When did you go from car seat to booster?

[all4fun]

Thanks. Since I pretty much have to use the seatbelt in my car, the only time I'd be using LATCH is if the seat were in someone else's vehicle like grandma's or a rental. I'm going to assume 40 lbs to be the limit for all of them and just start using the seatbelts across the board...Could you imaging me asking about a specific car at the rental counter in MCO

Oh I doubt that the people at the rental counter would have half a clue about using LATCH. Definitely, in that situation, better play safe than sorry and just use the seatbelt if you're not sure about the particular vehicle.

We definately transitioned sooner than we should have but my dd hated her car seat and it got to the point where it was safer to put her in a booster rather than her take off the harness. That being said, what about a booster with the back rather than just the seat? I think most of them can then change to a back-less one. I personally feel more comfortable with her being in a whole seat. She is going to be 5 in Aug, however she is still only 32 pounds so I am not sure she even meets the weight requirement for the next stage up.

4yrs and 40lbs is the bare minimum recommendation (by NHTSA/AAP) for moving up to a booster seat. Many of them do convert to backless but not all. Backless boosters do not provide any side impact protection and do not prevent neck injuries either (so they are not safe to use if the midpoint of the childs head goes above the top of the vehicle seatback/headrest). Your dd would really be safest in a 5pt harness at only 32lbs, that doesn't give her a lot of wiggle room weight wise. If she dropped a few pounds she wouldn't even meet the bare minimum requirement to ride safely in a booster seat. At five, she may have outgrown her car seat height wise. Are her shoulders past the top slots of her 5pt seat? Just wondering why she was so unhappy with it? If it wasn't fitting her right then maybe that has something to do with it.

 

[Bethany]

My 7.5 yr old is in a Britax Parkway (high back booster) and will be for a long time to come.

My 5.5 yr old is in a Britax Regent (5 pt harness). He still has lots of room for growth in this huge seat.

My 2.5 yr old is in a Britax Marathon and we *just* turned her from rear facing to forward facing. It will be years and years and years before she's in a booster.

 

[AQW]

DS is 6y4m, 47" tall, 51lbs. He is in a Britax Regent in my van and Daddy's car, and in a Britax Parkway booster in Gramma's car (Gramma watches the kids two days per week but doesn't drive much). His travel seat is a Graco TurboBooster.

DD is 3y2m, 39" tall, 31lbs. She is rear-facing in a Britax Marathon in all three cars.

We max out on safety, period. We don't turn our kids forward-facing until they reach the rear-facing limit of the Marathon. We adhere to seat expiration dates (I can't tell you how sad I was to say goodbye to my Sit-N-Stroll!!!). These things are simply non-negotiable to us.

 

[o2bacelt]

My 4 year old is in a Britax Marathon and will remain in it until she out grows it, which I thought we'd have been there in height but she's slowed down, we've got one more shoulder slot to go and then we'll be moving to something along the lines of a Regent or whatever the Recaro equivalent is for her to remain in a 5 pt. harness as long as possible.

I have toyed with the idea of having a booster to take with us to Disney but I decided to carry our carseat with us on this last trip, I check it with the bagage and it has a nice trip in its little padded bag.

Stay in a 5 pt. as long as you can, it's so much safer that way, we'll be in ours for as long as possible, DD doesn't even weigh enough to take her off the latch system yet.

 

[momtomari]

I don't feel the boosters are as safe as a 5 point restraint, so my Daughter, who is 5, 50lbs, not sure about height is right now in a Britax Regent and will stay there until she outgrows it (she's got lots of room)

However, I'm considering a backless booster for the disney trip as I cannot haul a regent or my son's marathon through an airport.

People make fun of me all the time. I have a dd5 she is 42" but only weighs 40 pounds her bday is in may she is still in a five point harness in the middle of the back seat. She has never once complained about it. I have a godson who is also 5 and his parents do not make him sit in anything just the regular seat. Anytime we take him somewhere I make him sit in the booster seat that I gave his parents for him. I'm just waiting on the day when they get a ticket for him not being properly restrained. We are heading back to WDW in December and I was also thinking about getting a backless booster for the car ride from airport to hotel. Last year I took her carseat and she sat in it on the plane as well, but this year instead of 4 generations it will only be her and me so I won't have as many hands to help carry.

