8 year old and Monterey

Hi all!

My 8 year old, who is around 50" and 65 lbs., is complaining of being in the Monterey. She wants a low-back booster. She sits nicely in the seat and really listens; I think she could manage it.

I would probably still put her in the MOnterey for longer trips, but how old should they be for a low back booster? She is totally mortified and really such a sweet girl; I can't stand the crying.

Do you have side impact airbags? If so, I would be okay with a no back booster for shorter trips and the monterey for longer trips.

if the no back fits her well & you're ok with it then its fine.

FWIW: is that my son was complaining about the monterey too but i found out finally that what he really wanted was to be int he 2nd row rather than the 3rd row & thought the if he fought me on the monterey that i would let him in the 2nd row in a backless. LOL well guess what i'm not letting that be tough noogies kid. i'm not climbing in the 3rd row to buckle up my harnessed child. he can live. eventually he won't fit it or i'll have to pass it down to his younger brother (just 1 year behind him).

What bothers her?

My dd is also 8 and rides in a Monterey, she loves it.

Is it the head wings?

I would try my best to figure out if what is bothering her can be fixed.

Im sure my dd would rather have a no back booster, but she wont until she out grows the Monterey.

IMO, its safer.

What exactly is she 'mortified' about that she's crying all the time? :scratcheshead:
Is it that "All" her friends now use backless boosters and she's using a complete seat for her safety?
Hmmm.

Personally, I'd use the Monterey with my dd until she outgrew it or the car she was riding in, couldn't fit it properly (low roofline or something).
But that's me. My dd's safety trumps 'what all the other kids' are doing.

I know she is safer in an accident having a full shell of a seat around her instead of sitting on just a platform. She's 5 and she's in a Regent while fellow students use no-back boosters, adult seatbelts, or are totally unbuckled.

When she's 8... she'll still be in a full booster for her own safety and proper fit too. But that's me. I"m 'mean mommy' and don't give a damn about what parents decide for THEIR children.

Statistics have more accidents happening closer to home than on distance drives.
There's a lot of information on this website pointing out the safety statistics between the two types of seats.


And that's what I'll write here... if you honestly believe that your 8 year old will be just as safe for your personal circumstances in a no-back booster as she is in her Monterey, then I"m not going to argue the point. You're her parent. It's up to you to decide. If you think it's good to go and you choose to surrender the battle to what I've received t he impression of 'other kids', then go right ahead.

Honestly, I don't know what having a sweet personality affects her safety enough to switch seats. I'd be more invested in keeping her safe... but that's alright. She's not my child. :shrug-shoulders:

best of luck.

Huh.

Morganthe, I totally respect what you are saying but I don't think it's exactly fair to the OP. I'm not getting the impression she's a pushover mother or a bad parent or she doesn't care about her dd's safety at ALL. :twocents:


You have a little kid and so do I. When my DS mentioned a little resentfully that he wanted to ride in the seat 'without straps' like his friends do, I told him I'm his mom and I keep him safe no matter what his friends are doing. But he's only four.


The OP's child is a lot older. And if, say, she's being bullied day in and day out for being in a high back booster that's somethign to take into account.


OP, if you have a car with good side impact ratings/side impact airbags, or she can sit in the middle position, I'd be ok with a backless personally :twocents:

HUGS, I'm lucky that none of my kids have ever said anything about being in a high back.

Maybe you could share some of the info form this article with her.

http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2005-09/chop-htb090905.php

"The risk reduction provided by booster seats in side-impact crashes varied by booster seat type: 4-to 8-year-olds riding in high back booster seats were at a 70 percent reduction in injury risk, while those in backless boosters did not experience a statistically significant risk reduction as compared with seat belts alone. "

I am guessing you know that a high back offers more protection....but I totally understand and I dunno at 8 years old I wouldn't mind putting them in a low back booster.... But, then again everyone I know who my son would drive with(including our van) has side air bags.

Maedze said:

Huh.

