Booster training a dramatic/emotional child

I am wondering about starting to booster train my daughter (she turned five in November) since my parents want to use her old seat with my son and get a lightweight booster for her. She rides with them a few times a month, just for short trips. I want to do the "training" part myself and send her off in my parent's car hopefully knowing that it will be fine.

She is the only one of her friends who still rides harnessed and is constantly asking/begging for a seatbelt seat. I am worried that if I follow the "occasional rides around town" training plan with a booster that she will be incredibly pissed off every time she is back in the harness. She is very fancy and is rather annoyed that the crotch buckle smashes her dresses and skirts. She thinks a seatbelt will preserve her fanciness. She is very reactive and I really don't want to invite more opportunities for drama if I can avoid it. How should I present it to her so she gets it that it isn't in the car forever right away? Can any of you recommend a protocol or plan for how much or how often in her harness vs a booster? Are there combo seats that are easy to use as a booster and harnessed seat without having to monkey around with the seat too much to switch between modes (unlike the Nauti)? I am also looking for a reason to buy a Performance Sport, just in case that is one of the easier ones to switch between modes.

I need a plan...

Thanks!!

I actually found it easier to and more effective to let my parents booster train my kids. Most kids tend to show their best side to anyonebuttheparents after all.

safeinthecar said:

I actually found it easier to and more effective to let my parents booster train my kids. Most kids tend to show their best side to anyonebuttheparents after all.

Click to expand...

Wow.....so true. Genius!

Sent from my HTC using Tapatalk

I agree. My almost 5 yr old has a high back booster in DH van. He uses it once a month, so it's a treat to sit in it. I'll put one my dad's and in laws vehicles at some point.
My Son behaves perfectly in their cars. With me it's a different story. He feels free to let his true self show, lol.
Plus my van has lots of action going on in it, so more temptations to misbehave, wiggle, ect..

Same here. DD, 5y, rides in an Affix with my mom. Rides are no longer than 25 minutes and she never was a car sleeper. She does great. My car? It's a three across with her sisters in her face and she's going to be in a harness as long as possible. She just accepts that my mom's van means one kind of seat and my car means another. She was also FF in the van long before she was in my car due to outgrowing her seat.

All mine (3 in a row) can get to punching and fighting.

I have my dramatic 5-year-old next to a toddler so they behave.

jwilliams said:

She just accepts that my mom's van means one kind of seat and my car means another.

Click to expand...

My kids were like this... maybe it's *possible* that if it's clearly laid out to our OP's fancy girl that 'this is how it is', she will be cool with it?
Otherwise, I'm never above bribery when it comes to getting kids to accept the carseat I have chosen to put them in

I think I am going to start with the weekly, very short, drive to her ballet class as the booster ride. I think it could work to tell her that she gets to practice with the booster only to and from ballet class.

I think I will wait a while before doing any more than that though since she fell asleep on the way home from our friend's house late last night and she totally flopped over. She would have been way out of position in a booster, so thankfully she was still in a harness.

Hopefully it goes well once we get it going...