Amanda

 

[teresajoy]

So, thanks for the moral support. I'll leave him in the Wizard for a while longer!

YEAH!!!

And the difference between a High and Low back booster, safety wise, is side impact protection. Research has shown that a high back booster provides about 70% more protection in a side impact than a low back or no booster does. Again, it comes down to, every step "up" in car seats is a step "down" in safety.


hth

I believe you, but is there someplace that says this? I have a friend that will not put her 8 year old in a booster, because she doesn't see why it would possible be safer than just using the seatbelt. I tried telling her this information, but I know she didn't believe it just coming from me. Although, I doubt it would change her mind anyway, she said, "There is now way I would put ........ in a booster seat, I just wouldn't do it."

To those that want to keep their kids in their car seats for as long as possible, and to each his/her own, please realize that there are expiration dates on your seats. I know my Britax expires after 6 years, so even if you think you're doing the best thing by keeping them in thier harnessed car seat, it does no good if you're carting them around in an expired seat.

We go through a lot of carseats, in our house, and we are very mindful of the experation dates. Thanks for pointing that out though, becasue I'm sure some people don't realize that there is an expiration on carseats.

I just read this and watched the video. Now that I am done crying... I will be putting my 5 yr. old back in her 5-pt harness today. And my 8 yr. old will once again be back in his racecar seat.
Thank you for this reminder.

It breaks your heart, doesn't it? After I wathced those videos, I went out and hooked up the tether straps on the girls carseats. I guess I just didn't realize how important that is! Then, I sent the videos to Heather!

One thing DH and I discussed before purchasing it was should be be in an accident and he were injured or worse - at least we would have no regrets about having provided a car seat that we feel will keep him safer, longer.

That is how I feel too. If I were go get into an accident and something happened to my child, and I knew I didn't have her as safe as possible, I don't think I could ever really forgive myself.

I just wanted to add to this. Just because your child does not reach the weight limit in a carseat does not mean he/she should still be in it. If they are too tall for the seat they need a new seat as well. There are height and weight requirements. You have to check with the seat directions to see what yours are. This makes me nuts with people who use those infant bucket type seats and the kid is obviously too big for it. Another pet peeve of mine is when parents don't tighten the straps. I cannot tell you hpw many times I see a kid in a carseat and the straps are hanging off of them. What is the point of the seat then? It makes me want to give the parents a kick in the behind. Seriously- how stupid can you be?

Lydia outgrows her carseats for height way before weight, Arminda is the other way around. So, when Lydia came, it never occured to me to check the height limits on her seat, until Heather pointed it out to me! So, thanks for pointing that out.

And the straps thing!!! UGGH!!! I don't get it! When we had a daycare, we would tighten the straps up on the carseats, and the next day, the kids would come with the straps hanging off their shoulders again! WHAT do the parents think is holding the child in??
I have started kindly pointing out lose straps to parents. I feel that if I let it go, and then something happened, I would feel party responsible. I always hope that even if the parent gets defensive with me about it, they might think about it later, and tighten them up!

It is so wonderful to see how many people out there try to do the safest things for their children! If more people keep doing it, I hope it will become more the norm. It's a pity when adults let other people's opinions affect the safety of their chilren.

 

[annacali]

Both of my DD ages 3y6m 38 lb, 39 in and 5y10mo 36lb, 42 in are still in Britax Marathons full time. A couple years ago, and several trips ago, I bought the SafeGuard Go seat for travel purposes which is a foldable/portable 5 point harness seat that works to 60 lbs (forward facing only and needs LATCH) and will eventually convert to a backless booster. Those seats are great for travel. I can get both of them in a big duffel bag (in their travel bags) to check them through so they only count as one bag, they install in literally minutes and got safety ratings as high as the Britax seats. They are in use full time now in my mom's car in between trips too. I am another firm believer in 5 point harness as long as possible...and for my nearly six year old, the rate she grows, that may be until she is 12!

 

[all4fun]

YEAH!!!


I believe you, but is there someplace that says this? I have a friend that will not put her 8 year old in a booster, because she doesn't see why it would possible be safer than just using the seatbelt. I tried telling her this information, but I know she didn't believe it just coming from me. Although, I doubt it would change her mind anyway, she said, "There is now way I would put ........ in a booster seat, I just wouldn't do it."