Morganthe, I totally respect what you are saying but I don't think it's exactly fair to the OP. I'm not getting the impression she's a pushover mother or a bad parent or she doesn't care about her dd's safety at ALL. :twocents:

You have a little kid and so do I. When my DS mentioned a little resentfully that he wanted to ride in the seat 'without straps' like his friends do, I told him I'm his mom and I keep him safe no matter what his friends are doing. But he's only four.


The OP's child is a lot older. And if, say, she's being bullied day in and day out for being in a high back booster that's somethign to take into account.

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No, I don't think I'm being harsh -- blunt, yes. And I wasn't trying to imply that she was a pushover, bad parent, or uncaring. I am still wondering which is more important to her -- daughter's emotions and possible other kids' opinions, or actual best safety practice. :shrug-shoulders:

I'm not really sure what the OP was looking for with her post -- approval or opinions. My opinion is no for a backless -- obviously

And she didn't say anything about her dd being bullied... just mortified & crying. I might have a 'little' kid, but since its rare around here that 5 year olds are in boosters, let alone harnesses, dd's already had some questions about it. But I'm very used to going against the flow. :shrug-shoulders:
LOL -- I made a complaint about a substitute showing Dennis the Menace to her Kindergarten class the other day. I bet a lot of the other parents wouldn't have cared or even noticed.

My suggestion for the 8 year old is to sit down and have a really good conversation about WHY it's safer being in a full backed booster. Mommy LOVES her and it's better until she's 5 feet tall (yeah, I know 4'9, but it's nebulous and depends on vehicles & belt systems).
That would give her some information behind her instead of 'just because my mommy says so'... although that's a great & well used reason for a lot of kids to fall back on.

Well, Jeez.

I believe I asked at what point it was safe to put a child in a low backed booster. I mentioned the other circumstances because I think that they are factors -- deal breakers, no -- worth consideration, yes. I am in the habit of taking my kids' feelings seriously, even if I ultimately opt to exercise my parental veto in a safety circumstance.

Clearly a high back booster is preferable, however she is rarely in the car for more than two minutes at a stretch, given her schedule. Most of her friends stopped riding in *any* kind of restraint 5 years ago (yes, at 3): she long ago understood that in *our* family we do the best we can for safety regardless of others' choices.

However, I was under the impression that at some point, when a child is mature enough and compliant enough and physically large enough -- a low backed booster would offer safety in terms of positioning the seatbelt. I simply want to know when that point is reached.

Now, I did not take into consideration side impact airbags, etc. That is why I ask here -- because others frequently have something to add, constructively. Unfortunately my van, which is a 2001 Chevy Venture, does have some airbag on one side but is not well known for its safety ratings. We cannot afford to replace it right now. Given that factor, then clearly the high backed booster which has the SIP is a necessity.

What does she not like about it? Apparently she is quite frustrated by the van's seatbelts, which lock constantly and require me to climb into the back, undo the belt from the seat guide, retract it completely, and then re-assemble. Every time she gets in. It's annoying and frustrating for both of us. I don't know why these belts do this, but they do. I guess she figures it would be easier for her to do alone in a LBB (it would); she cannot do it on her own as it is now. Obviously it has to be done because it's a very exasperating quirk of the van itself; but it's embarrassing to her in front of her friends that her mom is climbing in the back of the van to do her seatbelt! I can certainly understand that. She's a third grader, for heaven's sake. She's not out for a popularity contest, and she knows what's safe, but this must be excruciating from her perspective.((I can't really move her to the middle bench b/c I have two harnessed kids there and it's too hard to climb into the way back to harness them each time we go somewhere).

At her age and size a nbb is a perfectly acceptable option safety-wise.

I think the point that was made about perspective changing once you actually have older kids was a very good one. I know I've been on both sides of that myself.

HTH!

Gsanmb said:

However, I was under the impression that at some point, when a child is mature enough and compliant enough and physically large enough -- a low backed booster would offer safety in terms of positioning the seatbelt. I simply want to know when that point is reached.

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That point is reached if the child is above the minimum requirements set by the manufacturer of the booster, as long as the child is mature enough to remain seated properly.

