Question when did you change to a booster seat?

[A's Mommy]

We just made the switch yesterday, 25 days shy of his 6th birthday. He's 48" and 43 lbs. He had grown too tall for the harness in the Radian RXT, so we got a Kiddy Cruiserfix Pro.

 

[mama2girls]

I started booster training DD at 5.5 years, but didn't switch her until 6 yrs because that's when she finally hit 40 lbs. DD2 is booster training currently at 5 yrs, but I won't switch her until she is closer to 40 lbs as well. And more mature.

 

[carseatmama007]

I plan to booster DD when she outgrows her XTSL by height or hits 40 lbs.. whichever comes first. She is only 32 lbs at 4.5 yo, so I'm thinking she'll likely outgrow the XTSL by height before the 40 lb mark. She'll be on the top slots of the XTSL when I turn her FF ,and as soon as those slots go below her shoulders, I intend to booster her. I'm uncomfortable with FF slots below the shoulders (despite what Diono says), and I do not want to buy another harnessed seat for her since we have no one to pass it down to

This is assuming she can sit still in a booster (which I'm quite certain she could).

 

[scoutingbear]

The change is gradual around here. With my oldest I think by first grade he was in a booster full time when he outgrew the GN in harness mode. My 7 year old still rides in a frontier in my car and up until 2 days ago the reasoning was it was a heck of a lot easier to buckle in a 3 across. He has been boostered in dh's car and grandparent cars for a while now though. We did take a 4 day road trip with him in a hbb booster last year when he was 6 since we were flying home and he didn't need a seat for the return trip. The booster we took had 2 months left until expiration so we just left it when we flew home.

He can move to a booster in the new van but I installed his FR85 in the back just
To play carseats and he hasn't said anything yet.

 

[bubbaray]

5/40 here. Well DD2 is still in the FR in harness mode in my car but only because I'm too lazy to fight the LATCH anchors to uninstall it. In DHs truck both told started in boosters at 5/40. DD1 was in boosters in both vehicles at 5/40

 

[skylinphoto]

Ds was between 5 and 5.5 yrs old when we started using a hbb. We switched back to a harness for long (4 hr trips) until about 6. Hes 7 now and uses a lbb for short trips in other peoples cars.

Dd is 5 yrs old and uses a hbb with a 30lb minimum in other peoples cars. She uses a kwp in our car. She wont be in a hbb full time for a while because shes only 30lbs (I wanna see closer to 35lbs for her before I do that).

Sent from my Samsung Galaxy Note 2 using Car-Seat.Org

 

[NVMBR02]

DD1 was almost 6 and Ds was almost 7.

 

[YinzerMama]

My oldest was boostered in my husband's car at 3 and in my car at just a touch over 5. He had outgrown his roundabout in DH's car by 3 and had outgrown his MA in my car by 4 but I didn't see it because I was focused on weight (which I now know means he was LESS safe when he was harnessed in my car!) This was years ago when most seats went to 40 pounds and maybe we got lucky but honestly he did well in a booster so for us it went OK except when he was sleeping (which was luckily not often as we didn't tend to take long trips when he was little)

My girls were 5 in March and are still harnessed in my car but have ridden in boosters in my husbands car. I actually feel like people here (the experts) are less conservative (competitive?) than lay-mommies (is that a word?) when it comes to harnessing which honestly I find refreshing. I truly believe a kid who is big enough physically and mature enough mentally (to stay in position) is safe in a booster. But I also feel like the harnessed seats are easier to self buckle (no digging) and more comfortable (ours are frontiers which recline in harness mode but not in booster mode) AND my girls still tend to be car sleepers (they will konk out before I even leave the parking lot at the zoo for example). They will probably stay harnessed until I move them out of the frontiers (which will be Dec '14 as I need to hand a seat down at that point) but we'll see. (I do know that I feel like the Gracos we used for my oldest and still use in DH's car are OK and safe but I will go with something comfier and taller when we move to regular boosters for the girls.)

So my *personal* fuzzy cut-off is "5ish." Little under, little over, and you have to factor in your own family or kid's circumstances. I am not so much about the 40 pounds because one of my girls is tiny so the 30+ limit of the Graco works in our favor although I know it makes a lot of people angry.

 

[bobandjess99]

Dd started at 4.5 and was allowed to switch to it full time at age 6. Ds has started at 5.5 and will probably not switch over to full time until at least 6.5.

 

[kirsty]

When I passed my test I started looking after my 3 nieces and nephew at that time they were 7,6,31/2 and 21/2. The oldest were lbb and sometimes the 3 year old my nephew who was 2 used hbb he was a big boy at 18kg and seats in the UK only went up till 18kg but just before he turned 3 I found a seat that went up to 25kg so he went back in a harness till he was 5. My 3 year old niece used it when he wasn't in the car but not for long as she had a long torso and outgrew it but my then 6 year old niece used till she was 8 but she was tiny still is.
My rule now in my car is to be min of 4 before going in booster although on longer rides I would rather they were harnessed.

 

[scoutingbear]

I just wanted to add that when carpool starts up again in August for school, I will have a kindy kid. He rides in a HBB (Chase ) in his parent's car but he will be harnessed in mine at least for the first few months. His older brother (8) is not a great booster rider and his sister (12) always needs reminders to sit up in the seatbelt so for my sanity, the youngest will be harnessed. I already told his mom but blamed it on "ease of buckling". So on carpool days, C will ride in a booster and this kindy kid will sit in the Frontier. If his brother and sister were better at staying in position I might try him in a HBB though..