My first experience with a boostered child. . .and ds is back RF!

[Alison's Mom]

So my friend asked me to take her son to pottery class with my kids today and I had to move one of RNs RF to be able to accommodate his parkway. This means DS, who turned 5 last week is back RFing and enjoying it. He has been FFing since about age 3yrs 4 months and I was hesitant to turn him back because the RN takes up so much room that the passenger seat is unusable. I thought about turning his TF, but he is really close to the 35 lb limit.

However, out of necessity yesterday, I put his 40 lb RF limit RN in the centre and it works pretty well.

Second part of my post. . . Friend's ds, who is one of DD's best friends, rode in his parkway with us this morning. I was a bit nervous of him getting out of position and checked the mirror as often as I could. He is over 6.5 and is a calm kid who listens well. However, he still got out of position a couple of times playing around with my kids (who are in 5pt so I don't have to worry about them). I must say that I'm not looking forward to putting my kids in boosters for this very reason - that I will have to keep harping on them to sit properly, not slouch, basically not to move at all while seated. And I know DH will think I'm crazy for being so paranoid and will be more lax about them when he is in the car. Sigh. DD is my law abider so expect she'll be fine, but sometimes it's hard not to get out of position when you are able to ie not to turn around to look at something cool that just went by, etc.

I thought about retracting the seatbelt on him so he couldn't move, but didn't end up doing it. I know other parents who do this, but not his mom. Thoughts?

 

[snowbird25ca]

Some cars prohibit locking the seatbelt on booster riders, and in general I don't believe in it unless there is no choice but to transport a child in a booster who truly isn't ready to be in one. Even then I'd be hesitant because some retractors are prone to really locking more over the course of a trip and it could lead to a child wanting to unbuckle.

All I can say is to relax. There's no harping in my car and my daughter has been boostered in both our vehicles for almost a year now and prior to that boostered part time for 1.5yrs already. When they're ready, and especially when you have taught them about sitting properly and the importance of it for them to stay safe, it's really not a big deal.

Heck, last winter she lectured me about taking my coat off while I was driving. (In my defense, I was doing it before we got on the highway but had forgot to do it before pulling out of the parking lot.)

I don't plan to booster my ds for another year yet - at this point he isn't even 40lbs anyways, but by the time he's moving to a booster I don't expect there to be a bunch of harping or stress either even though he's much more of a risk-taker/challenger than my dd is. Periodic once-in-a-blue-moon reminders? Sure. But not harping or I'll just stick him back in a harness for a few more months, lol.

eta: I look at my dd in her booster seat and then consider myself and my dh and how we sit. Truthfully, a booster isn't a harness seat and there are going to be some small amounts of movement. There are some big no-no's like leaning out of position or crossing legs or unbuckling, but if we're talking small movements that don't put the seatbelt in the wrong position, then it's not something to really worry about.

 

[Alison's Mom]

Thanks Trudi. Yes, perhaps I do need to relax about it a little!

I figure arm and leg movements are fine as long as torso stays in position, but friend's DS was doing stuff like pulling his seatbelt out to show my kids how far he could pull it, leaning way forward to see if he could reach the back of my head with his hand, leaning way over to one side to wop DD with a stuffed toy, etc. Kind of potentially dangerous if we happened to get into a crash at those moments.

What's the issue about crossing legs?

 

[snowbird25ca]

Thanks Trudi. Yes, perhaps I do need to relax about it a little!

I figure arm and leg movements are fine as long as torso stays in position, but friend's DS was doing stuff like pulling his seatbelt out to show my kids how far he could pull it, leaning way forward to see if he could reach the back of my head with his hand, leaning way over to one side to wop DD with a stuffed toy, etc. Kind of potentially dangerous if we happened to get into a crash at those moments.

What's the issue about crossing legs?

Crossing legs can shift the position of the hips. I'm not aware of any specific data, but I know that bringing your knees up changes the angle you're sitting at and I can see that changing the dynamics of how the lapbelt sits in a collision.

Sounds like your ds' friend isn't calm enough to be in a booster. Either that or he just went nuts trying to show off to your ds - either way, I can see why that would've been a stressful ride. It's much harder when it's not your child and you don't have the same amount of decision making power.

 

[Alison's Mom]

Makes sense re crossing legs - thanks.

And yes, I think he was showing off today. If he rides with me again, I'll lay down some ground rules and I'm sure he will listen.

 

[Ninetales]

Is the leg crossing referring to one leg over the other, or crisscross applesauce? Or both?