Keep 8 yr old in hbb or move to backless?

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kiloyd

New member

• Dec 2, 2012

• #1

What would you do?

My 5 1/2 yr old (47#) will soon need a hbb. Would you pass 8 yr olds' (~57#) hbb down to sister and put 8 yr old in backless or buy another hbb?

My 8 yr old has one more notch to go on the height of her Turbobooster. So my dilemma is because she most likely will fit in it for another year.

The 8 yr old has asked a few times when I'll take the back off and I've told her when she reaches the height limit. I allow my 5 yr old to ride in her sisters seat once a week, otherwise she is in a Radian. (Yes, I know the Radian goes to 65# but I cannot install tight enough with the belt, so use LATCH to 48#)

 

Mingie

CPST Instructor

• Dec 2, 2012

• #2

Well it would depend for me whether or not there is a headrest behind the child, and if I could get a good seatbelt fit with a backless booster. So if you do have both of those things then yes I would feel comfortable moving an 8 year old into a backless booster.

 

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NVMBR02

New member

• Dec 2, 2012

• #3

Mingie said:

Well it would depend for me whether or not there is a headrest behind the child, and if I could get a good seatbelt fit with a backless booster. So if you do have both of those things then yes I would feel comfortable moving an 8 year old into a backless booster.

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:yeahthat:

I let my oldest move to a backless full time at 8 years 4 months. She has a headrest and the seat belt fits great. She had been begging to move out of booster completely as most of her friends did when they turned 8. Thankfully, moving to a backless has stopped the complaining for now.

 

crunchierthanthou

New member

• Dec 2, 2012

• #4

It told ds he could switch to backless when he turned 8 (we have headrests and side curtain airbags). We ended up taking it off a couple months sooner because his Monterey didn't work in our 3 across with the back on. The funny thing is that after asking about going backless for at least a year, he'd prefer to have it back on. It was more comfortable before. It's too bad it doesn't fit.

Basically, I'd let her choose at age 8. If she wants to keep the back, I'd just buy another $50 HBTB for the younger sibling.

 

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kiloyd

New member

• Dec 3, 2012

• #5

Thank you for your responses. I am just a nut and like to keep my children in the seat to the height/weight limit.

I will let her try it with the back off first before ordering hbb or backless since my 5 yr old has one more pound to be harnessed.

I measured 8 yr old and she is 4' 3", so def. booster for at least another year, if not two.

Yes, headrests and side curtain air bags. A 2007 Honda Odyssey. Our truck is a '99 that is why I want her staying in a hbb in there.

 

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babyherder

Well-known member

• Dec 3, 2012

• #6

Does your 8 year old sleep in the car at all? hbb can be convenient for that.

 

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kiloyd

New member

• Dec 3, 2012

• #7

No, no sleeping. I don't think even on the 4-5 hr trips she took with my husband. And no long trips again until at least April.

Took off the back and will let her use it to go pick up her brother at school today. See how I think it looks and what she thinks.

Funny thing, I remembered that my son did not want to go to a backless, he loved the head rest. But he was outgrowing the hbb.

The backless Turbobooster is $22 and the hbb is $44, that is another reason I lean toward hbb, $22 difference is not much.

 

cookie123

New member

• Dec 3, 2012

• #8

If you decide to get a high back booster, you might want to consider one that has a bit more height since your daughter has only one click left. The Monterey booster would do that and also becomes a backless later on. There's others too.

 

Baylor

New member

• Dec 3, 2012

• #9

My 8 yr old is in a lbb. The only time I put him in hbb is for late night driving.

auto correct hates me

 

christineka

New member

• Dec 3, 2012

• #10

kiloyd said:

Yes, headrests and side curtain air bags. A 2007 Honda Odyssey. Our truck is a '99 that is why I want her staying in a hbb in there.

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Just want to point out that the Honda latch limit is 40 pounds, so the radian should not be latched any more now- unless you have a super latch radian and feel comfortable with latching up to the 65 pounds that sunshine kids/diono says is allowable.

 

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kiloyd

New member

• Dec 3, 2012

• #11

I just recently heard that the Honda LATCH limit was 40#. My Radian says 48# and my Odyssey manual does not say. Where do you know this from?

Well, the question has been answered. I took off the back and let dd ride that way to pick up her brother at school. She did fine. Came home and put the back on and looked at her in it, she grew overnight!, needed to move the height up to the top setting. So now I know it will be less than a year, maybe 6 months until she'll be out of it.

I'll just get a backless and pass her hbb to her sister.

Thank you for your replies

 

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bnsnyde

New member

• Dec 6, 2012

• #12

Yeah, we had our Radian latched in our Honda with superlatch and got up to over 50 lbs. I was comfortable doing it, but you're right, it's confusing. I could not get a good belt install in certain seating positions. I bought the Superlatch to have more options (previously we had the XT version).

 

sirrahn

Active member

• Dec 6, 2012

• #13

Unless she's just really fond of her Turbo, personally I wouldn't get one as a backless for an 8 year old. IME seat depth becomes an issue for older kids who still need to be boostered. You might consider the Evenflo Amp or Harmony Cruz as well.

 

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kiloyd

New member

• Dec 6, 2012

• #14

Sirrahn, thank you. We looked at the backless Turbobooster and AMP yesterday. DD liked the AMP. I compared and saw that it looked 1-2" deeper than the Turbobooster. It's also heavier.

Maybe I'll go back and get it or order one today.

I don't know what super latch is, I'll have to look that up. But she is 5 1/2 and as of Tuesday 48#, so time for a full time hbb.

And I might as well get the backless for 8 yr old. No point in buying another hbb for a year or less at this age. She'll stay in the hbb in dh's truck until she outgrows it. Need to check her fit in there again. I don't think she'll pass the 5 step test even on the bench seat, just yet.

Oh, we tried the Harmony backless too and she didn't like it.

 

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kiloyd

New member

• Dec 7, 2012

• #15

So, um, to give me more to think about, I just checked 8 yr old's fit in the truck. The back needs to come off her Turbobooster now. She fits well with the bottom. Tried to see if she passed the 5 step test in the truck back seat. Passes 4 of 5, seat belt is on her stomach. So she must be in a no back in there.

Looked at her again in my van with the hbb, she'll fit until she grows again, so less than 6 mo I'd say.

Since my van has side curtain airbags is it really worth keeping her in a hbb for another 2-6 months?

Thinking I'll take the back off her Turbobooster in the truck and buy a backless for her in the van. Because 5 yr old needs to be out of her Radian now.

 

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YinzerMama

New member

• Dec 7, 2012

• #16

bnsnyde said:

Yeah, we had our Radian latched in our Honda with superlatch and got up to over 50 lbs. I was comfortable doing it, but you're right, it's confusing. I could not get a good belt install in certain seating positions. I bought the Superlatch to have more options (previously we had the XT version).

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Which positions did you find to not work well with the radian + seatbelt?

 

emandbri

Well-known member

• Dec 10, 2012

• #17

I was in the same boat and bought another booster but I swear my kids fall asleep anytime they are in the car more than 15 minutes plus I wanted a new seat to play with!

The Monterey is much taller than the turbo if you wanted to keep her in a high back.

If you want to buy a backless I like the harmony Cruz, it is wider than the turbo and works well three across. Target has it.

 

stephpook

New member

• Dec 10, 2012

• #18

YinzerMama said:

Which positions did you find to not work well with the radian + seatbelt?

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The poster you quoted has a newer model Ody, but I have an '07 and have only ever gotten a good seatbelt install in the third row passenger outboard (FF). I've never tried a RF seatbelt install because I've always gotten a good LATCH install RF.