When did you start letting your DC in a booster?

Just to clarify, I am NOT ready to put DD in a booster but as I watch more and more of her friends move into boosters, I have been pondering when I will be ready. She will soon be in a Regent in my van, an Apex with one grandparent and a Graco CarGo with the other. She has plenty of room in the CarGo still (just moved to top slots) but it will, obviously, be the first to need to be a booster. DD is a very good passenger and I think she will be able to sit still well, but she is only 3 1/2 and 34lbs. I'm wondering if when she grows out of that CarGo I will be OK with her being in booster mode or if I'll want to get a harnessed seat for grandparents car. What did you all do?

I personally would not be comfortable putting a child under 5 and 40 in a booster. The bare minimum is 4 and 40.

DS's main seat is the Regent and will get us to at least 7 or 8 before moving into a booster in my car.
I am hoping to get the full 6 years use out of our MA we use as our 2nd seat making DS 6 when he moves out of it but at the rate he is going I don't know if he will make it. He is on the 2nd to top slots and still has a little room before moving up to the top slots so we should be good till at least 5. At that point I will re-assess the situation to see if I feel comfortable letting him sit in a booster as his back up seat. If I don't feel comfortable, I will figure something out then, lol.

Minimum 4 years AND 40 lbs. My DD will be allowed to use a booster in other people's cars when she outgrows her MA some time next year. She'll be 4 in October and weighs 41 lbs already.

skaterbabscpst said:

Minimum 4 years AND 40 lbs. My DD will be allowed to use a booster in other people's cars when she outgrows her MA some time next year. She'll be 4 in October and weighs 41 lbs already.

Click to expand...

That's kind of what I am thinking, when she outgrows the Cargo sometime next year, she'll be over 4 and somewhere around 40lbs. I would be OK with the booster mode in grandpa's car, now and then. Still harnessed in the Apex and Regent though.

Once the girls were 40 lbs I let them use a booster on rare occasion in daddy's SUV. Neither of them hit 40 until they were well over 4, so I didn't mind putting them in the booster in a pinch. I wish our Cargo went up to 48lbs like in Canada...DD1 would have fit still until very recently and dd2 could still use it!

Yep, joy will stay harnessed in our primary vehicle for a while since we hav a Regent. lol

Jordyn rode in a booster (actually an AOE in booster mode) right after she turned 4 for about 3 months then the PW for a couple months till I got my Regent. She was exactly 40 lbs at this point and roughly 40".
She also rides in the PW in my moms car now and is 46 lbs.

DD1, ( now 11) at around 3 yrs old and 30lbs ( uhh maybe 28-29 lbs) she rode in a cosco high back in booster mode for a couple of weeks because she was too tall for the harness, the other combos available at the time with taller slots were the Century Breverra and the Evenflo 2-in-1. The Century didn't come close to fitting my car ( or most other cars) and I had to order the Evenflo through Pepboys. During the wait for that seat she was in booster mode if for some reason I couldn't borrow a car that the Century fit in. Then at 4.5 yrs she was again in a booster while we waited for the Futura to finally hit the market. Once the Futura broke we were again in a booster for about 6 months when she was about 7 yrs old until I could get my hands on a Husky. (the wait list was soooo long) She was never really a very good booster kid until around 9 yrs old. Now she is 5'2" and rarely needs one ( low seat backs and long trips), but I wish she did because she is not a very good seatbelt kid.

DS ( now 8) was in a booster once a week for about 12 weeks when the mom who picked him up from school for me had surgery. He was about to turn 4 at the time. He did ok in that booster because it locked the shoulder belt to the top of his shoulder, but I never really let him use one after that until he was 6 because that booster was technically illegal for me to use since it was British (was legal for the mom who picked him up to use though because she is a British citizen). He still isn't a particularly good booster child, but does ok to ride in one ( and in the adult belt in a couple of cars) for short trips. If he going somewhere more than 30 min or so away we install a 5 pt for him though. I made the mistake of thinking he would be ok on the way to Disneyland in the Bodyguard a couple of weeks ago because my mom needed the Radian for my cousin. ( word for the wise, Jeep Patriots really suck for car seats) We weren't on the road for 2.5 hrs and I was stopping to buy another Radian. Very expensive reality check. It's ok though since I needed to get a second one before winter anyway.

DD2 ( now 5.5 yrs) , by the time she came along I was smarter than I used to be. At 2 I started booster training her by putting her in a booster and buckling her up in the driveway while we waited for the sibs to get their school stuff and get to the car.If she stayed still, she got a sticker or a happy face. She never actually went anywhere in it until she was 4.5 yrs old. (lol, she wasn't even allowed ffing until she was 3.5 yrs) She was only 35lbs at 3.5, but hit 40 lbs less than a year later, and at 5.5 is now 60lbs When I got divorced I had to start letting her go occasionally in a booster because I didn't have a car so a lot of people in my family helped me out with transportation. A booster is a lot easier to carry through a store, Dr. office, etc than a MA. Actually, she sits really well in a booster. I hate putting her in one just on principle though.

Neither of my little ones will go into a booster full time for at least another 2-4 years. DS still has about 3-4 inches before he hits the top slot of the Husky, and DD is even shorter than he is. She still is an inch below the top slot of a MA. Which she outgrew by chubby thighs about a month ago. She may hit the weight at about the same time as he hits the height at the rate she is going.

Kimberly

I really haven't thought much about this, but not until he is at least 40 pounds.

Right now he is 3 years old, and only 25 pounds, so I still don't even know when I will allow him to ride Forwardfacing, must less a booster. (I'm sure he has at least another year rearfacing).

My initial thought about using a booster in other people's cars on occasion doesn't seem to sit well. If I'm not the driver, I feel like he needs even more protection and would want to send him with the most protective seat I have. But, I may end up changing my mind once I'm actually in that situation.

