Booster Training

nevaehsmommy

New member

• May 22, 2011

• #1

Nevaeh will be 5 on Tuesday. I told her that on her B-day she can start booster training. So what does that mean and what do I need to keep in mind? She is harnessed in a GN and will probably use that as the booster for now

 

An Aurora

Senior Community Member

• May 22, 2011

• #2

It means you put the kid in a booster, buckle and drive off I'd have someone else drive so you can keep an eye on her and make sure she stays in position. Have a talk before hand about being grown up and sitting still, no leaning, etc. Either she's ready or she's not.

Posted by a robot and susceptible to unrelated and potentially inappropriate AutoCorrects.

 

babygirlsmom1005

New member

• May 22, 2011

• #3

We started out with trips around the neighborhood, like 5 mins or less. Then moved it up to her school/wal-mart (across the street from eachother) which were 10 mins. Everytime before she got into her booster, I would ask her what she needed to do and she would tell me: sit up strait, don't wiggle, etc.... Her longest trip in a booster has been about 40 mins and done last month (about a year after we started booster training), we were in Grandma's car andI had the booster in it for emergencies. She is 5.5 years old and has done wonderfully in one, to the point if she wanted to be in a booster full time, I would let her.

DH and her went to the farm today, I gave her the option of a harnessed seat or her booster, she picked her harness....she perfers it.

It was kinda funny when we started booster training, she was full tim RF'ing in her RNXT and would go between the booster and rear facing seat. She now is FF'ing in her Frontier full time.

 

aeormsby

New member

• May 22, 2011

• #4

My DD is 5.5yo and we just put the booster in the car for the 2nd time. Right now I'm just letting her use the booster when I need to rearrange carseats for some reason - last time was when family was visiting and it worked better to have her use the booster than her bigger Frontier. Right now I moved DS's MA into our truck for a trip next week and figured I'd just let DS use DD's Frontier and let DD use the booster again for the week.

I think she did pretty good. I didn't get a chance to have DH drive so I could keep a closer eye on her. But she seemed to stay in position pretty good, and sometimes in her Frontier she says she's practicing for her other pink seat (PW) and sits super still and straight.

 

Kat_Momof3

New member

• May 22, 2011

• #5

really, it's practice... short trips, every so often, riding in the booster.

done while the kiddo still has a harnessed seat they fit in, in case they prove not ready.

 

nevaehsmommy

New member

• May 26, 2011

• #6

With the Nautilus do I have to take the harness out or can I buckle it and push the harness clip down low?

 

Kat_Momof3

New member

• May 27, 2011

• #7

you have to remove the harness.

 

C

cmm7

New member

• May 27, 2011

• #8

I use the phrase "back tight and right" when I started Z in a booster. She now says it every time she uses one.

Back=sitting all the way back against the seat, no slouching
Tight=seatbelt isn't twisted, it is tight against her thighs and the shoulder part is retracted
Right=she stays this way the whole time. No leaning or wiggling. The belt is low on her thighs and across her collar bone

Seems to help her remember and it is easy to remind her.

 

bobandjess99

Senior Community Member

• May 27, 2011

• #9

Graco in the manual says to remove the harness for booster mode, but when we used it as a harnessed seat 99% of the time and a booster 1% of the time, i left the harness in and used it illegally.


The one thing I would check is the the nauti as a highback sometimes doesn't position the lap belt well. For example, my 6.5 yo dd, who is now boostered full time, is NOT allowed to use her nauti as a booster. The lap belt rides WAY too high for my comfort. So I bought her a HBTB to use instead.

 

joolsplus3

Admin - CPS Technician

• May 27, 2011

• #10

Leah has two seats in there now... a Frontier or a Cosco Boost Air. She chooses what seat she wants, and if she doesn't sit still, I threaten her with the harness.

It's nice to have extra space in the back of the car for two seats, that's for sure

 

Cryssy Jane

New member

• May 27, 2011

• #11

cmm7 said:

I use the phrase "back tight and right" when I started Z in a booster. She now says it every time she uses one.

Back=sitting all the way back against the seat, no slouching
Tight=seatbelt isn't twisted, it is tight against her thighs and the shoulder part is retracted
Right=she stays this way the whole time. No leaning or wiggling. The belt is low on her thighs and across her collar bone

Seems to help her remember and it is easy to remind her.

Click to expand...

That's a good way of putting it, I'll remember that one.

 

M

mylittlet

Senior Community Member

• May 27, 2011

• #12

I would go buy a booster. We have turbos and 1 Monterey. The turbos first small riders well. I wouldn't want t take the harness out and put it back 1-2x a week. Plus then when a friend wants her to come over you have a booster, will travel. Of course after training.

Stefanie - CPStech in Iowa

 

fyrfightermomma

New member

• May 27, 2011

• #13

bobandjess99 said:

Graco in the manual says to remove the harness for booster mode, but when we used it as a harnessed seat 99% of the time and a booster 1% of the time, i left the harness in and used it illegally.


The one thing I would check is the the nauti as a highback sometimes doesn't position the lap belt well. For example, my 6.5 yo dd, who is now boostered full time, is NOT allowed to use her nauti as a booster. The lap belt rides WAY too high for my comfort. So I bought her a HBTB to use instead.

Click to expand...

This. The few times I've used it as a booster I haven't taken the harness off. I can't possibly imagine what could happen with a thin piece of webbing behind them in a crash. Doesn't really bother me

For us, there was no training. Either they were ready or they aren't. Put them in booster. Buckle. Drive. If you wiggle, back in the harness you go. If you don't, you can use the booster. E never really trained. Just one day at like 5 1/2 we put her in a booster and that was that.


But that won't work for every family. That's just what we do.