Vent The moment when...

1mommy

New member
Your husband took your oldest on a trip/plane ride to see his parents and texts you this picture. BTW he is 4.5, about 32 pounds, and 39.5 inches tall and has never been in a booster before. *eek*

84d5ead0486264f9ff1a7fe068882e99.jpg


Face palm. After an immediate call to have him fix the belt he then texts me this picture.

478fe0a2a62754b8696575fb2e88d98b.jpg


Please reassure me this isn't too bad, the belt does seem to fit him ok even if he is slumped over. Hubby proceeds to tell me this was the only car seat that his mom had, and how convenient it was. No. He is staying harnessed till he's 6. I told hubby I'd consider boostering him part time when he's 5 (just to and from school which is a 10 minute drive). But I'm still not thrilled with the idea because he's such a peanut. What are everyone's thoughts on minimum ages/weights to booster and how you weight them two criteria.
Thanks!




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MamaChirpy

New member
"The only car seat his mom had?" You didn't send a seat with him? Why did he change seats?

The belt looks good to me in the second pictures


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CTPDMom

Ambassador - CPS Technician
Belt fit looks ok in the second pic, what we can see.

I'm not a huge pusher of long-extended harnessing. Once a child is mature enough, with good belt fit, I'm comfortable with parental decision.

We didn't move to a FT booster until ds had completed first grade and was about to turn 7. He was definitely mature enough prior, but he wasn't complaining so I just left things as they were. After 1st grade, most kids weren't even in anything, and he became more socially aware, so I moved him then.

Clearly yours sleeps in the car still, so I'd definitely hold off for that reason as well as the fact that he's still pretty tiny.

But for this vacation, I'd just remind dh to keep an eye on him, make sure he's sitting properly and that the belt is routed correctly. :)
 

1mommy

New member
Thanks, hubby didn't want to lug a car seat on the plane and I didn't want him to check it so with the assurance that his mom had a seat that was fairly new (she got it last year for his nephew) I dropped them off at the airport and his mom picked them up. I also gave him a checklist of how to install the car seat and make sure it was correct. He didn't bother to tell me it was a booster until he forgot and sent me this picture. Thanks for the reassurance, he's my oldest and I'm in no rush to make him grow up. For now, on this trip I'll let it go with just a reminder to DH to route the belt correctly, but I do think I'll be firm in telling DH he needs to be at least 6, before he's in a booster (and gain a few pounds too).


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Dillipop

Well-known member
Thanks, hubby didn't want to lug a car seat on the plane and I didn't want him to check it so with the assurance that his mom had a seat that was fairly new (she got it last year for his nephew) I dropped them off at the airport and his mom picked them up. I also gave him a checklist of how to install the car seat and make sure it was correct. He didn't bother to tell me it was a booster until he forgot and sent me this picture. Thanks for the reassurance, he's my oldest and I'm in no rush to make him grow up. For now, on this trip I'll let it go with just a reminder to DH to route the belt correctly, but I do think I'll be firm in telling DH he needs to be at least 6, before he's in a booster (and gain a few pounds too).


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I'm also not huge on the harness forever. My dd was fully capable of sitting correctly at 5, so she is mainly boostered, though we use a harness for long trips. My older son was 7+ before he regularly used a booster but he had a hard time sitting still.

But I do stick with a 40 pound minimum for my kids to regularly ride in a booster. Smaller kids may be more likely to submarine under the belt.


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Keeyamah

Active member
I started booster training my oldest at 4.5 and he went into a booster full time between 5.5-6. However he is a big boy and was over 40lbs by 2.5. My youngest just turned 4 and he is a different boy in temperament and size , so I'm playing it by ear on when to start training him. More based off of his temperament than his size, but I do want him to be firmly over 40lbs before we start and he wasn't at his last well child check (38/39lbs).
 

TechnoGranola

Forum Ambassador
Mine is 4y9m and 35# and 42" or maybe a bit taller. And she is average height and lower percentile for weight. She is also very compliant and sits properly. She is just not large enough for a booster IMO and I am not one who harnesses forever either. Then again, it's illegal to booster before 40# here (the rest of our laws suck), so I may be biased. So that personally would not work for me and I would not be comfortable with that sleeping position.