AJ rode in a booster once across the parking lot to see how he'd do and he did fine. He doesn't ride w/ people other than DH or I (he's ridden w/ grandma ONCE and we installed the seats before we left) so since we both have seats that harness to 65# there's no need for him to be in a booster. I want him to be at least 6 though before he'd use one for any length of time. I figure right around then he'll outgrow his Radian and Ilana will outgrow her Safeseat so we'll have to do a carseat shopping and swap between all the kids.

my daughter is 4 1/2 years old. She is only 34 lbs though. I will not let her ride in anything other than her 5 point for a while. I am due any day here soon with baby number 3 and Have informed my back up people for taking my 2 kids that they will just have to switch cars with me and install their seats in my vehicle and leave me keys to theirs. I have one friend with one kid that is my back up and she is not going to get my 2 boulevards in her car with her childs seat. She has a couple of boosters and said she would bring one for my daughter and just move my son's seat to her car. I told her no way. I don't care that she is only 3 miles up the road not going to happen.

My MIL is my other back up and she hates letting others drive her Jeep, but she will either get over it or else she will have to sit up stairs here with the kids and listen to me laboring and gving birth which totally creaps her out. She has offered to buy a booster for my daughter to keep in her jeep and I told her when pigs fly. My daughter will not ride in anyone vehicle in just a booster for at least 3 - 4 more years. I will install her seat in someone car or drive her myself. My DH is on board with me and even agrees that I can drive her to and from school and never allow her to ride a bus.

I am very protective though. I have actually taught my daughter and my son that they are never to get in a vehicle that does not have their car seats buckled in. This actually backfired on me the other day. I was cleaning out my van and had taken their seats out to get the goldfish off the seat and I had them inside the van with me so I could keep and eye on them. They both insisted on getting out cause I had their seats out. They would not stay in the vehicle. So I got the point across now I just have to have someone around to keep an eye on them when I clean out my van. Which I have to do again today.

Okay I think I have rambled on enought here. I am crazy but we all know that. LOL>

I always thought that I would feel comfortable letting DS ride in a booster in other people's cars after he reached 4 yrs/40 lbs, but now that he is 5 1/2 and 42 lbs, I'm still not comfortable with it. I know that he would sit well and he's very conscious of seat belt issues (always asks if I have mine on before we start driving and also likes to ask me things like "mom, why are you going 70? The speed limit is 65!" What am I supposed to say to that? ) Anyway, he still hasn't ridden in a booster, not once. For awhile, I thought about ordering him a PW to have as a spare seat, but then I figured that I'd rather just switch his BV or Radian to other cars when he needs it.

We actually started training Dillon this week to use a booster. He "may" ride in a van at school to get to storytime 2 blocks away at the library in inclement weather. Since he will not go if he is not in a seat and a booster is much easier to use, we are teaching him how to use the booster and how to sit in it. He has done really well. Today we are going to work on buckling.

He is 4 and 3 months, 40 pounds and 41 inches. He will continue to be harnessed in our cars in his safeguard, husky and radian. This is just for the couple times this year that the kids won't be walking to the library. Any field trips that are further away, he will be riding in my car.

My daughter is 5.5 and 42 pounds. At this age I would consider letting her ride in a good highbacked booster with a locked seatbelt on rare occasions (in a carpool or an emergency), but she will be harnessed in my cars for a long time to come.

McKenzie is 5.4 Y/O, 44-45 lbs and about 49" tall, and has been riding in her Parkway this passed week as I've been watching a friend's 2 children and one is using McKenzie's MA.
She rode in her Parkway 2 or 3 times at 4.7-4.10 Y/O and over 40 lbs when DH would drop her off at preschool.
She has only a little growing room left in her MA, so will be in her Parkway FT once she outgrows the MA.

ETA: I'm not sure when I will let Taylor ride in a booster.

It depends on the child + other adults as well as the vehicle....

My parents were medically unable to use harnesses correctly, so I taught Leila to use the Parkway when she reached the minimum size requirement before her 4th birthday: because a correctly used booster is safer than an incorrectly used harness -- Grandma drove while Grandpa kept his eye on Leila in the center ALR shoulder belt. (It was absolutely necessary for them to babysit during my midterms/finals, but I limited her time in their cars by bringing her with me to my other appointments, such as the doctor, etc.)

With other adults, I made sure to install her harness carseat myself & told them not to loosen the harness under punishment of never having alone time with my child again

In my own vehicle she still rides in the Husky & will until either she outgrows it or it expires (in 2010).

natysr said:

My initial thought about using a booster in other people's cars on occasion doesn't seem to sit well. If I'm not the driver, I feel like he needs even more protection and would want to send him with the most protective seat I have. But, I may end up changing my mind once I'm actually in that situation.

Click to expand...

Which is why we won't allow it as long as Joyjoy actually still fits in the MA. But the Regent is just a pain to move, and I think she'll be close to five when she outgrows the MA anyway.

Avery'sMama said:

I'm wondering if when she grows out of that CarGo I will be OK with her being in booster mode or if I'll want to get a harnessed seat for grandparents car. What did you all do?

Click to expand...

The cargo bites in booster mode. I know because we used it that way for over a year. My ds1 was out of the harness at four & 40. Ds2 probably won't be until he is at least 5*. (Though, he's not in a crappy cargo)

*Because I know better. And have seat that will harness him longer.

Yes, the Cargo makes a terrible booster. I tried it once in booster mode and my son fell asleep right away in it. By the time we got home the top of the seat belt was no longer in the closed belt guide and he had slipped under the belt. It definitly was a wake up call for me and very glad that it was safe driving that night.

The Head Start Program that I worked for previously gave them out as boosters and I worry about those kids.