I am torn.. wwyd with Fiona?

If you had a child that was 5 years old, 37.5 lbs, had a bit of room for height in the nautilus still but was booster training...and was doing so amazing, and is sitting correctly 100 % of the time, and does complain that the harness bugs her neck quite a bit.. would you consider boostering full time?

I started booster training her because my parents are taking the girls on a trip this summer, and they will have to switch cars, sometimes and my mom does not have tether hooks.. so I figured at 5.5 she would be ok in a booster with the seatbelt locked if she was booster trained.. I was not planing on going to a booster Full time until her 6th birthday in Dec..

She is of course still in the nautilus for now, but it is something I am toying with:whistle:
 
ADS

stephie1012

New member
im not sure lol i was just going to make a similar post...Isnt at a certain age that there isnt much difference btwn hwh and boostering at this age if they sit properly?
 

Pixels

New member
A child that sits correctly 100% of the time is not booster training, IMO. She is booster trained. No reason to keep her in the Nautilus.
 
A child that sits correctly 100% of the time is not booster training, IMO. She is booster trained. No reason to keep her in the Nautilus.

I mean maybe it is cause it is so new, and the seat belt is locked, but I have yet to see her move an inch..even when she was riding with a friend from School yesterday and I was driving for their field trip, the friend had to be reminded a few times to sit right, but not Fiona she sang songs and played games to in the car but she stayed properly seated the whole time.. I do not think I need to keep the nautilus too much longer that is for sure
 

Chameleon

New member
There is no booster training. You are either riding in a booster or not. That term bugs me. If you are driving with your child in a booster then it's not training, it's the real deal. Either they sit correctly or they don't, you don't get a second chance. You can not drive safely and try and tell your child to not move out of position during so called "training".
 

An Aurora

Senior Community Member
My kid is 5.5 and 37.5 lbs as well, and is full-time boostered. She wouldn't fit in anything besides the Frontier85, and she does well in her booster.
 
I get that.. I agree too, but the other side of it is that you can do what I did with my oldest and wait and wait and wait till they are too big for any harness and then not have a choice but too booster an almost 7 year old child who can't sit correctly.. then everyone was all "why didn't you booster train her?" So I decided to do it with Fiona.. just once a week use the booster for short trips around town.. then yesterday we had to use it all day for a bit more driving (I had to set the car up in a way that made it impossible to use her harnessed car seat.. and she did great all day.. so I am trying to figure out if this means she is just booster ready.

But what you say makes sense. I totally agree with you, there just isn't always a perfect solution.
 

canadiangie

New member
Hypothetically speaking, yes I would absolutely be okay with your scenario. The alternative is she goes into a booster seat overnight and into the care of g-parents who may not cue her to stay still. I understand what pp is saying about 'booster training' but I do think kids need some initial cueing and even some teaching on proper use as it relates to a booster. It's whether the child can learn fast (like essentially instantly) that determines whether a booster can be used. If not then no booster. I know personally I would prefer that *I* do that initial teaching, cueing, and ultimately the decision be in my hands rather than my kids' g-parents.

As for your question about her being 37lbs and 5.5 and using a booster full time, no I would likely wait until 40lbs. And that's not because I'm Canadian and it's the law here. I really like kids to be 40lbs before using a booster. 37 quickly goes to 35 if kiddo gets sick or decides to go on a hunger strike. So getting a kid to a solid 40 is my preference. Fwiw. :)
 

Chameleon

New member
Yes, we do do talk about booster use before sticking them in a booster. I do educate my kids on the proper way to use a booster before they use one initially. So I guess that could be training, but not by what people on this board call booster training.
 

An Aurora

Senior Community Member
Maybe it should be called "booster testing" then, since it's really just seeing how they do in the booster :)
 

DaniChildcare

New member
At 5 years old, i would go to booster full time even at only 37lbs.

I think harnessed seats *can* potentially cause issues when used *too* long. You used this example above as well. You wait it out until the harnessed seats are outgrown, and then you have a child who may not be ready for a booster still, and then what do you do?