I would take the advice of others and have the seatbelt routed properly and all other criteria and install requirements have been met. I don't know what seat that is, I assume you do and have downloaded the manual so you know it's being used correctly now.

ETA: personal opinion based on my kids and time here. I am not a tech.
 
Last edited:

AllieK

New member
But I do stick with a 40 pound minimum for my kids to regularly ride in a booster. Smaller kids may be more likely to submarine under the belt.

I see a lot of people talking about the child's size when boostering, but isn't it more about the shape/development of the hip/pelvic bones than it is about the child's weight/height?
 

Dillipop

Well-known member
I see a lot of people talking about the child's size when boostering, but isn't it more about the shape/development of the hip/pelvic bones than it is about the child's weight/height?




There have been studies that have shown children under 40 pounds are more likely to slide under the seatbelt in a crash, meaning the child is more likely to get abdominal injuries. There is no distinction made between a 40 pound 3 year old and a 40 pound 7 year old in those studies, as far as I know.



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abigaylebelle

Active member
There have been studies that have shown children under 40 pounds are more likely to slide under the seatbelt in a crash, meaning the child is more likely to get abdominal injuries. There is no distinction made between a 40 pound 3 year old and a 40 pound 7 year old in those studies, as far as I know.



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Do you have a link? I haven't been able to find a study that definitively says 40 pounds minimum for boosters. As far as I know the boosters in the US are all tested with the 3 yo dummy who weighs 35 pounds.
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Mary_Ann

New member
Your husband took your oldest on a trip/plane ride to see his parents and texts you this picture. BTW he is 4.5, about 32 pounds, and 39.5 inches tall and has never been in a booster before. *eek*

Face palm. After an immediate call to have him fix the belt he then texts me this picture.

Please reassure me this isn't too bad, the belt does seem to fit him ok even if he is slumped over. Hubby proceeds to tell me this was the only car seat that his mom had, and how convenient it was. No. He is staying harnessed till he's 6. I told hubby I'd consider boostering him part time when he's 5 (just to and from school which is a 10 minute drive). But I'm still not thrilled with the idea because he's such a peanut. What are everyone's thoughts on minimum ages/weights to booster and how you weight them two criteria.
Thanks!

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I read your post yesterday and thought how pissed I would be if someone put my 3.5 yo DD in a booster. She's a peanut at 36" and 32lb. Well, my MIL picked her up at daycare and put her in DD1's Parkway!!!! Aaaaaargh! She's RF still and She had her RF Boulevard installed. She said she thought we told her so. Hum no and not for years since she clearly won't reach 40lb soon. I was so so mad. This is just another "mistake" she makes. How hard is it to follow the rules...

I was sobbing driving to work, thinking of what could have happened in a crash.
 

AllieK

New member
There have been studies that have shown children under 40 pounds are more likely to slide under the seatbelt in a crash, meaning the child is more likely to get abdominal injuries. There is no distinction made between a 40 pound 3 year old and a 40 pound 7 year old in those studies, as far as I know.

Interesting!

I have a 56lb 4 year old son and a 50lb 9 year old nephew so it's hard for me to think through why I am harnessing my (mature) 4yo and not my (immature) 9yo.
 

Dillipop

Well-known member
Do you have a link? I haven't been able to find a study that definitively says 40 pounds minimum for boosters. As far as I know the boosters in the US are all tested with the 3 yo dummy who weighs 35 pounds.
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I don't have a link. I did ask around because I know people have referenced this study in the past. There is one from years ago, somewhere that states 40 lbs.

However, there is a newer one- again heard from a cost but don't have a link- that 5 years is where the difference matters. So I would guess bone development, along with size does make more of a difference.


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jwilliams

New member
Yikes! I have small 4yos - 35lbs, 39" - and I can't imagine them in boosters. (They are FF in all vehicles now). I don't love that sleeping belt fit because it just looks like there is a lot of slack. I also think kids toward the lower end of the size range have a lot less wiggle room between decent and awful belt fit.

The things other people do with our kids in car seats [emoji33]...I know all about it, unfortunately.

However, I am also pretty sure that with adult reminders, your little guy will be just fine for this trip!


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