Question At what age to give up...

carseatcoach

Carseat Crankypants
My daughter is 10y9m, 4'11.5", and 95ish#. I very recently took her out of her boosters, because in our vehicles, the belt fit is much worse with boosters than without. If the belts fit properly, she would still be boostered, because the booster arms act as artificial hips and help hold the seatbelt down, which is a big plus for prepubescent kids (hipbones harden and sharpen during puberty).
 
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mybabybean

New member
For no seat at all, not even a booster, 4'9" for sure
My step daughter was almost 11 before that happened!! I had made her a deal, 4'9" or when she went to middle school. It was the april before she went to middle school in august!!
 

skaterbabs

Well-known member
At my house, 12.

Not only do they have to pass the Five Step Test, but they also have to have the skeletal structure of an adult, because the iliac crest is still soft enough before puberty that in a crash the hips can deform and the child can submarine under the seat belt.
 

MomToEliEm

Moderator
My daughter was around 4'10" and 10 years old when she stopped using a booster. She first dropped the booster in the truck as her head was getting too close to the truck ceiling when she sat in the booster and she fit just fine in just the seatbelt. After about 6 months, I took the booster out of my car as she seemed to fit well without it.
 

safeinthecar

Moderator - CPS Technician
At my house, 12.

Not only do they have to pass the Five Step Test, but they also have to have the skeletal structure of an adult, because the iliac crest is still soft enough before puberty that in a crash the hips can deform and the child can submarine under the seat belt.

My nearly 11yo is 5'2" and the others have been 5'4" and up at 12. One of my nephews was 5'8". I envy you your boosterable kids.
 

kam1011

New member
4 and 40 is the "rule" to move into a booster (and best practice dictates further...) NOT to get out of a booster. Five-stepping aside, the law in my state is 8 and 80 to get out of a booster. So as an absolute minimum, I expect to see your average kid around me in a booster seat until 2nd grade. Of course, the "right" answer is "when they five-step." :wink:
 

skaterbabs

Well-known member
My nearly 11yo is 5'2" and the others have been 5'4" and up at 12. One of my nephews was 5'8". I envy you your boosterable kids.

The boys were probably 5 ft 2 or so; Joy will be taller, I think. She's as tall at 9 as CJ was at 11. At 16 he's barely 5 ft 8. Plus, the boys were in the original Parkways until they outgrew them, and Joy is in an original Frontier in my car and LBBs in other people's cars. Since my cars are old enough not to have head support for the rear seats, we probably booster longer than if I drove modern sedans with headrests for the rear seating positions.
 

Athena

Well-known member
At my house, 12.

Not only do they have to pass the Five Step Test, but they also have to have the skeletal structure of an adult, because the iliac crest is still soft enough before puberty that in a crash the hips can deform and the child can submarine under the seat belt.

I want to do that. But aren't a lot of girls too tall to fit by then? I wonder if I'll have that option.
 

jacqui276

New member
I want to do that. But aren't a lot of girls too tall to fit by then? I wonder if I'll have that option.

I was 5'6" and ~130lbs at age 11/12 so would not have fit in a booster. Then again, puberty hit before age 12 as well. I think that it is entirely kid-dependent but age 12 would be ideal.
 

jacqui276

New member
Lol well I am 5'2.5" and that. 5" is important. I had a friend in highschool right at 5' who used a kitchen chair style cushion to drive :eek:

My grandma is 4'9" on a good day and back when she drove (thank goodness she no longer does!) she sat on a phone book with a cushion on top. :eek:
 

Phineasmama

New member
Wow!! Some tall ladies here!

I was 5'1" at age 11, and around 100 lbs I THINK. I know I was wearing like a size 0 thought.
 

MommyShannon

New member
I'm 5'3" and didn't hit 100lbs until college. I had an Air Force scholarship and HAD to be 100lbs for my minimum weight or risk losing my scholarship. I don't have that problem now... I Wong know how to feel when my kids stop needing seats/boosters. It feels like my van is nothing but carseats now. I think my van would fall apart if I undid all the straps and belts and tethers.
 
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