Here you go:
http://www.prnewswire.com/cgi-bin/m...tory/09-13-2005/0004106173&EDATE=Sep+13,+2005
and this one is the same report in a nicer format
http://www.innovations-report.com/html/reports/automotive/report-49146.html

* 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.

hth!

 

[vcgirl925]

I don't plan on switching anytime soon. 5pt harness seats are just so much safer. My son will be 5 in November and he's about 40lbs and 40". He'll stay that way until he outgrows his Radian 65.

 

[pooh4evr]

I haven't read all the posts so I am assuming I will be in the minority but I swithced both my older girls at about 3 and a half-- mostly because I thought they were to tall and they were uncomfortable in the carseats (they are both very tall and the straps wouldn't move up any higher for their shoulders) now youngest dd is smaller then they were at the same ages so far (they were 95- 100% for height -she is 50%) so she'll probably stay a little longer but not much!

 

[lucigo]

pooh4evr: Ok this has nothing to do with car seats but I had to say it...Go Tigers!

(1987 MU Graduate and Columbia Native )

 

[lil mermaid]

I haven't read all the posts so I am assuming I will be in the minority but I swithced both my older girls at about 3 and a half-- mostly because I thought they were to tall and they were uncomfortable in the carseats (they are both very tall and the straps wouldn't move up any higher for their shoulders) now youngest dd is smaller then they were at the same ages so far (they were 95- 100% for height -she is 50%) so she'll probably stay a little longer but not much!

When your older girls were younger, you probably didn't have much of a choice in harnessed seats past 40 lbs. There are many more choices now - I encourage you to check them out for your youngest. She should have plenty of room!

 

[juliana_sd]

It is interesting that children are safer using a harness over a seatbelt, but that its Okay for the seat itself to be secured by the seatbelt. I guess I need to go do some reading up on that.

It's not the seatbelt itself that is the issue, it's the way that the seatbelt fits the child. Seatbelts were designed for adults, and kids just don't fit in them properly because of their smaller size. A booster seat positions the child so that the belt crosses their hips and chest in the right places. With younger kids (3,4,5) in a non-harnessed booster, it's hard for them to stay in the proper position (sitting straight) to allow the belt to stay where it should be, hence the benefit of the 5-pt harness.

My DS is large for his age and outgrew the Marathon by height just after his third birthday. We've been using a Regent since then, and have a Compass booster for when he needs to ride in other cars.

Here he is about 6 mos ago, age 4.5

 

[teresajoy]

Here you go:
http://www.prnewswire.com/cgi-bin/m...tory/09-13-2005/0004106173&EDATE=Sep+13,+2005
and this one is the same report in a nicer format
http://www.innovations-report.com/html/reports/automotive/report-49146.html


hth!

Thank you so much for the links! That is really good information!

I haven't read all the posts so I am assuming I will be in the minority but I swithced both my older girls at about 3 and a half-- mostly because I thought they were to tall and they were uncomfortable in the carseats (they are both very tall and the straps wouldn't move up any higher for their shoulders) now youngest dd is smaller then they were at the same ages so far (they were 95- 100% for height -she is 50%) so she'll probably stay a little longer but not much!

I wanted to add that your 5 year old should still be able to fit into the Britax Regent. Lydia (my 5 1/2 year old)is in the 97th percentile for height, and she has quite a bit more growing room in that. Actually the Regent is the seat my 10 year old uses most of the time. I would urge you to check it out. The Graco Nautiuls and the Sunshine Kids Radian are also excellent seats for bigger kids, and they aren't as wide as the Regent.

 

[Erin13178]

My dd who is almost 4 is a big girl. She's 43 inches and 51 lbs. She's not in a 5 pt harness anymore, but she's in her car seat without the 5 pt. It acts as a booster seat too, and she will be there until she gets too big for it. Our seat can hold up to 80 lbs, but I'm guessing I will move her out of it when she's around 65-70lbs.

The laws in IN is that they have to be 80lbs and 4'9" and then they don't need a booster anymore. I'm just dealing with her carseat cause she doesn't complain at all.

