Question At what age would you...

E&A0607

New member
consider full time LBB use?

Considering the child is a mature rider and not tiny. I understand that her bones are still (nearly) 6.5, even though she is tall (49.5" and 52 lbs at last check).

My older DD is the same size (maybe a smudge shorter actually) but 15mos older, and all torso. She started using a LBB full time a few months ago when her super long torso outgrew the high backs on our Affix. Younger DD is close to outgrowing them also, and I'm constantly back and forth on buying her a taller HBB. My older DD is my wiggle worm and she actually sits better in her LBB (Diono Santa Fe) than she did in either HBB (Affix or Frontier 85 in booster mode - she still fits in that one and it's in DH car because his seat belt geometry is not kind to LBB).

YDD does sleep in the car more than her sister, typically on the way home of a long drive. But she puts her head back, I can't get her to rest it on the side of the HBB.
 
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Baylor

New member
I actually find my oldest also does much better in a lbb than he did in a hbb.

The reason mine were in hbb longer was sleeping and I drive an older car with less safety features. If had a new car my oldest would have been full time in a lbb by 7 or so.
 

E&A0607

New member
Hmmm. My car is a 2006 Dodge Caravan. It's not old old but not really new either. I'm so on the fence with this one. Maybe I need to see how she sleep in the LBB. She just tilts her head back in her high back, so in not sure the back of the booster is offering much sleep support. I wanted to get to 7 in a HBB initially. My older daughter was 7.5 or very close to it before we went backless. She's small, with a loooong torso. Younger DD is tall with a slightly long torso but long legs too.
 

veggiegirl228

New member
In my car (has adjustable headrest) when DD turned 8. In DH when the back is outgrown since it doesn't have the adjust headrest. I do put the back on when I know sleeping is possibility.

ETA: She's 60 lbs and 4'2" or so.
 
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Athena

Well-known member
8? My DD's almost 8 and now that we have side curtain air bags, I'd probably let her if she wanted to.
 

tiggercat

New member
I think it is kid specific. My daughter will soon be 9, and still does better in a HBB. She rides ok in a backless with her grandmother, but she can't sit properly in one for long trips. She also sleeps occasionally in the car.
 

E&A0607

New member
Thanks everyone. Is sleeping in a backless booster bad in general? or just dependent on how they sleep?

She's on the younger side for her grade and on the bigger side for her age so it's tricky.

Many of my second graders friends don't ride in boosters at all anymore. :( I think it's like 7 and 60lbs here or something crazy like that !!
 

tiggercat

New member
Thanks everyone. Is sleeping in a backless booster bad in general? or just dependent on how they sleep?

She's on the younger side for her grade and on the bigger side for her age so it's tricky.

Many of my second graders friends don't ride in boosters at all anymore. :( I think it's like 7 and 60lbs here or something crazy like that !!

If they can stay in position when sleeping in a backless, it's not a big deal. If they fall sideways or forward, then they are not adequately protected. My girl can sleep just fine in a hbb, but falls over in a backless.

Plenty of my daughter's peers do not use boosters. I've taught her the 5 step test so she can test herself to see if she is big enough to be out of a booster, and shown her crash tests so she understands how the booster will protect her in a crash. No problems with compliamce yet :)
 

E&A0607

New member
No problems here either. My kids are pretty good about understanding that the rules for our family aren't always everyone else's and vice versa.

Thanks for the input. I will probably get her a taller one. :)
 

E&A0607

New member
What else is good, doesn't require head rests (our van headrests tilt forward), and taller than the gracos? I know the Parkway. What else?
 

MommyShannon

New member
I'm not sure what else doesn't require the headrest. DS is 6.5 and he has done surprisingly well in a nbb lately. He has gone back to mostly using his FR85 in booster mode, but we've been using his nbb a lot too while juggling getting kids different places and rides for other kids. The Harmony youth boosters are so cheap I just keep several around to use when I don't expect the kids to be extra tired. They definitely prefer them when friends are with us.
 

E&A0607

New member
We have two if those in our third row for friends also. Both my DD fit great and they work with the seat belts back there.

Maybe I will take her to BRU and let her try out the new parkway. the one we have in my moms car is an older style (and needs to stay there bc older dd fits in it too and her car isn't backless friendly either). She has an Escape (maybe an 08?) and we have tried backless affix, Santa Fe, backless turbo, youth booster, top side, lol. any other suggestions? belt doesn't pay up against their bodies at shoulder.
 

bnsnyde

New member
Well, may daughter is 6 and I CANNOT SEE OUT THE BACK WINDOW of my van. She grew so I had to put her headrest up in her current Kiddyworld booster. There is a blind spot back there and I do not like it one bit. She is in the middle seat of the middle of the van, with all the current safety features. I am tempted to go backless sooner rather than later. She never sleeps and always sits correctly.

