When did you switch to a full back booster?

G8r4evr · Nov 5, 2011

My daughter is currently in the Nautilus and it just now starting to complain. Im sure we can buy some more time, but for the first time, I am now considering our booster options. She is only 3.5, but she is in the 99th percentile for height and weight. Realistically, we will probably wait til she is at least 4 to make the switch, but Im curious to read what your kids stats were when you moved out of the harness.

Thanks!

Forgot to add, she is 42 lbs and 42 inches.

Ladyl · Nov 5, 2011

What is she complaining about?

My 5 yo is mostly harnessed still. Three and even four is very young for a booster.

melniemi · Nov 5, 2011

Between 7&8.

G8r4evr · Nov 5, 2011

Ladyl said:
What is she complaining about?

My 5 yo is mostly harnessed still. Three and even four is very young for a booster.

She is complaining that the harness is too uncomfortable and tight on her. I just checked Gracos website and was surprised to read she is big enough to even convert to the no back Nautilus booster. WOW.

SignCuer · Nov 5, 2011

How's the harness on her? Just tighten up until it just passes the pinch test.

Or it's a phase. Keep her in it and see how she is like in a week or so. If she still complains, maybe a different seat will help.

Early 4's are a bit young for fulltime boostering. Personally, I prefer to see them harnessed until around 5-7.

On my faithful sidekick

Don't text and drive... It may save a life!

My ladybug, 6 months old, 13 lbs, 25 1/2 inches riding in different seats each day until she gets her Combi Shuttle 35!

rachelandtyke · Nov 5, 2011

My DD is 6 and after she turned 6 we started to let her ride in the high back booster for short drives. By the time she is 7 I expect she will be ready for full time booster use.

A child's maturity is more of a telling point of when they are ready for a booster over height/weight since there are many boosters that start at 30 lbs and most kids hit that milestone long before they are ready for a booster. When a child is in a booster, they must sit in position the entire time with no wiggling or leaning or they are not safe. Most children aren't ready for this responsibility until 5+, often closer to 6 or more. DD was very wiggly in her seat until this summer. Right now, she is very reliable for 15 minute or less drives and sits well, but if we go 30+ minutes, she gets too tired and wiggly, so she's not ready for booster use full time.

If she is complaining that the harness is too tight, is it possible you are tightening too tight? You don't need to tighten as tight as you possibly can. You will know it is tight enough if you can't pinch any slack at the shoulder. Sometimes I tighten DD"s seat too tight, and she'll let me know. All I do is lift up the harness adjustor strap lever and it lets out just a smidge of tension, which is enough to let her still be tight enough, but not be uncomfortable.

Jennee · Nov 5, 2011

sorry to hijack but since you are discussing the tightness of the nautilus straps I figured id ask about my situation here.
my appx 45 lb, 3'8 5 year old has been complaining about his straps hurting his neck for a few months, I tighten the straps to where they should be and he reaches down and loosens them, I can pinch them quite easily. What would be safer, being able to pinch the straps or converting it to a hb booster?

mylittlet · Nov 5, 2011

My minimum for my giant kids is 5y to move to a booster. Our older kids had Nania Airways that went to 50# and they hit that weight limit about age 5. All our kids have long torsos.

Our ds2 is 5y8m, 60# and 49" and rides in a monterey. He would still be harnessed if his Husky had not expired. He still had room in it but when we were shopping earlier this year he was very close to outgrowing the FR85 and didn't fit other seats, so he got a booster. We did booster train him in DH vehicle around town from 4.5-5y.

Our dd2 is 4y7m, 50# and 44" and rides in a frontier85. I bought it because it had the tallest harness. Also the cow fabric works great for dd and her sensory issues. She will be in the 5-point until she outgrows it by height.

As for your nautilus, do you have the extra padding removed? I see many come through checks with it still being used and not on the bottom slots. Have you moved the crotch strap out? As for the straps bothering the neck have you tried pulling up the shirt so the straps are not on his neck?

mominabigtruck · Nov 5, 2011

It could just be the nautilus. Ds2 is off the charts sizewise and when I tried him in the nautilus when he was 3 I could barely stuff him in the seat and that was without the harness. Now at 5 he is on the top slots in the fr85 and will probably outgrow it in the next 6 months. I have found that the nautilus is pretty narrow and none of my kids fit in it, even ds3 is kinda squished at 2.5 so I won't even bother with it. I really wish they still made the husky.
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ginny4 · Nov 5, 2011

its way too early to booster your daughter.

it's a phase & will hopefully be a short one.

