When did you put your kids into a HBB?

My 5.5 yo went from the radian to the Britax high back booster. I'm wondering when some of the techs made this move, and how you knew they were ready. He's tall and weighs over 45 lbs, can't remember exactly how much. He also sits up straight and keeps the straps in place. Having second thoughts about not harnessing him a bit longer though...

If he has the ability to hold still in a booster and not lean out of position, down for toys, bothering siblings, etc, then he is perfectly safe in a booster. :thumbsup:

I'm not a tech and don't even pretend to be on on the Internet

However, I made the switch from the Radian to a hbb for my DS when he was 5y9m because he outgrew the Radian. My DS was 48in tall and weighed almost 65lbs when we made the switch. He was outgrowing the seat by height and weight at the same time. His shoulders were right at the limit and he was uncomfortable in the seat.

My DS is still harnessed in the Regent in our primary vehicle and probably will be until he outgrows the seat. He's 6y2m old and still needs some reminders to sit properly in the booster seat. When we go on longer trips - even day trips to the mountains - DS sleeps in the car and I feel like the harness gives him more support.

His twin sister (so 6y2m) is still harnessed full time. I'll be switching her to a booster seat in our least used vehicle in the next couple of weeks. She's smaller (42in and 39lb) and she has growing room in her seats. I don't see a compelling reason to switch her to a booster seat full time.

I'm guessing that I'll keep the kids harnessed through the summer. I might switch them to boosters full time in the fall when they are in 1st grade and they will be 6y9m at that point. I'd like to get through out summer trips with them harnessed.

Melanie

Jacob is 14 and switched around 4.5. There were few options that could be used past 40 lbs at the time.

Daniel is 12 and was 5 and switched because Benjamin needed his marathon.

Benjamin is 7 1/2 started occasionally using a booster at 5 and went to one full time at 6.5. He was nearing the top slots of the radian and I made the mistake of letting Elizabeth use his seat after she peed in hers and then she started peeing in hers on purpose to sit in it.

Elizabeth is 4.5 and hasn't been in a booster yet.

Like Aurezalia said, depending on the child.

I watch a few kids and have 2 cousins of mine that I watch frequently.

1 is 7 years old and full-time HBB
1 is 7 years old and HBB training/extended harness
1 is 6 year old and full time harnessed (booster train for 3 months but chose to be harnessed)
1 is 8 1/2 year old, full time HBB but prefer the harness in my car.

So various timing.

We just got Brinlee a booster last month, the Parkway SGL, and she rides in it during the week (to/from school, dance, and Girl Scouts) and if we take a longer trip during the weekend I tend to have her ride in her Nautilus. She's 5yr10mo. She does really well, I haven't had any issues with her not sitting properly or anything yet. She hasn't fallen asleep, our drives are really short (ex: school is .2 mile away), which is why I have her harnessed on longer trips in case she does fall asleep. I'd hate to be an hour from home with a sleeping kid who can't stay upright in her booster!

DS1 was 5yo when he went to a HBB (this was 15 years ago).

DD was 7yo. She had just outgrown her 40lb seat by weight.

DS2 was 7 1/2yo. I sold off his seats (he still fit fine in both by weight and height) and then found out he was a horrible booster rider. I regret that decision but I couldn't afford to rebuy the seats so we just delt with the boosters. He's almost 8yo now and he still sucks at riding in a booster and needs to be reminded constantly to lean back and sit right and when he falls asleep he falls completely forward (almost folded in half) and I have to have dd push his head back and get him back in position.

Joel is almost 5 and we tried him in a booster as a backup. And he is an awful booster rider. Most of his IRL friends are either in a booster now or almost, all of them do GREAT but Joel will be much later, my guess now is maybe 8.

When they have met the minimums (but preferably well beyond that) for the booster, the minimums for the law, and are physically mature to sit still the entire time AND the seatbelt fits properly then I'm fine with the move

My DD has quite a weird story with her weight so bare with me lol. She started booster training at 4 1/2 when her brother was born and I needed a booster for her if I went into labor and she needed to go with someone. She was 33 lbs and 45".

At 5 I put her in a turbobooster because she maxed out the GN by height and she was 31 lbs and 45". She then lost weight and went to 28 lbs and no longer met the minimums for the booster. So she went back to a harnessed seat (FR85)

At 5 1/2 she hit 40 lbs and she is now boostered full time and is almost too tall for the FR85 at 47ish" as well so let's hope her weight stays!