I don't think there's any magic answer about when kids move to boosters. It has to do with bone maturity, and emotional maturity more than anything else. If your daughter is 5 and mature enough to sit in a booster full time, i don't see an issue with it at all. She is fairly close to 40lbs, and as long as you use a seat that is for 30+ lbs i would be comfortable doing it (that's just me)

I also think she's at an age where her opinion matters as well.

Just my :twocents:
 

CTPDMom

Ambassador - CPS Technician
Yes, we do do talk about booster use before sticking them in a booster. I do educate my kids on the proper way to use a booster before they use one initially. So I guess that could be training, but not by what people on this board call booster training.

We do training 'sessions' with ds. He's in a Nauti, and will be for a while because he loves it and it's easier for me. (He's 5.5.) But because he would need to be in his TB for emergencies and is in it with my uncle when they go hang out together, I spent some time over the past 6 months or so taking him every few days on a short drive in the TB. We talk about sitting properly, how it's different from his GN. We take the drive. He gets praised for sitting properly with no reminders. Call it what you want, I think booster training is a perfectly acceptable description of it. :shrug-shoulders:
 
sorry to cause debate over booster training.. we have just been once in a while getting her used to riding in the booster for short trips with the seatbelt locked we go over the booster rules first.. I usually (except for yesterday) keep a harnessed seat installed next to her just in case.. IF she did not sit right I would scratch booster training all together and wait 6 months or so.. but she is actually doing amazing!

I think I will just keep doing what I am doing, and then I will have her use the booster for the road trip with my parents in July (she is a Dec baby) just because that is the safest option for the situation.. and then I will keep her harnessed after that most of the time unless she is 40 lbs or 6 years old
 
We do training 'sessions' with ds. He's in a Nauti, and will be for a while because he loves it and it's easier for me. (He's 5.5.) But because he would need to be in his TB for emergencies and is in it with my uncle when they go hang out together, I spent some time over the past 6 months or so taking him every few days on a short drive in the TB. We talk about sitting properly, how it's different from his GN. We take the drive. He gets praised for sitting properly with no reminders. Call it what you want, I think booster training is a perfectly acceptable description of it. :shrug-shoulders:
oh my gosh he is 5.5 already? Why did I think he was 4.5?:eek:
 

PurpleLucy

New member
I was all ready to say yes, I would booster her. But then the "Submarining is an issue before 40lbs" thing popped in my head. So now my answer is No, unless she's riding in the Parkway SGL.
 

Kat_Momof3

New member
because I'd want her to be comfortable, I would switch her... we're talking about both seats fitting, being used and installed properly, so the only difference being her comfort.

She's past 5, well past the weight mimimums... and with a torso so tall that she's on the verge of soon outgrowing the Nauti, I say let her.

and where are the pics of her in her new seat?
 
because I'd want her to be comfortable, I would switch her... we're talking about both seats fitting, being used and installed properly, so the only difference being her comfort.

She's past 5, well past the weight mimimums... and with a torso so tall that she's on the verge of soon outgrowing the Nauti, I say let her.

and where are the pics of her in her new seat?
downsize57-1.jpg

downsize56-1.jpg


the fit is excellent on both girls! :thumbsup:
 

DaniChildcare

New member
I was all ready to say yes, I would booster her. But then the "Submarining is an issue before 40lbs" thing popped in my head. So now my answer is No, unless she's riding in the Parkway SGL.

Ok, this is still on topic sort of, but for those "in the know" what is it that makes 40lbs the magic number for not submarining? wouldn't the belt fit be more important to prevent submarining?
 

finn

New member
I would happily booster her full time, she knows the rules & follows them, what more can you ask for?
 

CTPDMom

Ambassador - CPS Technician
Babywearing Meghan said:
oh my gosh he is 5.5 already? Why did I think he was 4.5?:eek:

I don't know! LOL But, yep, he will be 6 in Sept...OMG!!! And he is in kindergarten!
 

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