when to switch from hbb to nbb?

SavsMom

New member
At what age did you move your kids from a hbb to a backless booster? Dd (7 years 3 months) has been asking and I wanted to hear from others.
 
ADS
Pretty much any time after 7 ish, as long as they are not a child who sleeps in the car and falls over, or are a child who needs the extra support of the back portion.
 

aeormsby

New member
DD was just over 8. Her birthday is in Jan so we waited until most of the nasty winter weather was over before taking the back off.

DS will be 8+ also (he's 7y2m now). Although that's kind of deceptive because in one of our vehicles they've both been in NBB's since we got it last spring (so age 6.25y & 8.25y) and in our truck DD is still using a HBB (age 9) because of the low headrests. DS still sleeps if it's more than an hour drive so if we were doing a trip of that length I will put his HBB in the car.

So I guess the answer is when ever you want :p Unless there's special circumstances like falling asleep or now/low headrests.
 

Morganthe

New member
DD was past 9, I think. She hates change and the seat is really broad, so having the Monterey as a hbb worked for her longer. She didn't like it when I removed the back, but she was at the point where it no longer fit her.

She had used nbb before that point in rentals, friends' vehicles + the truck. I probably would have gone backless 6 months prior except she really liked the headrests.
 

NVMBR02

New member
We started using a backless occasionally with the older two around 6.5 (usually for a car pool type situation). Shortly after that we switched them to a backless in Dh's car. They ride in there 2-3 times a month, generally around town. They switched to a backless full time at 8, that is when most of their friends moved out of boosters completely. DS recently moved to an incognito in both of our cars. He is just over 9.

I'm not sure when dd2 will move to a backless. She's pretty tiny for her age and much more wiggly than the other two were. She's 5.5 and has a high backed turbo booster we use when she needs to go in Dh's car (which has only happened once in the past 3 months) and a Frontier in my car. I doubt she's going to grow/mature enough in the next year to make me comfortable with a backless.
 

Lemonade

New member
Well, DS is 9y2m and still in HBBs. But he's also 50# and 50" so definitely smaller for his age. DD is in HBB as well and she is 6y8m but more average sized. I plan to cut the HBB cord either this summer or when he turns 10. It's just an 'if it ain't broke' situation.
 

bnsnyde

New member
Keeping highbacks in the car since we can for 5, 7, and 8-year-olds.

Had to do backless in the van to make us all fit and exit for carline. Not my plan but it's what worked. Just to school and back. Though the 8 YO is an inch away from the height limit for all the low backs we have. His Incognito though is good for growth! Anyway, that's what he's in now.
 

rachelandtyke

Well-known member
Well, DS is 9y2m and still in HBBs. But he's also 50# and 50" so definitely smaller for his age. DD is in HBB as well and she is 6y8m but more average sized. I plan to cut the HBB cord either this summer or when he turns 10. It's just an 'if it ain't broke' situation.

This is my DD she's just a few months older. I plan to let her start riding backless this summer when she turns 10. (plus that is when I plan to start booster training DS, so he can use her Vivo)
 

gigi

New member
Around 7, or when they fit the belt well without back. I feel the back pushes the child too close to the front seats and into the window area (thus, increasing risk of striking head in a crash). It depends in the car, though. My son, almost 8, will be in a HBB for a while more in my husband's car because the shoulder belt fit isn't great without the back.
 
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2BunniesMommy

Well-known member
DD1, when she turned 8. DD2 is 6 1/2 and still in a 5pt most of the time but did use a backless for the first time last week because our car needed service and we needed something we could carry around at the mall for both kids while we waited.
 

bubbaray

New member
I let DD1 switch when she was 8 in my car. She is almost 11 and still uses a HBB by her choice in DHs truck. She prefers it for sleeping (though she sleeps safely in a LBB in my car too)
 

bnsnyde

New member
Weird but our low backs have a 57" limit. Our highbacks are over 60!
So the highbacks seems like it'd get the longer use.
 

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