But I don't know. We have a road trip coming up and I'll just move her to a captain's chair and put the RF baby in that middle. Normally it'd be too hard to get baby into that seat, but for one long trip (2 ways) it'll be fine, in the Advocate.

Our almost 8 YO is harnessed in the Frontier and that's working out great for now.
 

Baylor

New member
Well, may daughter is 6 and I CANNOT SEE OUT THE BACK WINDOW of my van. She grew so I had to put her headrest up in her current Kiddyworld booster. There is a blind spot back there and I do not like it one bit. She is in the middle seat of the middle of the van, with all the current safety features. I am tempted to go backless sooner rather than later. She never sleeps and always sits correctly.

But I don't know. We have a road trip coming up and I'll just move her to a captain's chair and put the RF baby in that middle. Normally it'd be too hard to get baby into that seat, but for one long trip (2 ways) it'll be fine, in the Advocate.

Our almost 8 YO is harnessed in the Frontier and that's working out great for now.

Learning to set and use your side mirrors correctly will help with that. It took a while but I don't look out my back window much anymore at all.

My kid have had lbb for grandmom's car since probably 5. My kids know how important it is to sit right and it was mainly for pick ups and drop offs.

It is about belt positioning right? So if it positions the belt properly and the child can sit I think it is less about age and more about the child.
 

E&A0607

New member
Learning to set and use your side mirrors correctly will help with that. It took a while but I don't look out my back window much anymore at all. My kid have had lbb for grandmom's car since probably 5. My kids know how important it is to sit right and it was mainly for pick ups and drop offs. It is about belt positioning right? So if it positions the belt properly and the child can sit I think it is less about age and more about the child.

Thanks for that last point Baylor. We don't have side curtain airbags in the back of our van (it was an add on option in 06 and we bought our van used). Which has me leaving toward keeping her in a HBB. but you are right if the belt fits properly. again my older dd def sits and fits better in her Santa Fe
 

keri1292

Well-known member
Will she be in the middle row of your Caravan? I have the twin to your van, an 06 Town & Country and no one can use a backless booster in the 3rd row. The belt fit is horrible. My boys are 10 and 11 and still in HBB in the 3rd row because we have no other solution.
 

E&A0607

New member
Will she be in the middle row of your Caravan? I have the twin to your van, an 06 Town & Country and no one can use a backless booster in the 3rd row. The belt fit is horrible. My boys are 10 and 11 and still in HBB in the 3rd row because we have no other solution.

Yes middle row captains chair. But the youth boosters work well in our third row. great fit on both girls and all friends who have been back there!!! we are having more backless trouble in DH Hyundai and my moms escape lol
 

Athena

Well-known member
Also, LBBs weren't an option in our old car because of the weird shoulder belt geometry, leaving the belts too far out on the shoulders.

What else is good, doesn't require head rests (our van headrests tilt forward), and taller than the gracos? I know the Parkway. What else?

I've been through the search for tall boosters that don't require head rests, because we have very tall kiddos and had the weird tilting head rests. Those two factors ruled out most options, so DD1 ended up getting a Parkway SGL and we converted a FR85 to booster mode. I even kept an extra 85 for later booster use because our options were so bad. We looked at the Oobr that's almost as tall as the PKWY, but the shallowness ruled it out and for $300, I'd need more than an inch of growing room.

Well, may daughter is 6 and I CANNOT SEE OUT THE BACK WINDOW of my van.

That's really frustrating! When new car shopping, I couldn't believe how much these manufacturers are shrinking the windows and reducing visibility (even before putting in the car seats). I don't get it. :(

Learning to set and use your side mirrors correctly will help with that. It took a while but I don't look out my back window much anymore at all.

How do you set them? This is what I've seen many places as the proper way and what I've learned to do.
http://www.cartalk.com/sites/default/files/features/mirrors/CarTalkMirrors.pdf
If I set mine to see behind me, then I'd have big blind spots on my sides and my car seats block the rear side windows as much as my rear.

Of course, IMHO, all cars should have rear view cameras.
 

Athena

Well-known member
Yes middle row captains chair. But the youth boosters work well in our third row. great fit on both girls and all friends who have been back there!!! we are having more backless trouble in DH Hyundai and my moms escape lol

Which Hyundai? What's the problem? We have a Hyundai, so if I can help at all ...
 

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