For my "normal" child who is now 40", 40 lbs and 4 years old, I'll probably start training at 4 1/2 and go full time at 5. There is just such a huge difference between a just turned 4 year old and just turned 5 year old that that one year difference seems to be the turning point for my kiddos in regards to maturity

Boo went to a booster full-time when he was 7 1/2 yrs old.
He'd been in a hbb in our secondary vehicle for about a year before that.

Bug will get her full time hbb this spring sometime I think. She's 6 1/2, but much more mature than Boo was at this point.
She's been in a hbb in our secondary vehicle for a while now, not a year.

Bear is 4, he's in a harness still and will be for a long time yet.

My girl is 6.5 and still harnessed in a Regent in our main vehicle, she is just about to move up to top slots, she is not tall by any means, I think she could stay harnessed forever to be honest. The reason she is still harnessed is that she LOVES it and her Regent, and dislikes riding in the booster seat, the Regent still has 3 years left on it, I don't have another use for it, and she states she is never coming out of her comfy pink seat.

BUT, she does ride in a Turbo in dad's car now, which is about 4 times a week school pick up, 20 minutes. She does fine, not as comfy in it, and complains time to time but the belt fit is awesome on her, and I feel it's getting her used to it, I also use it when she goes with her best friend in their van.

I know she will stay in the Regent through the summer, because of traveling, so she can rest and stay in position better on the long trip. I will probably use the booster in the third row of my van when we have Grandma here for 2 weeks in late summer, so she can ride in the captain's chair. Not sure if I will re-install the Regent then for her, or go ahead and go to booster full time, my guess would be booster full time, she will turn 7 in August and enter 1st grade. I will still use the Turbo in dad's car and will be getting another full time booster in the van that has more side protection and overall comfort for her on a daily basis.

She is currently 44 lbs and 45 in.

My first two kids were 40 pounds at 5 years (on her birthday) and 4.75 years. That was back in the day when car seats harnessed to 40 pounds. If you were in the "know" and had $300 you could harness longer. I wasn't "in the know" and neither did I have money to spend. (I used points to get free turboboosters.) My third child went back and for from booster to harness until 8 years old, which he has just turned. He needed to stay in place. He got there by age and maturity and a booster that locks the lap belt and has skinny, deep sides

My 6 year old weighs 34 pounds, but she is 6 and has the maturity to sit properly. I allow her in a booster, but not when all are in the van. Due to squishy seating arrangements, her seat is harnessed and will remain so for some time.

We just made that same switch (RN to Britax Parkway) because DS, who is newly 6 and 42lbs/>44", was complaining about the Radian being uncomfortable. He has been in a booster (the TurboBooster) in the grandparents' cars for months now, though. I got a booster to booster train at ~5.5yo, and he did so well that I switched him for GPs' cars then. The TB fits him a little better than the PWSG, his shoulders are quite narrow and the PWSG is not as good at placing the shoulder belt ideally.

The last couple of weeks I have had to remind him twice to sit properly when he was leaning to reach his brother, but he has not done this before. I threatened to put him back in the Radian, LOL. He also fell asleep in the PW and when he leaned against the shell towards the center of the car the shoulder belt was off his shoulder a bit. I adjusted the height on the PW up a notch to get the fit better but I think that I will use the TB anytime we will be going on a longer drive (or move the Nauti out of the truck for him). I think he is booster ready but I do think he still needs a sharp eye checking on him regularly to correct him the odd times he leans over or sleeps.

As long as your DS fits in his booster well (lap belt low on hips/thighs, shoulder belt centered on shoulder) and doesn't need numerous reminders to sit properly or fall asleep and slump out of the belt, he should be fine. If you find the Britax booster doesn't fit ideally, try the Graco TurboBooster.

DS1 uses a TB as a backup - he does perfectly. He is JUST 5yr, and the mommy in me worries, so in my car he rides in a TF. But he will make the switch to a HBB full-time when school starts in the fall. But this child is also my very calm, obedient, mild mannered son as well. DS2 will probably be college bound before i let him out of a harness

Ds is 5y9m and is boostered full time now. He is a great booster rider. He is all about safety and knows if he is not sitting right and we get in a wreck he could be hurt.

Not a tech, but chiming in anyway. DD2 was just shy of 5 when she started booster training. She is a rule-follower. At almost 6 now, she's primarily boostered. I only harness her on long trips. And that's only because she squiggles out of position when she's sleeping. My 3yo, OTOH, might be harnessed until she's 10. Unless her entire personality changes, she much too squiggly and a rule-tester to sit correctly for a loooooong time.

