Question backless boosters (again)

christineka

New member
When would you (or is it okay to) move a kid to a backless booster? A certain age? Too tall for the tallest high back booster (Even if that is at 12 years of age)? Till the kid begs for a backless? Two weeks ago I was told by a few people that they would never let an 8 year old ride in a backless booster for convenience. Would you let a 9 year old ride in a backless booster for convenience? What about preference? At what point is it safe enough for a kid to ride in a backless booster around town? (All vacations are over with for a long while for us.)

And if you want the details, I'm considering dds 1 and 2 who 10.5 and 9 years old, 65 pounds and have 18.5 inch torsos. They'll both fit in high back boosters for years to come.
 
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lorismurph

Senior Community Member
I let my 8yo go backless most of the time. He has to be in a HBB in dad's car due to no headrests but he is too tall for the TB and almost for the BigKid (and my Parkway, well, as you know, it's pink).

But I wouldn't take the back off before he was 8. My personal feeling is after age 8 as long as they are tall enough, backless is fine. (my ds is 49-50")
 

wendytthomas

Admin - CPST Instructor
Staff member
I let Piper ride backless for quick friends rides at seven. In my car she's in a high back, same with my husband's. For her, she will be until she outgrows the high backs, probably around 10 years old. For full time use, that's my criteria. Over eight AND outgrown the high back. For a quick ride, a backless now is fine.

What I tell parents is that kids need to ride in high backs until they outgrow them, usually 8-10 years old. I figure if I can get Joe Public to eight before moving to a backless, then great. I won't stress it. But not my kid.

Wendy
 

sirrahn

Active member
My boys both were in a backless full time at about 9 and had used one occasionally from about 5-6 and 40+lbs.
 

melniemi

New member
My boys are 10(yesterday) and 9 (tomorrow) and both still ride in pws. They will likely fit for another year or two unless they have a sudden growth spurt. Since they fit and aren't complaining, I'm going to leave them. Though if they were complaining, not sure what I'd do.
 

susanx4

New member
my 9 year old just went to backless, she was really bugging to ride with out anything and my compromise was to let her in my van go backless. in MIL's car she has to have a back ( no headrest) she still had maybe another notch or 2 to grow with the back on in the turbo... my 7 year old VERY rarely rides with out the back when he is riding with other people ( when he went camping with my brother they needed to fold down his seat to let others in and out of the back so backless was easiest) but i noticed that he doesn't sit very well with no back so he has a back on till at least 9...
 

christineka

New member
What if it was very difficult to fit a high back booster in your three across and even more difficult for the child to buckle? Is that a good excuse to move to a backless provided that you have side curtain air bags or place the backless child in the middle seat?

(I'm finding it difficult to arrange the van, including 3 high back boosters. One backless is all it would take for more options.)
 

susanx4

New member
What if it was very difficult to fit a high back booster in your three across and even more difficult for the child to buckle? Is that a good excuse to move to a backless provided that you have side curtain air bags or place the backless child in the middle seat?

(I'm finding it difficult to arrange the van, including 3 high back boosters. One backless is all it would take for more options.)

if he is old enough and sits well and it fits best in your car i would
 

capeKO71

New member
I actually don't find the backless boosters much easier to fit... because it's mostly the seated width that's the issue.

But - that being said, I think a lot of it has to depend on the situation. Like if my kids going to fall alseep for instance... I want them in a highback. I never ever want my child to have the possibility to tilt towards the airbags... and likewise, I think for most situations it's not a good idea to have them lean against a seat next to them. In a side impact, that's going to be hard plastic against the childs head.

But for a child in the center, with no other children next to them, then sure... if they fit well, and have support behind their head, I don't have an issue with a backless.

But yeah - we will try to max out the highback.
 

christineka

New member
I actually don't find the backless boosters much easier to fit... because it's mostly the seated width that's the issue.

It may seem like high back and backless take up the same amount of room, but that's not all of the equation. I tried a turbobooster with and without the back. The seat is the widest part. It was still easier to buckle because one hand can reach in the back to hold the stalk while the other pushes in the buckle. That space is taken up by the back when it's on. In my case, I have high back only boosters and backless only boosters. It's not a case of just pulling off the back. The bodyguard's adjustable width seat is very slim (when a skinny butt kid rides in it), but the back portion is 17 inches wide. I have a heck of a time fitting it next to a forward facing radian. I did it, yes, but every time I have had to reinstall it is harder and hard to jam in there next to it. The vivos have big sides. Sure, I love the sip, but it is nearly impossible for a person to buckle into a low stalk that is nearly behind the seat. (I just set the vivo in the middle row and it's not going to work.) The literider backless that I have is a very low profile seat with angled belt guides that are small and low. It is much easier to fit a hand to the buckle while in that seat.

Still, you all convinced me. I put my 5.5 year old's radian in rear-facing to make room for the high back boosters. Still, that vivo isn't going to work in the middle row and I can't fit two vivos next to a radian in the third row.

