did your or will your kids have any input on when they become unharnessed or when they don't need a booster?

AnnieW625 · Jun 14, 2011

Or what seat they move to or when they can go without a booster?

Our state law for boosters is 6 and 60, but I know I have a personal goal of 80lbs for my girls before I will even think of not having them in some sort of child restraint. So I am not flexible on that but everything else I think I want to consider my girls opinions on.

My DD1 is 5 and is well behaved in the car. She has been riding in a Graco Turbo Booster in my DCPs car since right around Christmas (DCP did preschool drop off and pick up; prior to the Turbo she was using the Go), and in a friends parent's car when that parent picked her up from daycare. For the last week or so DD1 has been asking me to unharness her and I am tempted to try, but I know she still has oodles of time left in that harness. She is 5 yrs. old, 42 or 43" and between 41 and 42lbs with clothes and shoes on.

She will be in Britax Frontier 80s. I am willing to try this in my car (06 Honda Pilot), however I am mixed in emotions in whether I would keep her harnessed in the Safegaurd Go in my DH's 01 Corolla or also move her to the Frontier in that car too.

momtotwogirls · Jun 14, 2011

it depends. I plan on boostering my my kids around 6 as long as they are 40lbs. If they start voicing they want to use a booster before 6 and they are 40lbs we will give it a go and see how they do. Getting out of a booster will depend on the 5 step test and they will have no say in that.

babygirlsmom1005 · Jun 14, 2011

I give Madeline the option for shorter trips if she wants to ride in her booster or harnessed seat. 99% of the time, she picks the harnessed seat. If she requests to be in the booster and we're running around town or something, I'll let her.

She's 5.5 years old, 38-40 lbs (depending on what she is wearing/just ate/etc...) and sits perfect in a booster seat (even when she falls asleep, she stays in position). Truthfully, if she wanted to be in a booster full time, I'd let her since she sits so well in it (she asks permission to move, even to like scratch her nose or something LOL). She prefers her harnessed seat to the booster, so she'll be in her Frontier until she outgrows it (unless she changes her mind).

bnsnyde · Jun 14, 2011

I'm harnessing to the max so I guess it'll be the Frontier. They are tall but might make it to age 9, maybe.

Then I am boostering to the absolute max. I don't care if they are teens!

Love my carseats, love my kids, and I'd hate to see either go away.

OK I should say kids first, then carseats, lol. You know what I mean. Whatever keeps them (kids) safest, I'll do.

Jessica61624 · Jun 14, 2011

Yes an no. My dd is only 4 but wants to use the seat belt. I told her when she's six we can talk about it. My DS will be rfing until he reaches the limit which I think will be around 3-4 years old. When that comes he'd be ready for dds frontier and dd can move to a booster. It also depends on the car I have. If I keep my current car ill keep her harnessed longer because the middle has lap only belt. I often have my 8 year old brother who will need the out board belt for his booster.

jnamommy · Jun 14, 2011

I will not harness to the max. If I did that, my kids would be harnessed for eons lol. I will evaluate my kids once they meet the manufacturer minimums for a booster. ds does, but is too wiggly and impulsive for a booster, so he will be harnessed. He will have some input once he is mature enough to sit still. dd won't even fit a booster for a long time.

Once boostered, they will remain so until they fit in the adult seatbelt.

babyherder · Jun 14, 2011

My babysitting kids don't have much input. But mostly cause I can't spend money on a lot of options. The littles were harnessed in a chase until they hit 5 and 40lbs and between 3 and 4 and 40lbs. (I did not drive with the second little when he was 3 and over 40lbs. I didn't have a hwh and wasn't ok boostering him). Then the chase got crashed. Now they're 7 and 5 and ride in a vivo. Which they'll stay in until they outgrow it or it expires/gets ruined. Depending on how old they are then I'll either get another highback or a no back. My 9 and 8 year olds ride in backless. Which they will continue to do until it makes the belt fit worse or they run out of head support or they hit puberty (as well as passing the 5 step test). I like kids to have their own hip bones before I take away the artificial ones.

christineka · Jun 14, 2011

Nope. My kids have no say, until their 13th birthday. At that point, if they want to keep using a booster, they can.

I will take their wishes into consideration, but will make the ultimate decision. I had my ds in a booster and he would love to stay, but he can't sit correctly all the time, so he rides in a harness. My 11 year old wants to ride in a harness, but I'd have to buy a new car seat for her to do that. Since she can sit perfectly well in a booster and is safe, she's stuck with a booster.

Phineasmama · Jun 14, 2011

As far as harnessing goes, yes I will let them have some input. If they want to use their seats with the seat belt I'll make sure they can pass the five step test first.
As far as using a booster...no way. they will be in boosters until they're 12 or big enough for an adult seat belt to fit correctly.

MommaWhitney · Jun 14, 2011

At 4 Ill let my rf child choose.
At 6 & 40 Ill let my harnessed child choose.
At 12/13 (depending on size) Ill let them choose between booster or seat belt.
They can sit up front when they can drive.

We have a van so I plan to get a parkway sgl and install it in the third row and let her choose. Ill remove her nautilus when she outgrows it.

