Personal booster minimum?

jdchic3 · Feb 28, 2010

I know this has been discussed before but I'm wondering what the general consensus is that a booster minimum should be? DD will be five in April and is 35 or 36 lbs. I am thinking of getting her a booster to use once in a great while to ride with someone else. I want a light weight one because mostly we will not be able to LATCH it in whichever vehicle she's in. Any suggestions on weight/age/which booster? Thanks!

crunchierthanthou · Feb 28, 2010

Ds was 4 when I started shopping for a booster. I wanted one that I knew fit him well for riding in friends' vehicles through our neighborhood. He didn't use it until he was over 4.5. He has still only ridden in it a few times (and only within blocks of our house). However, I recently sold his spare GN. I would be comfortable with him using a booster as a back-up at this point. He's 5y3m, 38 lbs and 43", and mature enough to stay in position - which is really the deciding factor. I expect he'll be in it a few times a week next fall.

carseatcoach · Feb 28, 2010

For a child who is capable of using a booster properly, I'd go with 4.5y/35# for emergency use or training, 5y/35# for more regular but not full-time use, and 6y/30# for full-time use.

For my own VERY squiggly and impulsive child, it was 7.25y (and 50#, but that did not factor into the equation) for full-time use. I honestly think my child was an outlier in this and that most kids can use boosters long before 7.25.

tanyaandallie · Feb 28, 2010

My ds is almost 5 and 37 lbs. He is not yet allowed to sit in a booster. I'm waiting until he is 40 lbs or at least a bit closer. He is tiny and I am just not comfy with him in a booster yet.

jdchic3 · Feb 28, 2010

Thanks guys! This would be for very occasional use, like less than once a month. And not at all if she doesn't sit well in it. Would a turbobooster be a good choice? Or a Vivo Lite?

bobandjess99 · Feb 28, 2010

We started training with dd at 4.5/41 lbs. We're now at 5.5 and 45, and I would feel fine about her using a booster full time if we had to(like if she outgrew her harnessed seat, i wouldn't make an effort to get a bigger harnessed seat), but she still fits in our harnessed seats(we have a nauti and frontier, lol), so we're not switching quite yet.

bobandjess99 · Feb 28, 2010

jdchic3 said:
Would a turbobooster be a good choice? Or a Vivo Lite?

YES.

lol. Either fit small booster riders really well. Dd has a HBTB for her training seat.

crunchierthanthou · Feb 28, 2010

jdchic3 said:
Thanks guys! This would be for very occasional use, like less than once a month. And not at all if she doesn't sit well in it. Would a turbobooster be a good choice? Or a Vivo Lite?

yes, either. those are the two I came down to other than the FPSVB (which is really hard to come by and will be expiring in the next 2-2.5 years). I haven't tried the PWSG, but the original was too wide in the shoulder area for my skinny guy. If the headrest was in proper position, the shoulder belt was off to the side of his shoulder.

As a bonus, Target has the HB Turbo for $35 this week.

christineka · Feb 28, 2010

I wouldn't mind my dd riding in a booster in someone else's vehicle for a short trip as long as she fits in the seat. She's 5 and 31 pounds. I think we discussed that a 5 year old's bone maturity is the same whether they weigh 31 pounds or 50. (So far dd has ridden in a booster once and normally rides rear-facing. She just doesn't need to ride in other vehicles very often so the situation doesn't come up.)

scoutingbear · Feb 28, 2010

I would be fine with A in his booster full time IF he could sit properly with his brother in the car. But, he can't. He does great in my parents' cars when he is the only one in there or he is in the 3rd row and C is in the 2nd row. He lasted for 1 day in a booster in my car. Had 2 warnings and now is back in his GN until he outgrows it (uh, maybe a month?).

For C, once he turns 4, if my parents happen upon an emergency and need to take him somewhere or pick him up for me and the turbo is the only thing in their vehicle or it is what I leave at daycamp this summer in case I go into labor while he is there because it is the only seat I know my mom will put into her car correctly, I would be okay for the rarity and very short distances. Otherwise, 5 years.

ketchupqueen · Mar 1, 2010

Yes, at 5 I'd be really fine with occasional use at 35 lbs. When she's 5 1/2 and has had some time to make sure she knows how to do it, really does it, etc. I'd even be okay with full-time use at that point.

4 is my minimum for emergency/very short term use, and I want that kid to be 40 lbs. and mature for her age.

By 5, many kids are ready. By 5 1/2 or 6, most kids are. By 7, almost all kids are. By 7 1/2 I'd say if a kid is not ready developmentally, it may be an indicator that the child is not neurotypical.

skaterbabs · Mar 1, 2010

we started booster training Joy the summer before her 5th birthday - mainly because that's when she outgrew her MA in her aunt's car.

The past two weeks have been the longest she's ever used a booster as her primary seat, she'll be 7 in October. She would still be using her Regent if circumstances at the moment didn't dictate otherwise. (Gregory broke his arm and climbing over the tether was causing some issues for both boys.)

emandbri · Mar 1, 2010

Jacob was 4 when I started occasionally using a booster I think Daniel was the same maybe a little older since he wasn't as heavy. I had plenty of seats that went past 40 lbs so I didn't start with Benjamin until around 5.5 when he started to get too tall for the marathons he would have been around 44 lbs. I used a parkway, star riser, and the Monterey.