If your choice was to have a 10.5 year old ride in a backless booster or a regent, which would you choose? (Mind you, this is around town for 2-15 minute drives.)
 

Jillybeans5

Active member
My DD moved to a backless at 8 when she out grew her (original) Turbo booster, then she 5 stepped and went to seat belt between 8.5 and 9. My little boys will stay in a HBB until they outgrow it or until they are probably 9 and complaining.
 

babyherder

Well-known member
If you can rf your 5.5 yr old and use a hb booster for the 10 yr old I would do it as long as the kids don't mind. But, I would also be fine with ff the 5 yr old and letting the 10 yr old choose between a lowback booster and a regent. And feel that everyone was very, very safe.
 

carseatcoach

Carseat Crankypants
Personally, I'd be okay with a 10yo in a backless booster for convenience or preference. I'd probably be okay with it for those reasons at 9.

My shortish 8yo rides in a highback full-time. I'm okay with a backless in other people's cars for short trips (assuming proper fit, use, etc.). But she's not going to go backless full-time for at least two more years.
 

christineka

New member
A brainwave came to me. I might be able to fit two vivos with a rfing radian in the middle, then put the bodyguard in the second row. I will try the bodyguard first before I go moving about the radian.

If dd1 is going to be in a backless booster, dd3 could ff as she wishes to do. Arranging car seats is a very frustrating thing. I want to keep my kids safe, but at the same time, I need to fit them all into my van and I sorta wonder at what point are they "safe enough".
 

Morganthe

New member
Two weeks ago I was told by a few people that they would never let an 8 year old ride in a backless booster for convenience. Would you let a 9 year old ride in a backless booster for convenience?
What about preference? At what point is it safe enough for a kid to ride in a backless booster around town?

And if you want the details, I'm considering dds 1 and 2 who 10.5 and 9 years old, 65 pounds and have 18.5 inch torsos. They'll both fit in high back boosters for years to come.

DD turns 7 next month. She's 50" & abt 50ishlbs.

She rode in a Harmony backless from/to the airport to my mother's house. Then for the next 2 1/2 weeks in the Monterey nbb because of the stupid rental car rear headrests. No way would the HBB section would fit in there properly. I really liked that the monterey LATCHed in there and never budged for all her getting in and out of the seat. Made it so much easier. My new personal rule is no boosters without LATCH clips.:p

She was fine. Fit rather well, actually. Not once did I have to remind her to sit properly after the initial laying out the rules before setting out from the airport.

I don't know if it could have been considered convenience, but it was certainly the only possible option. :shrug-shoulders: Full time? Nah, she prefers her barkalounger regent. Barring that, she'd rather sit in the HBB Monterey. However for outside of my usual vehicle or uncooperative rental cars, I'll take a good well fitting NBB as a viable safe decision. :thumbsup:
 
Two weeks ago I was told by a few people that they would never let an 8 year old ride in a backless booster for convenience. Would you let a 9 year old ride in a backless booster for convenience?

What do they define as "convenience"? I let my girls use their FPSV's as backless if they were in a classmate's car for a school field trips or carpool starting in 1st grade b/c they had to carry the boosters themselves and I didn't want them to have to deal with carrying a floppy HBB whose back might fall off in transit. They'll be 9YO in Nov. and still ride in their HBBs (AirBooster for DD1 and old-style PW for DD2) 99% of the time (including any long trips b/c DD2 still falls asleep in the car and :love: how her PW side wings keep her from flopping over in her sleep). Occasionally they ask about using their backless FPSVs more often but right now they're fine with my "HBBs if there's no side-curtain air bags" rule which means that they have to use HBBs in our '97 Civic and in the 3rd row of the '05 Highlander
 

Mom2FiveGirls

Active member
DD#1 is 9.5 (almost...9/6 she'll be 9.5) and rides in a NBB most of the time. She still fits in a HBTB and when we travel, that's what she rides in (just in case she wants to go to sleep...which she rarely does). But for every day, around town, etc, she's in a NBB for convenience sake. She rides in the second row behind the passenger seat....which is the seat that has to be leaned forward so the middle three kids can get to the third row, so its much easier for there to be a NBB there that can be slid forward, in the floor, etc. It also makes it much easier with school drop offs and pick ups. When they are dropped off, Alyssa scoots her booster to the floor and moves the seat forward so the girls in the back can get out. Then at pick up Sydney gets picked up first, so she just climbs over the seat to the third row. It would be MUCH harder if there was a HBB there. I'm totally comfortable with her in a backless booster at her age and size. DD#2 is 8 and still in a HBB and will stay in one for a while at least. She hasn't complained, she still fits, it works, etc, so why change it :) Plus, there are no headrests in the third row so that complicates things... I can't wait to get a new vehicle!
 

christineka

New member
Thanks. Unless someone comes up with some great car seat arrangement, I've decided to quit hassling over this for now. I'm going to throw in a backless booster for 10 yo and call it "good".
 

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