When to start booster training?

I'm just wondering what are some signals that its time to start booster training. DS will likely be harnessed for at least another year but I don't know if I should train soon "just in case". He's absolutely nowhere near ready to be boostered full or even part time because he's very impulsive and doesn't think about consequences before he acts. Unfortunately I don't think that has anything to do with his age and is just his personality. Thankfully we live in a mobile home park so when we do start I can just drive him around the park at 5mph.

Maybe have someone else drive and you sit in the back with ds to make sure he sits correctly?

I'm planning to start with my son when he hits 40lbs (he'll be four in April but is hovering between 35-37 most days). I want him to know how to sit properly in a booster for carpooling and school drop off next fall. I plan to harness him in our primary vehicle at least until he's five and over 40.

For me, 40 lbs. is a minimum in terms of weight. As for age....that's more a matter of the child. And, your circumstances factor in as well. We don't carpool for school and it's a VERY rare occasion when someone other than dh or I drive our kids, so I wasn't as worried about them being able to ride in a booster for short trips in those instances.

My older son was six before I felt like he was ready to start booster training, and even then, it took over a year before I felt that he was mature enough to booster full time.

My daughter has done MUCH better in the booster. She just turned five and has needed relatively few reminders to sit properly. I had anticipated needing to go back and forth between the booster and the harness for longer trips, but last Saturday I kept her in the booster for a longer trip and she did wonderful (even fell asleep and maintained position perfectly in the Monterey...it's a great fit for her). We'll be taking a fairly long drive in a couple of weeks and I'll probably harness her for that for my own peace of mind.

Her twin brother is still harnessed....he's got a few pounds to go before he hits 40, and he's less mature as well. I don't think he'll be 7 like older brother was, but he needs a little more time to mature.

I started booster training my ds at 5 yrs old. He's a lightweight and was 33 lbs (min weight for the cybex booster we have). He did great and only needed occasional reminders. He rides full time in a booster at nearly 6 yrs and 36-37lbs. He's a very serious, safety concious kid and always has been.

For my dd, whether or not I start booster training her depends on her maturity but also when she hits 30+ lbs. She's 4 yrs old and 26 lbs and ill be surprised if she touches 30lbs by 5 yrs old (she's a very slow gainer). I'm not in a rush..she's seriously hyper and impulsive anyway. Maybe around 6 ill start booster training her. She'd be a little heavier and (hopefully) a good bit more mature.

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I think this depends entirely on your child and your situation. I started training my dd at 4. She was BEGGING to try a booster and was able to sit mostly ok though not well enough that I wanted her there very often. I tried ds right when he turned 5. No way. Oy. He about made me insane! However, right before turning 6 we tried again and he did awesome. At 6 he was actually a much better booster rider than his sister was at the same age.

Weight definitely is not an issue at all. He's 48-49lbs, 43" tall. He's a big kid. So from what I'm gathering its just trial and error? Try it out and if its catastrophic, just wait longer.

I'm not a mom- I do nanny though. J is going to be five and still has plenty of room in his FR85 in his parents' cars and Nautilus in mine. I'll harness him in my car until 6 just because I *know* he is the type of child who won't sit still yet. His aunt harnessed her kids until 7, so I'm thinking J's mom will too.