booster seat question...

amiamish

what age is too old to have DC in a harness seat?

I know we nesties tend to "overdo" carseats, but so many friends/family members have their kids (same age as DS1) in high back boosters and reg boosters as well. They are shocked when I say he's still in his harness, and even more shocked to see DS2 still RF. I don't really care what they think, but just curious what ya'll think is the normal or safe age to move them. And yes, I know it depends on maturity but what is a typical age?

penguingrrl

I moved Julia to a high back booster when she outgrew the harness of the radian, right around her 4th birthday (she's ultra tall and all torso). I hadn't planned on moving her that early, but I couldn't keep her in an outgrown seat and the frontier doesn't fit in my car nor is it within our budget. I would have preferred to wait until 5, but she has done perfectly in it, so I'm not worried. She's taller than her 6 year old cousin so our options were pretty limited.

I believe carseat experts say a developmentally typical 5 year old should be able to use a booster without a problem and there are no studies that show a properly used booster seat as being less safe than a harnessed seat.

ilovemygirls

Well according to nest standards I turned my kids FF way too soon- by 18mos or so.  However, my 41# 7yr old still fits in her 5pt harness (shoulders still below straps at the highest level)  so she's still in it in my car.  In DH's truck, both of my kids are in high back boosters for 30lbs & up- my 4yo is around 38#.  I just don't see any reason to take either of them out of their 5pt harnesses in my car if they haven't grown out of them. 

AZ_Erica

Well, in our state the law is they need to be in a harness until 4.  I plan on keeping DS harnessed until 5-5.5 in DH's car, and then I will start booster training him provided he is 40lbs.  He will remained harnessed in my car (our usual car) until he is 6 maybe 7 I'm not sure.

I rear faced DS until he was almost 4 and the only one who ever gave me negative comments about it was my BIL, but he did it in a joking manner more to get a rise out of me.  DD will be 3 in March and no one even questions her rear-facing.  part of that I think is because she is so small.  

DandelionMom

Around me, kindergarten is kind of the limit for the harness seats. 

AnnapolisLari

DS is about to turn 5 and is on the top slot on the Maestro harness. He will be moving to the belt soon, but that makes me a little nervous. He frequently falls asleep in the car and slumps over.

I would say that kindergarten is probably the upper limit on harnesses.

shopgirl78

I moved DD at 4.5.  She was over 40 lbs, she's always been a solild girl- weight-wise.   I think I needed her Marathon for DS1 and DS2 was NB and yes, she is very mature.  We have never had any problems with her in the booster.  Also, she had be be moved to a booster for daycare anyway for afterschool prek4--its a short bus.  She is 6.25 now.... 

Angela814

I felt comfortable moving DD1 to a high back booster full time at 5 years. She had been asking about moving for a while, and I figured most of her kindergarten classmates would be in boosters.

Angela814

AnnapolisLari:

DS is about to turn 5 and is on the top slot on the Maestro harness. He will be moving to the belt soon, but that makes me a little nervous. He frequently falls asleep in the car and slumps over.

I would say that kindergarten is probably the upper limit on harnesses.

Annalise used to slump forward in her harnessed seat too. It's never been a problem in her boosters. I actually think that they are better for sleeping than any harnessed seat because the head wings on the booster are bigger.

jlw2505

I would think that unless they are super tiny, by kindergarten most kids have moved to a highback booster.  I know most of the kids in DD's PreK class are moving from the 5 point harness to the highback booster if they have not done so already.  The kids in her class are 4, turning 5 for the most part and some turned 5 in the summer or early fall.

Mominator

Alyssa turned 5 y/o last month and is still in her harnessed Britax Marathon. I'll be moving her to a high back booster sometime in the next few months because she is just about ready to grow out of her seat. Frankly, I would have no qualms keeping her harnessed even longer, she doens't see any other friends in their seats and just doesn't know that there are other options. I'm definitely of the camp to keep them harnessed for as long as possible, but I also ERF so you can take what I say with a grain of salt