You make it sound like kids will be sitting still for a whole day.
Did I? I apologize. That was not what I was trying to communicate with my post. I'll try to clarify. :thumbsup:
In a study done in the 1940s, American 5-year-olds were able to stand still for about
3 minutes at a time while 7-year-olds could stand still pretty much indefinitely. Now, six-plus decades later, American 7-year-olds can stand still for only
minutes at a time.
Obviously, this study didn't look at how well American children sit in boosters in a moving vehicle. However, I don't think it's unreasonable to conclude that a child who can't stand still for a full 5 minutes in a row might have difficulty sitting properly in a booster nonstop for half a hour, let alone 1.5-2 hours.
Sounds to me like this has more to do with parenting than anything else.
The researchers in the study above actually concluded that the change has to do with commercialism and its influence on how children play than on discipline, but let's assume for a moment that you're right: this is all parents' fault. How should that effect CPST's recommendations for parents of children over 40 lb and under 8-9 years of age?
First, let's remember that even in the 1940s, five year olds had difficulty with standing still for up to 5 minutes at a time, so this isn't a recent development. Indeed, it's been an issue since before
seatbelts became standard equipment in motor vehicles. Therefore, it is extremely unlikely that the horrible parenting that results in young children being unable to sit without fidgeting is magically going to disappear overnight.
We must then play with the cards we are dealt: American children aged 4-9 are likely to have at least some difficulty sitting properly in a booster or seatbelt for "extended periods" (an extended period being 5+ minutes). As CPSTs and CPSAs, it makes sense for us to recommend seats with internal 5-point harnesses even for children over age 3, because we know that the vast majority of the kids we help are going to be victims of "bad parenting" who need to be protected in spite of their inability to sit properly in a booster.
Additionally, many of us will probably continue to recommend high backed boosters for children making the transition from a 5-point to a booster, because the high back provides a physical reminder to children who start to lean sideways, as well as helping to hold the belt in place as the child shifts. Locking the seatbelt may also provide an added measure of security to a child who gets fidgety from time to time.
Finally, it is prudent for every parent to take into consideration the individual child's abilities. Oddly, even children raised together in the same household by the same parents often gain the ability to sit still at different rates. It is critical to look at a child's actual behavior, rather than to make recommendations based on what someone else says the child "should" be able to do or even what studies have shown other children can do. It seems that in this issue, as always, the "best" seat is the one that fits the child, fits the vehicle, and will be used properly every single trip.