Pre-School and Daycare

have you moved from carseat to booster?

DS is a big kid (3' 6" and 47 lbs last week at a doc appt) and he is in a britax seat currently. He always seems to have his legs up on the seat in front of him and says the carseat bothers his legs. He sat in a booster seat when we were visiting family out of town and (they had a booster so we didn't have to lug 2 carseats on the plane) was fine but it seemed so open as compared to his seat. It also could be from extra bulk of heavy clothing and coat that has him stuffed in his carseat pretty tightly.

Per state law, he is big enough for a booster but how and when did you make the change? I don't think he would unbuckle himself so it's not a maturity thing. I like him "locked" down in that big and protective seat and I would like to keep him in it as long as it makes sense.

We have another trip coming up in May and will likely do the booster then so that might be a good test for a few days. Thoughts?

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Re: have you moved from carseat to booster?

  • I'm in the booster-buying process now. I'm planning on getting a Britax Frontier for my car, which is the one DD1 rides in most frequently. She's just barely 40 lbs at five. 

    I think we'll go for a Graco Turbobooster for DH's car. She rarely rides in there, so it's basically a backup, and I'm a little reluctant to put a Britax in there when it will be so seldom used. 

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    DD1, 1/5/2008 ~~~ DD2, 3/17/2010
  • We haven't made the switch yet and likely won't until after Kindergarten year. Although, we will do some booster training over the summer after his 5th birthday so he can ride in a booster for the 10-15 minute ride to school in DH's car sometime.

    He rides in a Britax Frontier in my car and will likely use the harness until he outgrows it or his brother needs it so it may be past age 6 depending on his growth.

    I do have a question about the "extra bulk of heavy clothing and coat" that you were referencing stuffing your son into his chair. He shouldn't have a big heavy winter coat on in the carseat. It's not safe as the harness isn't really snug enough that way. In a crash, those heavy coats compress and he could potentially be ejected from the seat. Not to mention it's easy to overheat bundled up in a carseat.

    I wouldn't feel comfortable with my child being full-time boostered until at least age 6. Kids are just so wiggly and not mature enough to sit properly in a booster. When they are in a booster, they need the maturity not to lean out of the seat to reach a toy, etc. They are much more in charge of their own safety in a booster than a harnessed seat.

    Are your son's carseat straps still above his shoulders? If he's outgrowing his current seat, you could always look at a larger harness to booster seat like a Graco Nautilus or Britax Frontier. There are a few other good harness to booster seats as well. All depends on your child's size, vehicle and budget. But that way you could harness longer and then convert it to a booster later on.

     Or if he still fits in his current seat, you could find something lightweight to provide him with a footrest like a styrofoam cooler or a lightweight rolled up sleeping bag. Basically you want something that won't be a dangerous projectile in case of an accident.

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  • imagefredalina:
    A few points from your post. First, kids should not wear bulky coats in car seats. It's very dangerous and they can pop right out of the seat. Second, there's a lot more to maturity than not unbuckling the seat belt. They also can't lean over, reach for toys, slump when they fall asleep, move the belt behind their back or out of the way at all. Also, if he doesn't like his feet dangling in a FF car seat, he won't like them any better in a booster.

    All of this. We moved DD1 at 5 years (44 lbs and 46") when I felt like she was mature enough. I've been threatening to move her back though because she keeps leaning forward to "help" her sister.

    Annalise Marie 05.29.06
    Charlotte Ella 07.16.10
    Emmeline Grace 03.27.13
  • DS is 5 yrs  old, 48 pounds, 45 inches and we are keeping him in a 5 pt harness for at least another year.  I'm going to keep him that way for as long as possible.  He's in the Britax Frontier fwiw.
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  • No, and I don't plan on for a long time.  I don't see the need to move him anyway.  He's safest in his car seat.
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  • I just recently moved DD from a carseat to a booster she is big like your DS (shes about 3'7 and weighs about 50lbs).  The booster is much more comfortable for her and we haven't had any problems.

  • We have.  DS has some sensory issues and it was getting to the point that I couldn't get him in securely enough without him crying that he hurt.  We have the graco turbo.  He knows how to sit.  He doesn't fall asleep.  He hasn't napped since he was about 18 months so i am not worried about that. We moved him in January.   
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  • My oldest moved right at 4. She had outgrown her radian for height and neither the nautilus nor the frontier fit in our only car at the time (VW beetle, so weird backseat) so we didn't have a choice. She was 42" and 40 lbs at the time. She is an unusually mature child and a natural rule follower, so she has never once broken the rules about riding in a booster (no unbuckling, no leaning, no slumping even in sleep, no reaching for toys, no putting the belt behind your back, etc) and I've had no reason to doubt the decision.

    My second is outgrowing the harness on her radian now as she's just even with the top slots (SKJP/Diono allows use over the top harness slots, but I'm not comfortable with doing so for a variety of reasons) and I'm not sure what to do. She's a big kid (41" and 43 lbs with a 17.5" torso) and a great rule follower as well, but a few times a year (3 or so in the past 12 months) she'll have a massive meltdown and need to be wrestled into her seat. If I had her in a booster we would have to sit and wait the tantrum out for however long it took, which isn't always an option. But right now with a new baby our budget is tight, so a frontier or size4me70 aren't really possible in the next month or so.

    I will also say that I don't feel that a properly used booster is less safe than a harness (and there's absolutely no evidence showing a harness is safer, in fact there is some evidence showing that a booster may be preferable), so if it weren't for her very infrequent tantrums and the fact that she's not yet quite 4 I would have no problem moving her to a booster at all. I'm glad there was research out there showing that since my kids have such long torsoes that they can't remain harnessed as long as some would like regardless since an outgrown harness (for height or weight) is decidedly unsafe.

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  • My five year old 40 lbs 42 inch daughter is still in her harnessed booster graco nautilus and I plan on keeping her there till she outgrows the top slot. She's still on the second from the top so she has at least another year if not two. It's much much safer for her harnessed.
  • alakealake member
    imagejc&cat:

    DS is a big kid (3' 6" and 47 lbs last week at a doc appt) and he is in a britax seat currently. He always seems to have his legs up on the seat in front of him and says the carseat bothers his legs. He sat in a booster seat when we were visiting family out of town and (they had a booster so we didn't have to lug 2 carseats on the plane) was fine but it seemed so open as compared to his seat. It also could be from extra bulk of heavy clothing and coat that has him stuffed in his carseat pretty tightly.

    Per state law, he is big enough for a booster but how and when did you make the change? I don't think he would unbuckle himself so it's not a maturity thing. I like him "locked" down in that big and protective seat and I would like to keep him in it as long as it makes sense.

    We have another trip coming up in May and will likely do the booster then so that might be a good test for a few days. Thoughts?

    No, I have a 7, a 5, a two year old.  I also have a six month old and a newborn.  Everyone is harnessed in my van.  My five and a half year old just turned forward facing in February.  She was rear facing at her request.  I turned her forward facing for my convenience.  We were given custody of the two year old and newborn in February so it was easier to have her forward facing.  My seven year old is still harnessed.  She will be until 8, or she requests to booster.  It is easier right now for her to be harnessed since she is in the back seat and it is tight, so she would have a hard time buckling a booster.

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