My friend's child is 6 1/2 and quite tall. She's boostered full time with her parents. I have her ride in the harnessed Frontier when she's with me. She's squiggly and I'm continually reminding her to sit right. She's peeved that her younger smaller friend gets to ride in the booster and she doesn't, but oh well.

Damian was initially in a booster (way back in the day before I knew about other options) when he hit 40lbs, right around 4yrs old.... then he developed a temporary mild scoliosis and started being unable to stay upright no matter what we did for him in a highback booster when he fell asleep on long trips... so I put him back in a 5-point harness (having learned a LOT more) in a Britax Regent... he outgrew it (giant boy that he is) at 6.5yrs old... and fortunately, he'd also outgrown his scoliosis... and did fine (or else I was gonna order an 86-Y harness)

Jeffrey was 3.5yrs... he hit 40lbs... (again before I knew there were other, albeit EXPENSIVE, options)... when I realized he still fit well enough (he has a long torso) in the Marathon that his sister had gotten just before turning 1yr, I decided to try moving her to her spare seat (cosco scenera) and it worked... so he was back harnessed... it was his choice... he was just sad he couldn't face backwards like her. Then the Husky was discontinued and I used tax refund money to get one... and she got her Marathon back... he moved to the Radian when I switched the Husky out for it to maximize room in the third row... and because he'd been asking for a booster and I decided that I was okay with him doing that at age 6. At 6yrs, shortly before outgrowing the Radian (which would have been a little less than a year later), he moved to a booster full time.

Of course, they had to use boosters as spares even when they were re-harnessed as there weren't the variety of pricepoints on seats harnessing past 40lbs in those days.


Ruthanne did not use a booster AT ALL (I'm so proud of that) until she was 4.5yrs old... field trips at preschool were all parent-driven and I didn't know if I'd be able to go on all of them... and having seen other parents, I knew she needed a quick booster-training... she rode in one about 5 times... had the knack of the rules... for that purpose... and then didn't ride in one again until she was 5yrs and I made it her spare for additional booster practicing...

two weeks before she turned 6, she outgrew the GN by her shoulders being a HAIR over the top slots... and she moved to booster full time.

She had never been comfy in a Regent, which is what led me to the Radians... and I'd gotten a GN to replace the main Radian to buy her more room.

Anyway... there you are.

I'm comfy with 5yrs as a booster training/practice/spare seat situation.

I'm comfy with 6yrs as full time boostering...

but that's assuming the child is mature enough and ready.

Ruthie has no problem staying in position, even when sleeping, in her booster... if she had... I would have gotten an 86-Y (and put her in the lap-only position in the middle of the third row) or FOUND the money for a Frontier.

So glad you posted! I have been agonizing over this all week.

DS2 was just 6yrs in Feb and is 42" (barely) and just barely 40lbs. He has been harnessed in a Radian. We sold his Radian to fund a ProSport (with the intent of being harnessed). Last night he rode in a booster for the first time and it was gut-wrenching. It was 2 miles in town but it drove me batty. Maturity-wise I think he would be very responsible and sit well. However, he also almost always falls asleep in the car and I can see the booster offering little to no support.

I can't wait for the ProSport to arrive but I started to wonder if I am crazy keeping him harnessed. He is little and my theory has been if they make a harnessed seat and he still fits, why not? Now granted he is little and will probably not outgrow any seat by height or weight in the next 4 years and I can't keep him harnessed forever. Though I do joke about him needing a booster to drive.

Not a tech either!

But ds1 was around 4 1/2. He was begging to ride in a booster, so we tried it and he rode perfectly. He was really motivated to sit still and stay in place because he did not want to be harnessed, and he knew that I would put him back in his nautilus if he wasn't sitting properly. He was 40lbs.

Ds2 is 40lbs at 3 1/2. He'll be 4 in July. I'm not sure how he is maturity wise, but I do plan to get him a booster (he really wants one) to let him start training on short trips. Since I have a van, I can have the booster and his CA in my van, so that will help I think. He is around 40lbs right now and growing like crazy.

Personally, I'm not a fan of ffing harnessing, so I prefer to booster as soon as the child is mature enough and meets the minimums (at least 4/40).

My dd was riding in a HBB in the sitter's car at 4.9 years because of a carpooling situation. She always did fine. I converted her GN to booster mode at 5.9 years and 40 pounds when she asked me to. She's always been a great booster rider. Ds will be much older.