

How tall is he? can you take him to a store and see how he will fit in the seat height wise?

Will he sit in a booster properly and not mess with the belt? Does he fall asleep a lot in the car?

My youngest just switched right before her 7th birthday because she was not mature enough to sit in the booster and not mess with the belt.

 

[dotfurio]

YDD stayed in a high back booster with a harness until she was 8. Now she's in a backless booster.

 

[bcla]

One issue with full seat or high back boosters is that they reduce legroom. It may not be an issue with a large vehicle, but in a compact car it can get really cramped.

 

[jadelsp]

So I love my Britax Frontier and my son who is big, due to a genetic issue, just outgrew the 90 lb weight limit and he will be 6 in a month so had to switch to it being a booster with the seatbelt. I am very sad about this and I would have loved to keep him in the harness longer, so no I do not think you are crazy.

 

[ilovefh]

How tall is he? can you take him to a store and see how he will fit in the seat height wise?

Will he sit in a booster properly and not mess with the belt? Does he fall asleep a lot in the car?

My youngest just switched right before her 7th birthday because she was not mature enough to sit in the booster and not mess with the belt.

I'm going to try and see if they have one for him to try at Babies R Us. The seat fits up to 58 inches and he is barely 44 now. He does fall asleep in the car a lot. They don't take naps this year in school since it's a prek/kindergarten mixed class and he is exhausted by the time he gets done at 2:30.

 

[PollyannaMom]

I found a car seat, Britax Frontier, that has a 90 lb weight limit on the harness and then becomes a booster.

Yikes - I don't think my kid hit 90 pounds until middle school! The picture of him in car seat then is making me .

I don't remember the exact ages when we switched (other than turning the first one around) but I know we went from a 5-point to a high-back booster, to a low booster - and I remember the boosters being so much more convenient to move from one car to another!

With your DS falling asleep in it a lot, I do agree about looking for neck support. I really like your idea of taking him to try sitting in different seats! I think the more input he feels he has, the longer before he'll complain about using it.

 

[BoatyMcBoatface]

I am emerging from lurkdom to give kudos to everyone for taking car seat safety so seriously. Too often I hear the opposite - rushing kids through the stages as quickly as possible.

OP - if you decide that a booster might be appropriate for your DS, check out the Britax Parkway. It has a clip between the legs to thread the seat belt through that helps keep the belt in the correct position across the hips. Although it's not a harness by any means, I think it did help my ds transition because it felt a little more like the 5 pt harness to him (and I didn't have to worry about him messing with the belt as much).

 

[mjkacmom]

Yikes - I don't think my kid hit 90 pounds until middle school! The picture of him in car seat then is making me .

I don't remember the exact ages when we switched (other than turning the first one around) but I know we went from a 5-point to a high-back booster, to a low booster - and I remember the boosters being so much more convenient to move from one car to another!

With your DS falling asleep in it a lot, I do agree about looking for neck support. I really like your idea of taking him to try sitting in different seats! I think the more input he feels he has, the longer before he'll complain about using it.

My HS sophomore is only 95, thanks to a huge growth spurt this year of 12 pounds. She was in a backless booster until close to 11.

 

[Skippy918]

My DD is also 5.5 and she's still in a harnessed seat. She's just hitting 40lbs but I plan to keep her harnessed until she outgrows by height. I didn't move DS to a booster until he was 6.5. He did outgrow the Nautilus by height at nearly 8 and he was 50" at the time.

 

[aprilgail]

Yikes - I don't think my kid hit 90 pounds until middle school! The picture of him in car seat then is making me .

it.

My daughter was in booster in jr high- halfway through the year I got rid of it though going by the weights posted in here of 90 pounds she should still be in a 5 point harmess lol- she is 17 years old and 82 pounds! She has to sit on a pillow to drive!

 

[BLAZEY]

DDis 7 almost 8 and rides in a Nautilus with the harness in my DH truck. She is in a high back booster in my car. I think with the information you given I would keep him harnessed as long as possible. It is not only height and weight, but also whether they are mature enough to sit properly in a booster seat in order for th seat belt to do its job. We had to remind DD to sit properly in her seat at the beginning otherwise the seat belt wouldn't work to keep her safe.

 

[Aladora]

DS was 6 when he moved from a 5 point harnessed seat to a HBB and then 8 when he moved to a backless booster and around 9 when he moved to just the seatbelt. He stopped using the booster in DH's car earlier since the seatbelt fit him properly in that car before it fit him in my car.

 

[Poohforyou]

Yikes - I don't think my kid hit 90 pounds until middle school! The picture of him in car seat then is making me .

I don't remember the exact ages when we switched (other than turning the first one around) but I know we went from a 5-point to a high-back booster, to a low booster - and I remember the boosters being so much more convenient to move from one car to another!

With your DS falling asleep in it a lot, I do agree about looking for neck support. I really like your idea of taking him to try sitting in different seats! I think the more input he feels he has, the longer before he'll complain about using it.

My 17 year old high school senior hasn't hit 90 lbs. She just broke 80 in the last year or so. She was in a 5 pt harness through 1st grade but moved to a booster after that. she sat in the booster until middle school.

I'm all for safety, and of course wouldn't do anything to endanger my child, but I also have to consider her emotional wellbeing. By 2nd grade lot of classmates weren't even in booster seats anymore. They certainly weren't in them in middle school.

 

[kmb584]

I moved my daughter from a car seat to a booster at 5. I had purchased a Diono RadianRXT when she was about 3 1/2 and wished I'd purchased it sooner. It was such a fantastic car seat and is now a fantastic booster, and can accommodate a child up to 120 lbs. The car seat portion can accommodate a child up to 80 lbs in a 5-point harness.

 

[Dan Murphy]

if you decide that a booster might be appropriate for your DS, check out the Britax Parkway. It has a clip between the legs to thread the seat belt through that helps keep the belt in the correct position across the hips. Although it's not a harness by any means, I think it did help my ds transition because it felt a little more like the 5 pt harness to him (and I didn't have to worry about him messing with the belt as much).

Excellent choice. We have 6 of these for 2 of our grandkids. 2 in my daughter's car, 2 in my wife's, 2 in mine.

https://www.amazon.com/Britax-Parkw...L+G1.1+Belt-Positioning+Booster,+Phantom&th=1

 

[Marchand63]

DDis 7 almost 8 and rides in a Nautilus with the harness in my DH truck. She is in a high back booster in my car. I think with the information you given I would keep him harnessed as long as possible. It is not only height and weight, but also whether they are mature enough to sit properly in a booster seat in order for th seat belt to do its job. We had to remind DD to sit properly in her seat at the beginning otherwise the seat belt wouldn't work to keep her safe.

My DGD is also 8 just moved into a booster this year. Yup Britax Parkway

 

[Vijoge]

Yikes - I don't think my kid hit 90 pounds until middle school! The picture of him in car seat then is making me .

I have a 19 y/o granddaughter who weighs 97#.