When did you feel okay moving your child into a booster?

sb518 · Nov 22, 2014

At what age did you feel comfortable putting your child in a booster for a back up seat? What about full time?

DD is 5y4m and does well in the Turbo, as long as I buckle her in. It's hard for her to remember how to route the belt correctly, and buckle it. She rides in the Fr90 in my car, but I'd like to get a good back up seat for carpooling, etc. I can't decide what to get!!! Either put a Parkway in my car and use her Fr90 as a back up, or use the Parkway as a backup, or what. Every time somebody tried to buckle her in the turbo they route the belt wrong/one belt over the arm rest. I've always been there correct it. She can buckle herself in with a 5pt harness.

She's ridden in the Turbo 4-5 times and she does great in it, but she is so tiny! 42" and 37ish pounds. I have a major phobia of her submarining under the belt and I like the Parkway because it has the secure guard clip.

But at the same time I want to get a seat that she can RF in these last couple of pounds. Ahh! Sometimes I wish I could just mindlessly get a NBb and not think twice.

It's pretty much between a Parkway, a Graco size4me if I can get the stupid thing to install with the belt in my car, or waiting and getting a CT convertible or second Fr90 with my tax return.

aept · Nov 22, 2014

Backup/travel: 4 3/4 years. (My kids were well over 40 lbs and 40" by then.)
Part-time (booster as "their seat" in our secondary vehicles): 5 1/2 years
Full-time boosters in all vehicles: 6 1/2 to 7 years.

aept · Nov 22, 2014

PS-
A parkway SGL was our first "backup" booster. Honestly it didn't fit my older kid super great at first. His shoulders were kind of narrow for it until around 5 1/2. I did buy it for the safeguard but I'm now more aware of better booster fit and it wasn't horrible but wasn't ideal either. I do love it as my kids have gotten bigger - it goes so nice and high and is also useable as a nbb. It is great if it fits.
I would check the fit for your DD in the parkway and go with it or the turbo and start booster training. Booster training can last for years and can be a really gradual process. I think it is good for them to start learning about how the belt should fit and how they need to sit still (for short periods and occasional rides.)
I would not buy a new seat to re-RF a typical five year old. I think that is "extreme."

ketchupqueen · Nov 22, 2014

Backup, 5 1/2 ish. My kids haven't had the maturity for even occasional use until then. Once they do I give more and more opportunities, to test how they do on longer and longer trips.

Full time has been more about physical control when sleeping, for us. Emma was 7 1/2 before she gained control when sleeping (she had some tone issues.) Bridget went full time at 6 1/2 ish when she outgrew the frontier. It took a lot of reminders the first few months to not slump when sleepy but now she dies great.

Maggie really wants to go in a booster. She'll be 7 in late April. She does well in a booster with Grandma. Even, last time, a backless (easier for my mom to use correctly.) My issue is that she has epilepsy, sleeps in the car a lot, and her seizures occur mostly when she sleeps (but very occasionally during awake but sleepy times...) I can't expect her to have control over her position during a seizure! She is growing like a weed but still has a few settings left in the FR90. I've made no promises as I'm not sure what to do. I told her we'll talk about decision making when she is 7. I'm leaning toward, if she's well controlled with her meds by then, allowing a booster in our car on a trial basis and, if she does well even when asleep, only putting the harness in for road trips and other times she'll be in the car for extended periods and late at night.

sb518 · Nov 22, 2014

DD very, very rarely asleep in the car, so that's not an issue for us. I just don't feel like she's protected enough in the turbo, even though the fit seems good.

View attachment 26593

I do love the size4me, not just because she could rf for a few more pounds, but because it is pretty light, the headrest/harness adjuster is easy, and she has a TON of growing room. I just wish the FFing belt install was easier in my car.

View attachment 26594

So the Parkway does better for bigger kids? Maybe I'll get something like the Argos. I just would rather her be able to correctly buckle herself. Gah. I loved the size4me and so did DD. The FFing belt install was just so weird, I never did get a solid install no matter what I did, and the LATCH weight limit for my car is 40lbs.

ketchupqueen · Nov 22, 2014

FYI, at least with the previous versions, the SG-L belt fit was different and not as good as the SG. Both do start at 40 lbs though.

As they get older my need for weight in boosters relaxes. I have no doubt at her age she's fine in a Turbo at almost 40 lbs.

sb518 · Nov 22, 2014

ketchupqueen said:
FYI, at least with the previous versions, the SG-L belt fit was different and not as good as the SG. Both do start at 40 lbs though. As they get older my need for weight in boosters relaxes. I have no doubt at her age she's fine in a Turbo at almost 40 lbs.

Thanks for the info. I didn't see the minimum weight listed on Amazon.

1mommy · Nov 22, 2014

Maybe you'd feel better in the turbo with safety surround?

Brycen'sMommy · Nov 22, 2014

I've found that the 2013 Parkways have a much better shoulder belt fit than the older ones. I have tried my 4 year old in ours and the fit is great. It is my absolute favorite booster and I have narrow shouldered kids. So it wouldn't hurt to try it.