 

[Tiger926]

People make fun of me all the time. I have a dd5 she is 42" but only weighs 40 pounds her bday is in may she is still in a five point harness in the middle of the back seat. She has never once complained about it. I have a godson who is also 5 and his parents do not make him sit in anything just the regular seat. Anytime we take him somewhere I make him sit in the booster seat that I gave his parents for him. I'm just waiting on the day when they get a ticket for him not being properly restrained. We are heading back to WDW in December and I was also thinking about getting a backless booster for the car ride from airport to hotel. Last year I took her carseat and she sat in it on the plane as well, but this year instead of 4 generations it will only be her and me so I won't have as many hands to help carry.

Amanda

It is so sad that people make fun of you - that is based on pure ignorance of child safety. Who makes fun of you? Do you mean they do it to your face?

I feel like I'm from another planet most days as I see so much ignorance, rudeness and selfishness around me, but this really stymies me. It is so unfair to you as a parent who has made a fabulous safety decision. I won't say anything else as I have much to say about parents who put more thought into the colour of their car, or, what kind of SUV to buy, then in choosing proper car seats for their children - don't even get me started!

Good for you for looking out for the safety of your godson - his parents made a sound decision in choosing you as a godparent since apparently they don't have much sense in regards to child safety since a child of 5 should absolutely not be sitting in just a regular car seat.

Tiger

 

[jodifla]

It is so sad that people make fun of you - that is based on pure ignorance of child safety. Who makes fun of you? Do you mean they do it to your face?

I feel like I'm from another planet most days as I see so much ignorance, rudeness and selfishness around me, but this really stymies me. It is so unfair to you as a parent who has made a fabulous safety decision. I won't say anything else as I have much to say about parents who put more thought into the colour of their car, or, what kind of SUV to buy, then in choosing proper car seats for their children - don't even get me started!

Good for you for looking out for the safety of your godson - his parents made a sound decision in choosing you as a godparent since apparently they don't have much sense in regards to child safety since a child of 5 should absolutely not be sitting in just a regular car seat.

Tiger

Parents make many choices.

I wouldn't have a pool in a home with a toddler. But I don't go around criticizing those who do.

I have a "proper' booster seat for my son, IMO. But it's not likely to please the Britax lovers on the board.

Here's what I see on these car seat/booster seat threads: The same few parents whipping themselves into a frenzy over how stupid other parents are who don't agree with them.

And then all the other DISboarders stay away from the thread with the proverbial 10 foot pole, because they don't follow the PC perfect parent party line.

 

[mom2aredhead]

Jodifla, please don't start trouble. I asked for thoughts and opionions and that's what I'm getting. Plenty of people here responded that their kids are in different types of boosters, and no one called anyone stupid.

 

[Tiger926]

Jodifla, please don't start trouble. I asked for thoughts and opionions and that's what I'm getting. Plenty of people here responded that their kids are in different types of boosters, and no one called anyone stupid.

I agree and I'm not sure why Jodifla felt the need to post that.

The fact is that a baby boy of 5 not fastened in a car seat is a serious problem and in my province, it's against the law. It is what it is - it's dangerous and totally unsafe.

This has nothing to do with Britax or not - the best car seat for a child is the one that fits the child the best and in the case of the op's godson, any seat is better than no seat, bottom line.

This is a serious decision for many parents and sure there are many of us who are very vigilant about car seat safety as traffic accidents kill many children in your country and in mine, but guess what? In Europe traffic mortality rates are very, very low. Know why? Because they take car seat safety very seriously and like I said, I have friends/family who put more thought into choosing the colour of their car, then into safe car seats for their children. It has nothing to do with Britax lovers vs. Non Britax at all - my wish is that all children are in some type of safe car seat, period.

The debate as to when to go to booster is a serious one for many parents, but honestly, this decision is clouded by ridiculous societal pressure that has somehow determined that car seats are "babyish." That is the saddest thing of all, as adults should know better than that. Child safety should never be about coolness, but about keeping our most precious assets safe and alive, period.

Tiger

 

[jessica52877]

DS is 5 1/2, 43 lbs and 46 inches tall. We will NOT be moving him into a booster for a LONG time! We have regent, nautilus and apex all going to 65 lbs atleast harnessed. I see no need to move him for any reason. I still drag the carseats through the airport too.

I have recaro young sport that I thought I would use for a booster for the 2nd car when he hit 40 lbs (about 6 months ago) but no way. I just didn't feel it was nearly as safe although I think the seat itself is but not being harnessed takes away from the safety I feel.