5 is a good time to start some short trips in a booster & then 6yo we went full time boostered. with my DD

Dillipop · Nov 5, 2011

My kids move to a highback booster full time between age 6 and 7.

oddduck · Nov 5, 2011

We haven't yet, DD is still under the legal weight limit here. Even if she was 40lbs+ I would keep her harnessed until 5-5.5ish.

I would try and see what the issue is and try and correct it. It's quite possible that she's feeling squished in the shoulders or she's finding the crotch strap too close.

Jennee · Nov 5, 2011

we never used the extra padding. we have 2 seats, 1 in each car, one has the shoulder pads in and the other doesnt, there is no difference and I moved the crotch strap out when I took the padding out so before he ever used it. hes been in the seat with a hoodie on so the straps are on that not his skin and its the same. hes very thin for his height. I ignore the complaints and make him use the seat anyway. we do have a booster that he uses for short drives around our community and if he goes with someone else hes in a booster. I am hoping to get through the winter with him in the harness and maybe convert it to a hb booster when the snow tires come of our vehicles. he very rarely sleeps in the car now even on long drives and most of the time he takes his ds to play so he sits pretty still.

KaysKidz · Nov 5, 2011

My twins are 4.5. One of them is the same size as your dd. He has a booster for secondary vehicles, but he is rarely in them. His main ride is a FR85. I do not plan on taking him out of a harness f/t for at least another year. He does very well in a booster, but I still prefer a harness at his age and development. Knowing what I know now, I would never consider a booster for a 3.5yr old (my older son was in a backless booster by 4.

)

mominabigtruck · Nov 5, 2011

I would point out that it could possibly be illegal to put him in a booster. There is a difference between a child restraint and a booster, most people assume that a child restraint is anything but it is actually defined as a seat with an internal harness. So depending on your state you could be ticketed if they have a 4yo child restraint law.

I'm sorry but I don't think the nautilus was probably the best choice for you. As a parent of several big kids I've learned the hard way that I normally can't just go and buy a seat at target or walmart because it is usually outgrown way too soon and them I have to buy another seat. It seems to me that this is your situation and it sucks but that's how it is.
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ericarizo · Nov 5, 2011

My DS is 6.5yrs. old and is still harnessed f/t in a FR85.

An Aurora · Nov 5, 2011

A booster is not an appropriate seat for a three year old, no matter how infrequent or short the trip, or who is driving the car.

skylinphoto · Nov 5, 2011

My 5.5 yo is part time boostered. We booster in normal driving situations...but when we travel (more than 3 hr drive..which we do often) then we harness because he gets antsy and bored and I can't expect him to be still. Plus he sleeps on long trips and I don't want to have to keep checking that he's still in position. Lol.

All kids are different..but there's no way in haides id ever put my 3.5 yo dd in a booster. She's impulsive. She still throws temper tantrums..which is a huge sign she can't control herself. That's not a bad thing, its age appropriate. But its a recipe for disaster in a booster!

Taking the harness away give them freedom. Freedom to be in charge of themselves and their own safety. If you wait until 4 yrs old....and your kiddo is 40lbs+ and is mature enough to sit properly all of the time, go for a booster.

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Brigala · Nov 5, 2011

Jennee said:
my appx 45 lb, 3'8 5 year old has been complaining about his straps hurting his neck for a few months, I tighten the straps to where they should be and he reaches down and loosens them, I can pinch them quite easily. What would be safer, being able to pinch the straps or converting it to a hb booster?

That's kind of a hard question. The "simple" answer is that at 5 years old and 45 lbs, he would be safer in a properly used booster than a harness with loose straps. The problem is that by reaching down and loosening his harness on his own, he's showing that he's not mature enough to make safe choices. And until that problem is solved, I can't quite see moving him into a booster where he needs to be relied on to make the safe choice to sit up straight and keep his seat belt in the right position. An improperly used booster is no safer than an improperly used harness with loose straps. So the answer really is to teach him not to loosen the straps. Give him consequences. Let him know that when he shows he can sit properly you will start letting him use a booster for short rides to see how he does, but not until he can be a "big boy" and make good choices about his safety.

This is very different from the OP's situation where her child is 3.5 years old. That child needs to be in a harness for about 2 more years, maybe longer.

2BunniesMommy · Nov 5, 2011

DD1 started using a booster part time at 5 years 4 months. She is almost 6 and in a harness about 25% of the time, booster 75%. She has great impulse control and understands that she needs to be safe. Her little sister will not likely be ready for a booster until she is quite a bit older.

When did you switch to a full back booster?

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