I would get a Vivo since it has more side impact protection than the turbo.

ginny4 · Mar 1, 2010

my DD started occassional booster use at 5yo. she was over 40lbs so no worries there. she'll be 6 in May, currently 51lbs & will go to full time booster use then.

Gypsy · Mar 1, 2010

I start booster training at 4 AND 40.

My ds didn't hit 40 pounds until a month before his 5th birthday, so that's when I started with him, and he has done fabulously, so fabulously that I am considering full time boostering for him by summer time, when previously I said "not until 6".

I started putting my dd in a booster on occasion just after her 4th birthday, when she was 40 pounds.

If I had a light weight child, I'd disregard the 40 pound minimum on the Parkway SG and booster train at age 5, but I wouldn't use a booster without the SG until at least 40 pounds, even if that was age 7 or more.

babygirlsmom1005 · Mar 1, 2010

I am going to start booster training Madeline when she is over 5....not sure how much over 5, I would prefer her to be be at least 40 lbs, but not sure if that will happen either. Also depends a lot on her maturity level and abilities (she has low tone and also SPD).

I sat her in a booster just to see the fit (her Generations 65) and I can tell you, at 4 years, 4 1/2 months old, maturity wise, SHE is not ready to even think about start training. She wiggled a lot, tried to get her arm over the shoulder belt and slouched down in it.

We have the SG for the Frontier, I know that will be the seat she booster trains in.....I feel more comfortable with that SG there.

Callansmomma · Mar 1, 2010

If the child is in a booster full time then my minimum is 5.5-6 yrs and at least 40lbs. I say 5.5 yrs only if the child is very mature. Generally, though, I tell parents age six.

Now for part time use and training I say around age 5.5 and at least 40 lbs. That being said my son is 5 yrs 2 mos and I have bought him a booster. It has not come yet. His current spare seat maxes out at 40 lbs (he is 40 lbs dressed) so I didn't want to buy a higher weight harnessing seat. He will use this seat maybe once a month. We will start training once it arrives just so he can do short trips in friends' cars every once in a while.

fyrfightermomma · Mar 1, 2010

For emergency use-when they meet the requirements of the booster they are riding in and can sit correctly short term. For us, we needed a booster for when I went into labor. I didn't have a seat compatible with my parents car, nor was I going to manuever around in their car while 9 months pregnant and in labor (I did it once, wasn't gonna do it again!). E was 4y7m and 33 lbs and did perfect in the booster the three times we let her ride in it prior to me going into labor(we wanted her to have a few rides so her first time wasn't when she was with my parents. Never once moved and she fit perfectly. However my mom never went anywhere with them when I was in the hospital so it was a moot point. My parents also can't do a harness if their lives depended on it. They buckled the booster when I asked them to show me and did just fine.

She won't ride in it again except in some extreme case until she turns 5. She'll still be less than 40 lbs but if I wait till she's 40 lbs she'll never be in a booster

So for me-emergency use-4 years and meets minimum requirements for the booster

For part time and booster training-5 years and meets requirements

For full time use for normal children-5.5-6 and meets requirements

I don't put a weight limit on it. All children are built differently. To me, being 40 lbs doesn't make her magically safe. Fitting properly in the booster does. There are plenty of 40 pounders who don't fit properly in their booster. And plenty of 36 or 37 pounders who do. So which is safer?

I do age and maturity and proper fit. My child won't be 40 lbs when she goes full time into a booster but she will meet all the requirements I have. She will be old enough in my book(5.5 or so), mature enough, and will fit properly.

Others may not agree, but that's my stance.

natysr · Mar 1, 2010

I have a lightweight too. Jordan is 5 1/2, 34 pounds, and 41 inches.

We just recently got him a Turbobooster for booster for training and back-up use purposes.

One of the main reasons we decided to train him now is because of the baby on the way, Due in June.

1. We are not sure exactly who will be watching him when the baby is born. We want to have a seat available that is easy to move from car to car without worrying about an install.

2. My mom will fly out to stay with us for about 6 weeks around the time the baby is born. We will need to fit 2 kids and 1 adult 3-across in the backseat. The Turbo is narrow and will help us accomplish this easily. I don't want to fight with my first attempts at truly puzzling harnessed seats when I am freshly post partum.

3. Currently I can have both the turbo and Jordan's frontier in the same car at the same time. If we suddenly have issues with him during an outing about sitting correctly, we can pull over and have him move to the harnessed seat. (I had to threaten that for the first time yesterday, but it worked.) I also like having both seats in the car because we can switch even during the same outing. For example, Friday morning DH took Jordan to school in the turbo. Less than 1 mile on surface streets. He did fine. Friday night as soon as I got home, we decided to go out to this restaurant where my boss was playing drums in a band. The weather had changed, it was raining, and we would have to go on a freeway. So Jordan rode in his Frontier. I didn't have to switch the seats.

thepeach80 · Mar 1, 2010

We have let Evan use a booster a few times. I don't have any spare harnessed seats for him anymore so he uses a booster when he's not w/ me, which is never for the most part, lol. It's been maybe 3x now in a booster. He's 5 and 36#. He does surprisingly well, he's really matured in the past year a lot!

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