It's been so long since my older 2 were this age

natalie77

New member
When did you all start booster training your kids? My DS2 will be 4 on Saturday and is 42 inches tall and weighs 36 lbs. He is currently FF in a Radian 80SL in my van (Dodge Grand Caravan) and FF in a TrueFit in hubbys Grand Prix. He has to stay harnessed in hubby's car due to middle being lap only and we have 2 other kids.

I don't remember when I put them in boosters as they are 14 & 11. I am NOT planning on putting him in a booster yet but I am curious as to when to start with short trips and which make good boosters for his size....he is a skinny little guy, still can wear 2T shorts but pants have to be 3T or 4T for length. Any info will be appreciated :)
 
ADS

StillThankful

New member
I just started to put DD1 in a booster--she's 5y1m, 44.5", 44#, . She'll be riding in an Evenflo Big Kid HBB in DH's car for short trips.
 
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momtotwogirls

New member
Our minimum is 6 and 40lbs. My oldest bounces between 33 and 35lbs so when she hits 40lbs which will most likely be after 6 then we will do a booster unles she outgrows the frontier height wise
 

NannyMom

Well-known member
Sofi is 5yrs 1month too. She only weighs 35 pounds though. She has ridden in a booster a few times, on VERY short trips. I decided i wanted her to be able to ride in a booster in an emergency situation. Because of lack of studies (I have a contact that has a contact at CHOP) of children under 40 pounds in boosters, I'm not allowing her to use a booster regularly until 40 pounds.
 

StillThankful

New member
Sofi is 5yrs 1month too. She only weighs 35 pounds though. She has ridden in a booster a few times, on VERY short trips. I decided i wanted her to be able to ride in a booster in an emergency situation. Because of lack of studies (I have a contact that has a contact at CHOP) of children under 40 pounds in boosters, I'm not allowing her to use a booster regularly until 40 pounds.

Our DDs have the same bday--remember? We were shocked at that on FB! 9/21/06:p
 

aeormsby

New member
My DD was about 5y3m when we first started with the booster. That was when she hit 40lb (and I had a Parkway for her with a 40lb min). We put the booster in DH's truck and she doesn't ride in there often, and if we do a longer trip we put a harnessed seat in there. She also 'practices' sitting still and upright in her Frontier when she's harnessed.

Since he's just turning 4 and still small I'd wait another year. My DS is turning 4 in a month and putting him in a booster hasn't even crossed my mind.
 

Brigala

CPST Instructor
I would start booster training my child at 40 lbs unless I felt the child was not yet old enough (under about 5) or mature enough yet.

Conveniently, my state law requires children to be in a car seat until 40 lbs; so it takes all the guess work out of it for me about whether or not I should think about putting a 38 lb child in a booster.
 

lanwenyi

New member
I suppose I'm in the minority, but I will booster-train at entrance to Kinder b/c I want someone else to be able to pick my child up in an emergency and/or allow my child to ride w/ a friend on a playdate and I don't necessarily trust other people's seats. I want to be sure that DD can ride correctly in a booster. If she can't, then I'll have to train all emergency pick-ups on how to use her RSTV (fun :rolleyes: ).

B/c of DD's bday and the cutoff for Kinder in CA, she'll get the opportunity to learn how to ride in a booster next summer, abt 2 mths before she turns 5. To keep her in practice, we'll prob have her ride in the booster 1-4x/mth. She will def be under 40lbs at that time. DS will booster-train at 5.

I don't plan to full-time booster until they outgrow their seats or age 6, whichever comes first. Even then, if they fit, they'll still harness for long trips. At the rate my kids are gaining, they'll be 8 before they hit 40lbs and I am not in the "harness forever" camp.

Note: all cutoffs are predicated on my children actually riding in a booster correctly. If they can't obey the rules, they stay harnessed.
 

Athena

Well-known member
At 4yo my DD was almost those exact same measurements. :) I was advised by a tech at that time not to booster yet because with her extremely narrow frame, she was unlikely to fit well in one, but I did not test her in any boosters to see because that was fine with me. Following my pediatrician's advice of 4 and 40, I had no interest in boostering before 40 pounds anyway. She's just now at 5 yo getting close to 40 pounds (or maybe she is, haven't weighed her for a couple months) and I'm looking into a HBB for emergency pick up from school use, but we only live about a mile from school. Otherwise, she's happy harnessed and I have no reason to mess with that. :)
 

emandbri

Well-known member
Benjamin was around 5 and in a radian in my van but was too tall for the marathon so he started using a parkway in Brian's car.

Elizabeth is 5 years 3 months and 48 lbs and rode in a booster once. I have 3 harnessed seats she fits in and I don't want her asking for a booster so she hasn't used one again.

Maybe I'll start in the spring if a booster comes out I want to buy, I don't like anything out right now (want a booster that latches that is brown, green, or girly but not pink).
 

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