Question HBB

kidnurse

Active member
I am hearing conflicting information. What is the purpose of a HBB vs a NBB? Also, I thought that there are only a few HBB that are ok to use in a seat without a headrest, but I am also hearing that the purpose of the HBB is for use when there isn't a headrest?

What's the real deal?
 
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Keeyamah

Active member
Both offer assistance with getting the lap belt to fit the child properly, HBB also help the shoulder belt to fit more so than the clips on NBB. HBB also can help with new booster riders to learn the rules of booster riding.

I'm sure there is more, but that is what I can think of right now.

ETA: I not sure about the headrest thing myself, honestly. But I like my son to have a HBB behind him (once we start booster training) in my '92 Explorer with out head restraints.
 

bubbaray

New member
The purpose of a booster is to position the lap/shoulder belt properly. In a vehicle without headrest, I would use a HBB that is allowed without a headrest such as a PW.
 

Cnidaria

New member
HBBs directly position the shoulder belt on the shoulder, whereas backless ones indirectly position the shoulder belt (so HBBs provide a better fit on smaller children). HBBs may offer some additional side-impact protection over backlesses, though there are no standards for this so all we have to go on is what the manufacturers say. HBBs provide more head support for sleeping children. And as kind of a bonus, as you've found, some HBBs can turn a seating position without a headrest into a safer one.
 

joolsplus3

Admin - CPS Technician
Pretty good blog on it... http://carseatblog.com/8243/to-backless-or-not-to-backless-that-is-the-question/

I found my kiddo's shoulder was just so small and narrow that she was out of position in about 2 nanoseconds, until she was about 6, in a backless.

I wish I could find an old article I remember about highbacks... most probably should require a vehicle head restraint behind them (few are sturdy enough to prevent significant backward movement, evidently. Honestly, if you've seen some of the ones that don't require a head restraint, you wonder why not), but in the real world the whiplash risk to kids is incredibly tiny with or without something behind their head. Dorel started saying headrests were mandatory, Diono seems to have followed suit. If I didn't have head restraints I'd want the tallest, sturdiest booster I could find that doesn't require a vehicle head restraint, like the Frontier.
 

kidnurse

Active member
So I am looking at putting my 5 yr old in a Frontier in the middle seat, without a headrest.

Would I be better off leaving him outboard with a headrest?
 

joolsplus3

Admin - CPS Technician
So I am looking at putting my 5 yr old in a Frontier in the middle seat, without a headrest.

Would I be better off leaving him outboard with a headrest?

I'd put it center if feasible, center is always, always safest (when weighing risk of injury, being outboard increases risk, while vehicle head restraints behind boosters really don't have any measurable effect). But not always feasible (none of my kids have ridden center in years...AND I have useless headrests. sigh.)
Here's some more info on head restraint/rear impact stuff http://www.iihs.org/iihs/ratings/ratings-info/rear-head-restraints-test
 

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