Backless booster for 7yo (46", 53#) okay?

InTheWoods · Oct 21, 2008

Would you let your 7-year old, who's 46" tall and 53 lbs., use a backless booster for carpool/play dates of no more than 2-3 miles distance on two-lane roads with maximum speed limits of 45 MPH where someone other than the parent is driving?

I'm uncomfortable with it. But maybe I need to ease up?

Parents have offered, for a play date, to pick up my DS from school, along with their child, and one today offered the use of her DS's former backless booster so that I wouldn't need to provide DS's HBB (Recaro Vivo). These parents' children use no car seats at all.

This is my first foray into anyone besides myself or DH driving our child anywhere, so I'm sure part of my discomfort stems from this.

Thoughts appreciated.

Gypsy · Oct 21, 2008

He does definitely meet the minimums, but *I* would personally not be ok with that for *my* child, but would sign off on a child that age/size at a seat check with no problem as long as there was adequate head support.

MissAllyLou · Oct 21, 2008

I just sold 3 of my carseats to fund a taller booster to keep my NANNY kid in a highback booster

because there's no space between my door and the kid. It's not something I'M comfortable with, but if there's adequate head protection, it's fine.

Judi · Oct 21, 2008

No, not comfortable.

christineka · Oct 21, 2008

I wouldn't either. When I let my kids be babysat I insisted the mom use my boosters because I just knew that hers would be backless. My dds are 50 inches tall too. I try to avoid having my kids in other people's vehicles just so my kids aren't embarrassed by using boosters when their friends have been in just a seatbelt for 4+ years.

BW1426 · Oct 21, 2008

Frankly, it would depend on what they drive. If they're driving a newer car (read: safer) I'd be much more comfortable with a lbb. If the car was older, I wouldn't feel so great about it.

And, I'm the type that would actually go look at the side impact crash ratings before making my decision.

I don't feel inherently bad about a 7 year old in a lbb if the seatbelt fits them correctly.

Chrissy · Oct 21, 2008

Do you trust the random crazies that are driving down the road in the opposite direction (oncoming traffic) at speeds of 45MPH or more if speeding? I don't.

Would it be possible for you to leave your Recaro Vivo in the school office for her to pick up on play dates? (This is assuming that you drive DS to school and could drop it off the morning of the play date.) And of course after you have showed her how it is to be used in her car.

InTheWoods · Oct 21, 2008

Okay, thanks, everyone for the wonderful validation.

The mom's vehicle today was newer, an SUV crossover; don't know if it has side-impact airbags. Might be comfortable with LBB here.

Another friend's older vehicle has no head restraints. Definitely would use a HBB there.

DS is going on a parent-driven field trip Thursday. I can't be there, so he'll be in someone else's car in his HBB--the only kid in the class in a HBB. A handful of others are in LBB and the majority in just a seatbelt.

I've rattled on, but I needed to get that out there! This will be DS's first field trip w/o me. :crying:

InTheWoods · Oct 21, 2008

Chrissy said:
...Would it be possible for you to leave your Recaro Vivo in the school office for her to pick up on play dates? (This is assuming that you drive DS to school and could drop it off the morning of the play date.) And of course after you have showed her how it is to be used in her car.

I've seen booster seats left outside of classrooms, never in the office. And while I'd prefer the office, as it's indoors and the seat wouldn't get dirty or rained on, I'm concerned it would get forgotten--out of sight, out of mind.

Also, it's heavy and the mom who drove the boys on the play date today was carrying a baby on her hip. Carrying the seat in the other hand and walking the block to her car isn't something, I'm sure, she'd relish doing.

I'll ask DS's teacher if it's okay for me to put his HBB inside the classroom on those days when we have a play date scheduled. Today's play date was totally impromptu, which, I guess, was good, since I didn't have time to get wiggy about the whole driving thing. Still, I felt out of sorts w/o DS for the afternoon. I missed him.

BW1426 · Oct 21, 2008

If you're dropping him off at school, couldn't you just put it straight into the other car then?

InTheWoods · Oct 22, 2008

BW1426 said:
If you're dropping him off at school, couldn't you just put it straight into the other car then?

I suppose I could! Such logic I hadn't thought of.

Thanks for the suggestion.

It would make me feel better to know the seat's in correctly, with the shoulder bed threaded through the positioner.

The only hitch would be calling this particular mom first to find out where she's parked--street parking on the blocks around school, folks can get pretty spread out. But totally do-able.

jsta1005 · Oct 22, 2008

What if you dropped him off at his friends house? I know this is not convenient, but then your DS can stay in his seat with you driving.

BookMama · Oct 22, 2008

Gypsy said:
He does definitely meet the minimums, but *I* would personally not be ok with that for *my* child, but would sign off on a child that age/size at a seat check with no problem as long as there was adequate head support.

I completely agree with this.

carseatcoach · Oct 22, 2008

As with the others, it's legal and not the most horrible thing I've ever heard of, but I wouldn't be comfortable with it (my daughter is not that far off from the child in the OP) unless it was a situation far more emergent than "just" a playdate.

Kat_Momof3 · Oct 22, 2008

it's not the worst thing, but since he is still on the smaller side to fit easily into highbacks, unless a car were incompatible (fixed immoveable headrest that interfered), I would simply have him take his own booster or drive him myself.

NannyMom · Oct 22, 2008

So, when do you think it's a good time to change from a hbb to a nbb? When the hbb is outgrown?

Gypsy · Oct 22, 2008

NannyMom said:
So, when do you think it's a good time to change from a hbb to a nbb? When the hbb is outgrown?

Yep, when it's outgrown, and then, only if there is adequate head support- if not, a taller HBB is needed.

There is really no difference in safety between a properly fitting backless booster and a properly fitting seatbelt. However a high back booster is 70% safer in side impact crashes which are the most fatal. I'm going to get that extra SIP for as long as possible.

*Spoiledinmyhouseofblue* · Oct 23, 2008

In an emergency a week ago...my son had to ride in a lbb in my friend's car(newer 2008 town and country)... I felt ok with it... But....If he could of had his HBB I would of felt 100% better. If you could get another HBB for this I would do that.

InTheWoods · Oct 23, 2008

DS actually has three HBB, and a Regent, too. So he's covered.

Following up: DS rode in another mom's car today on a school field trip to a pumpkin farm. There was one other classmate in the car (the mom's son) who is 6 or 7 years old and rode with just the car's seat belt, no booster. I was uneasy most of the day, thinking too much about the possibilities of.....

So this brings up another, semi-related question: do you let your kid(s) ride in someone else's car when there are other young children as passengers who are only restrained via the vehicle's seat belt(s)? In the event of an accident, aren't those other children projectile hazards for a properly/safely restrained child?

The class has a field trip mid-March 2009 to an aquarium 1.25 hours away on a 2-lane freeway w/ no center barrier and lots of fog. I'm already planning ahead for DH to take a vacation day that day to watch DD so I can drive on that field trip.

BW1426 · Oct 23, 2008

InTheWoods said:
So this brings up another, semi-related question: do you let your kid(s) ride in someone else's car when there are other young children as passengers who are only restrained via the vehicle's seat belt(s)? In the event of an accident, aren't those other children projectile hazards for a properly/safely restrained child?

They should not become a projectile if they are restrained by a seat belt. I wouldn't think that they would be a harm to your child, though they are definitely in danger of serious internal injuries of their own. At the very least, I would never want my child to witness the horror of the aftermath of improperly restrained children in the case of a serious crash.

Backless booster for 7yo (46", 53#) okay?

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