A couple of booster questions...

britfish

New member
When did your child use a HBB full time? DD is 5 1/2 and 36lbs. she is currently in a MA and harnassed in a Nautilus. I was thinking about getting a booster for Grandmas car because she picks her up from school about once a month. I thought it would be a good place to start w/ the booster (my mom will be good with proper use).
Any recommendations on a booster for a small framed 5 1/2 yo? Also, I'd love to have an idea when to start thinking about taking her out of her other seats? I kind of thought she would be in them for quite awhile but after seeing the kids at Kindergarten I realize we are amongst the few still in a 5pt. restraint.
 
ADS

3plus2isme

New member
At 36lbs I'd definitely be keeping her in a 5pt harness. I'd wait til she's over 40lbs. Younger DS is just over 40lbs and even he seems soo little when he plays around in older DS's booster (that not even older DS is using full time yet and he's 48lbs...) We have a Parkway SG and I really like it for my tall, slim kiddo.
 

Mom2FiveGirls

Active member
My two oldest girls (8 and 7) are in Turbo Boosters and DD#3 (5.5 years old, 43.5 inches tall, 37-38 lbs fully clothed) and DD#4 (4 years old, 39.5 inches tall, 35 lbs fully clothed) fit in them nicely. They don't use them, but I did put them in them just to see how they fit and they do fit them well. I wouldn't put a child under 40 lbs in a booster though. DD#3 is in Kindergarten and there aren't many kids still harnessed at all. As a matter of fact, I haven't seen any other children get into harnessed seats (that's not to say there aren't any...I just haven't seen any). Most of the pre-k kids there are in boosters too :( I don't think the majority of parents have much knowledge about the safest car seat practices. I know I was clueless until a few months ago. DD#3 was one of those boostered pre-k kids last year...
 

joolsplus3

Admin - CPS Technician
My dd1 was that size and that age...she used a booster for some situations, but was harnessed mostly till age 7.
The Recaro Vivo or Vivo Lite (different covers, same seat) would probably be a pretty good fit for her. Parkway SG would to, but it has a minimum weight of 40lbs. Because, yeah, harnessing longer is safer in more types of crashes, and Britax is encouraging kids to not be in boosters till they are heavier (Cosco does on most of their seats, too :)). I wouldn't really take many cues from the average kindergarten pickup line, most people do the bare minimum the law requires, and have no idea what is actually safEST.
 

wendytthomas

Admin - CPST Instructor
Staff member
Agreed with the Turbo.

And to answer your other question, Piper was seven. It was just a couple of weeks ago.

Wendy
 

Kat_Momof3

New member
Well, not counting before I knew better and reharnessed the boys...

Damian was (and is... he's 5'1" at 9.75yrs old... he'll be 10 in January) extremely off the charts tall... so he outgrew his REGENT at 6.5yrs old... when he moved to booster full time.

Jeffrey was bugging me about moving to a booster when Damian moved... and we made a deal... which I kept as he was indeed ready... he had to be 6yrs old, starting 1st grade (he was in Kindy and weighed 48lbs when we made this deal, btw), weigh 50lbs, be able to buckle himself (which he was already doing in his harnessed seats, so I didn't want him getting frustrated by not being able to buckle himself in a new seat), be mature enough to stay still the whole time, and prove he was going to be mature enough by not asking me again until he was 6.

He didn't bring it up again at all... and when he was 6, he was 50lbs (again, I listed that just cause I knew he would be... and it made it sound like he needed to be bigger than he was, not just older), doing all that other stuff, and I let him move to a booster full time.

Ruthie has been using a booster in her dad's car since she was 5yrs old... to booster train her... for the purpose of emergencies if she had to ride in some other car, for field trips and the bus (she takes the special needs bus, where they use seatbelts, but still, helping her learn to sit still with less restraints)... and because I knew she'd probably be outgrowing the Nautilus around age 6.

She's not got much room left and she asked when she could have a booster in Mommy's car like her brother... so I did similar to how I did with her brother... she's still 44-46lbs, depending on the day, so I didn't give her a weight limit... just told her she had to be 6yrs old, being a good girl in school (her birthday isn't as close to the new school year as his... he was July, so I can't add the 1st grade thing, even though I know she'll be going into it next year), be mature enough to sit still the whole time and sit properly even when sleeping, and buckle herself with help (the booster she's getting is the Recaro Vivo... and it's trickier than the old Parkway with no armrests I had for the boys, so she still needs a bit of help to thread it... she can buckle it, but then I or one of her brothers has to help her get the belt under the armrests and make sure it's snug.

I know she's ready and she'll do fine.


Now, for your son, I'd get a booster for grandma's car and start training... when he outgrows the Marathon, I'd get him a booster for that car... and after that, it's all about what you're comfortable with... but I like kids to be over 40lbs (unless extremely small) and at least 6yrs old... I bet your son could make it to age 7.
 

Lea_Ontario

Well-known member
Boo just moved to a booster in the main vehicle - he's 7yrs 4mns.
He's been in a booster in our secondary vehicle off and on for about a year now.

Bug is 5yrs 4ms and has ridden in a booster a couple of times, but will be in a harness for at least another year or two.
 

britfish

New member
Thank you all for your replies. I guess I was feeling we were behind the curve after seeing everyone at kindergarten. I feel much better now! I guess we are just giong to be in the minority with her being in a 5pt. and now I feel much better about it.
As a side note, DD got invited to a birthday party where another parent was picking up all the kids from school. I asked what they do about car seats and she said we just figure it out when we get there since most of the kids are ok in a seatbelt for a short drive. HUH???? We declined as we don't even know the parents and I was unable to drive her myself. Anyway my friend was sending her daughter and I mentioned about the carseat thing and she was like, geez I didn't even think of that, and she sent her anyway.
Thanks for the booster info., it gives me some good ones to look at in the future and maybe for little booster training here and there.
 

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