As others have said, high back models do offer some advantages. The important thing is that whatever you buy fits properly on your child, in your vehicle and is easy enough for them (or you) to use it right on each trip.

My DD has used a backless booster from time to time for a few years, though she normally rides in a high back model. She's now 8 years old.

This thread might be helpful to you


http://www.car-seat.org/showthread.php?t=62235&highlight=backless

Personally I too would use a HBB, in fact my plan is to use a HHB with a 86y harness
But if you choose to keep using the HBB I would talk to your DD and advise her if she is teased that it's OK to tell her friends that it's safer to use it and that she WANTS to be safer, instead of saying my mom makes me use it. That way she's the one making the decision instead of her mommy. If everyone (including her) is saying your/my mom is making her then she may look like a "baby", but if she says it's her choice maybe they will let it go and even ask questions and make their moms get them one

Gsanmb said:

Apparently she is quite frustrated by the van's seatbelts, which lock constantly......

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What is happening is the seat belt is going into locking mode. This happens when the seat belt is pulled all the way out. It might be possible to teacher her how to buckle herself in without pulling the belt all the way out and then the seat belt wouldn't get locked. Maybe you could mark on the seat belt right before it is all the way out. She can then look for the mark and stop pulling at that point.

Best of Luck!

I would first try to figure out what is causing this and see if you can talk her out of it, but if she is taking some huge ego hit or is truly uncomfortable, I think age 8 is fine for a backless.

I do believe in picking battles, which is why I won't fight a 6yr old who is mature enough and is big enough going to a booster, I won't fight an 8yr old moving to a backless.

What I will pick to fight is using the right seat for the child's size, age, and maturity level. (harness until at least 6, booster until they outgrow it... highback until at least 8 or until it's outgrown... after all, my oldest outgrew boosters in time for his 8th birthday)

Jeffrey was so big he was too big for other backless boosters almost a year ago (he's so much torso), but when the Monterey hit and I had the cash to buy him a latchable booster and could give him the option, I showed him both the Monterey and the Olli, and even showed him the Nautilus to use as just a booster (since it was the same price as the Monterey and had plenty of grow room, because he was so in love with Ruthie's seat)

He immediately said he didn't want the Nautilus because he didn't want to have the same seat as his little sister... but he wanted the Monterey because he wanted the body wings to help him feel safe and he wanted the head wings for sleeping. (He loves to sleep in the car... or just to close his eyes, rest his head against them, and not sleep).

I was actually surprised, as he'd been sleeping fine and was doing fine in his backless and I thought he might resist going back to a highback.

Now most of his friends do ride in backless boosters or nothing and his cousin who is only 4mo younger rides in a backless, but I've explained to him the side protection benefits and pointed out why he chose it, and he's happy.

emandbri said:

What is happening is the seat belt is going into locking mode. This happens when the seat belt is pulled all the way out. It might be possible to teacher her how to buckle herself in without pulling the belt all the way out and then the seat belt wouldn't get locked. Maybe you could mark on the seat belt right before it is all the way out. She can then look for the mark and stop pulling at that point.

Best of Luck!

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Thank you this is very helpful. We will try this as soon as it stops pouring rain. It seems this is her biggest issue...looking silly b/c I am in the trunk of the van adjusting her seatbelt in carpool lane.

I would also sit down with your dd and teach her how to belt without locking it. My dd will be 9 in a couple weeks and I can't even fathom her being in a backless any time soon. Of course, we have no headrests now, so it's a moot point. But, we do plan to buy a new to us van and even with headrests my girls will still be in high back boosters. I know they are safer as do they. I've shown them the crash videos. They know that rf 4 year old is the safest in the van.

It sounds like you would like a HBB but have you ever checked out the Clek Olli LBB ? There are some really cool designs that appeal to older kids. We have the camo seat and other kids are always commenting on what a cool seat it is. There are some animal prints too that are really fun. There are also some colors that could blend right in with your seats so they are less noticeable. I love how easy the Olli is for kids to buckle up all by themselves. It is also extremely comfortable and fits a wide range of kids from the lighter to the heavier side. Kids emotions are definitely something to consider and she is 8 years old.