Sent from my iPhone using Car-Seat.Org

CTPDMom · Jun 14, 2011

I have no problem with my almost 6 yo having input on harnessing v boostering. Right now he's harnessed in my car and dh's car, but rides with my uncle in a TB when they go hang out on the weekends. And I'm find with that. If he felt strongly about boostering in my car or dh's we'd certainly consider it. As it stands, his GN is WAY easier on ME than using a TB daily...so I'm not going to push him to stop harnessing. But it's really more because of convenience than safety at this point.

As for when to stop using a booster...after the legal requirements are met for my state (reached 7th birthday and 60 lbs) then he can stop boostering once he passes the 5 step test. Because the point of boostering is to make the seat belt fit better...and if the seat belt fits fine then no need for a booster.

wendytthomas · Jun 14, 2011

Provided the next step up also falls under best practice, yes, she has a choice. Piper was seven when she moved to a high back booster full time. She then asked to be harnessed again, then asked for the booster back. She asked for a backless when I got my new car. So I gave her one (at 8.5 years old). She wants to ride with nothing, but she knows she'll be close to 12 before that happens. If she's older than 12 and passes the five step test (age and laws have nothing to do with when the seatbelt fits, nor does weight) in that seating position, she'll be allowed to have a say. Otherwise, no. WA state law is backseat until 13, so that's not an option even if she wanted it. She must sit in the back.

Wendy

carseatcoach · Jun 14, 2011

A little.

When she wanted to use a booster (at age 7) I told her she would have to show me good booster behavior on some training rides. She did, so she got her booster.

She's now 9. She has a choice of backless outboard or highbacked center in my vehicle (I don't have headrests in the center). She would like a backless, but she likes being in the middle more.

aeormsby · Jun 14, 2011

A little. I figured once they turned 3 I'd be OK FF if they were very insistent about it. DD is 5.5 and has ridden in her booster a few times now and really wants to use that instead of her Frontier. I really think it's more because it's new than anything else. Turns out she's almost outgrown the MA in DH's truck anyway so we'll probably put the booster in there for her soon. But I'll still be moving her Frontier to the truck for any kind of trip where it's lots of driving and possibly falling asleep.

We'll see about full time boostering, maybe when she turns 6 if she is still very vocal about it. 2 of our seats will be expiring next spring/summer so that's the longest she'd be harnessed.

unityco · Jun 14, 2011

(...having not read other replies

) I voted no; the decision is usually out of either of our hands. DS, being the giant he is, usually has to move to the next step before we'd like. He moved to a booster full-time around 4.5yo. He and I both would have preferred him to stay harnessed longer. I'm not so concerned about the move from booster to seat belt for him, since the principles of sitting still will be the same. I imagine he'll 5-step well before he feels any embarrassment about still being in a booster.

I actually feel worse for his buddies. He's got one peanut of a friend who really only rides in cars with us (his parents don't have one.) While always compliant, he's always a little irked when he's got to sit in the harnessed seat while DS gets to sit in a booster.

MommyBoha · Jun 14, 2011

After DS hit 40lbs, I took his feelings into consideration. He finally asked for a booster in Aug of last year. he was 7.5
DD begs for a booster daily. She is 5.5 and 35lbs. She will be harnessed till the Regent expires in 1.5 years. It will probably take her that long to be over 40lbs consistantly.

Melizerd · Jun 14, 2011

I said yes. There will be a minimum that *I* say he must be harnessed and then boostered til but there will be a grey area that he'll have some say over.

He's an amazon child for height so I'm hoping it stays in his legs at this point

He's 4.5 and 37lbs. He's got maybe an inch before he's outgrown the MA by height in the harness left, and he's on the second from the top slot on the Regent. So I figure a Frontier85 is in our future.

ketchupqueen · Jun 14, 2011

Just to point out-- state law in CA also requires a properly fitting seatbelt. That means boosters until the 5-step Test is passed.

I am in charge of when they get out of harness, but I also allowed my daughter to move to a booster before every seat we owned was outgrown in the harness. She was old enough (6), she was ready, she only needed a harness when sleeping. So she only got a harness when she was likely to sleep. Now, I do let her request a harness when she wants one, that's fine by me. But it's up to me what she rides in, and she knows that.

When they move from booster to seatbelt will depend on when they fit the seatbelt properly, and they know that.

CommMom · Jun 14, 2011

It depends. If kiddo's wishes match up with their fit to the seat/belt and the best practices (to the best of our ability to follow them) and the seats & vehicle, then sure I'll take their wishes into account. If not, then no. DS'll be harnessed until he is big enough to have a good belt fit in a booster and the ability to sit properly all the time. If he wants to stay harnessed longer, then as long as there is a harnessed seat available that works in my car and fits him we'll stay harnessed. He'll be boostered until he passes the 5-step.

kater-tot82 · Jun 14, 2011

Yes, to a certain extent, providing the request is safe and reasonable. When my DSD was 5, she wanted to ride in a booster full-time. We tried it, and she wiggled too much, so she went back into a harnessed seat. At 7, when she wanted to try the booster again, we let her, and she did fine. She still fit into her Regent, but I was fine with her being a safe booster rider at that point. Now at 8, she would like to ride in nothing but a seatbelt, but knows that won't be happening until she is bigger/older/taller/5-stepping. She (for the most part) doesn't mind riding in her Monterey, but if she realllllly wanted a backless, I would probably let her at this age/stage. She typically takes a backless when riding with friends.

did your or will your kids have any input on when they become unharnessed or when they don't need a booster?

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