I'm glad I'm not the only one who has trouble with the FF install of the Size4Me. I think it's because of the closed belt path and that I can't reach into the belt path to tighten. For that reason, I am looking at getting a Graco Milestone because it has an open belt path and I'm hoping that will make it easier to install it FF.

aept · Nov 22, 2014

That is good to know about he parkway fit. My parkway that seems to fit bigger kids better is indeed a Parkway SGL from 2010.

tiggercat · Nov 22, 2014

Sam is the same age, but a few pounds bigger. He has ridden in a 2011 Parkway a few times and I was happy with the fit. I'm still in denial that he is old enough to booster.

njkj · Nov 25, 2014

Dd1 is currently in a turbo. She is 45.6 inch tall and 42 lbs. I had he Nauti out for something and just threw in the booster that we used in Dh's truck for a quick trip. She has been doing great in it. Freaks out if she can pull up all the slick in the lap belt and won't let me go untill it's fixed. She also sits very very well in it. I haven't had to tell her to sit right once! It also fits her very well! (Don't mind the face she is mad bc her shirt is spewing glitter everywhere lol! It's hard to see in this pic but the lap belt is flat across her hips. Her belly/ shirt is covering it. ) View attachment 26630

amelia222 · Nov 25, 2014

Alice is the same age and 41lbs. I feel very comfortable with her in a booster for all drives but long or late night ones, but she feels differently. Any time she's in it later than 3pm or for more than 5 minutes she is crying for her harnessed seat because it's too much work to sit up.

katymyers · Nov 25, 2014

Well, I kind of had to let Levi start riding in boosters with his therapists. He's now almost five and a half. At least with them it's just him and an adult in the car and he knows there will be consequences for misbehaving. In my car, I'm just going to wait for Britax to make a cute boy cover for the Parkway. He has plenty of time in his Frontier 90 for now.

nataliem257 · Nov 25, 2014

DD1 turned 6 in october, and she still rides harnessed in her primary and 2ndary cars. She does great in a booster and rides in one in the daycare van and other vehicles (in laws, babysitter, etc) and I've considered switching her full time. I really don't have a good reason to though, she is perfectly happy in her Frontiers and it's one less thing to worry about as far as her being positioned is concerned. DD2 will be 3 in May and rides in a Boulevard and RXT...I'll probably pass down the Frontiers, sell the convertibles, and buy full time boosters then. She'll be pretty close to 7.

NVMBR02 · Nov 25, 2014

My kids have all been really small and lightweight. I let them use a booster now and then once they hit five. The older two moved to a booster full time between 6 and 6 1/2.

My now 5 year old has ridden in a booster twice now, she is still really small (just over 31 pounds) so both times were very short trial run type rides (like going 3 blocks to a friend's house). I also see her as being my most wiggly, so I am not convinced she'll be ready or big enough for full time booster use at 6 but I do need her to be able to ride in one for a short ride when we don't have another option.

Anyway, once she gets a bit bigger and is able to sit still for longer periods of time we will reassess. I am hoping that by next year she'll be able to use a booster at least part time.

Carolinadaisy · Nov 25, 2014

I'm trying to decide this right now. DS is almost 6.5 (1st grade) and I'm considering moving him to a booster full-time soon. He rides in a Recaro Vivo in Dh's car daily. He stays in position well.....most of the time. He is 48-ish " and 46 or 47 lbs.

He won't turn 7 until the beginning of June and we are having a new baby at then beginning of April. I'm wanting to pass seats down at some point so ds2 can have the frontier 85.

I'm having a hard time making the switch with winter approaching. We don't get a lot of winter weather compared to a lot of places....but I may well push this switch off until the beginning of March! It just makes me nervous!

thtr4me · Nov 26, 2014

I think DS1 moved to a booster full-time at about 7.5yo. Beginning of second grade, he was showing ability to stay seated properly, and was consistently staying over 40lbs. I also wanted to make school drop-off easier. We were in a Frontier85 in my car until this weekend, when I switched to a Frontier90 so we could move the 85 to our vintage VW bus. I plan on passing the Frontiers down to DS2 when he outgrows his convertible seats.

Keeks64 · Nov 26, 2014

My DS is 6y4m & been booster training since he was 5.5y .... I bought a Graco Turbo SS to start just because the turbo fits littles & I like the beefiness of the SS.

He was 40lbs fully clothed when we started & 42" but all leg .... He's done okay with booster training & does well for short trips or trips without distractions but we recently flew to visit IL's & brought the TB with us & it was frustrating

he KNOWS to sit still but he was getting distracted by DS2 or his cousins & moving around too much etc .... He's not ready for a booster full-time yet & that's fine given he had years of growing from in his FR

When we do switch to a booster full time I'll look into something other than the turbo SS & keep the TB for a spare or friend booster

sb518 · Nov 26, 2014

I just weighed her the other day and she is 36.0lbs dressed (less than I thought!!) I just don't feel good about her in a booster full time yet. She fits well in the Turbo for emergencies, and sits perfectly, but it's not a seat that I feel she is best protected in with her stick figure body type/size. if I was to pull on her ankles gently in that seat, she would submarine right under that belt no matter how tight it was. I will invest in a good supportive, latchable booster when she's 40lbs+. For now, I have another CT seat coming for carpool, play dates, etc. I feel much better with that decision.

When did you feel okay moving your child into a booster?

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