Booster Opinions

SeasideBride06

DD1 turned 4 in January and we still use the Britax Frontier in harness mode. I know our state law is age 4 OR 40 pounds for a booster, but I just have not felt ready to move to the seat belt. She is 38 or 39 pounds now.

What are your opinions? Are most kids her age in a seatbelt booster by now, or is it perfectly ok to keep her in the harness? I was kind of hoping to stay that way until age 5.

LKswifey

In my vehicle my 4 1/2 year old is still in a harness but in his dads vehicle he has a booster.  He does great in both and doesn't complain about the difference in the two vehicles.  He does however LOVE being able to buckle himself in his dads vehicle.  I think we bought the booster for DHs truck when my son was 4.  As soon as we get enough money I plan to get one for my SUV too so my other son can use that car seat.  The thing I was worried about most was my son unbuckling when he shouldn't, but he has been VERY good about it so it hasn't been an issue.  Good luck!

echowysp2

Considering I had ds rear-facing until almost 4, I'm not switching him to a booster anytime soon.  I don't see the need and it's safer in a car seat.

Spin313

DS is 5 years old and about 40 pounds. He is in a harnessed Frontier. I don't have plans to swap him to a booster until probably first grade. We have a booster in DH's car that DS rides in on very rare occasions.

sschwege

I was just reading recently that every time they 'graduate' to a new safety seat arrangement they are becoming less and less secure, so don't rush to move them just because legally you can.  DD is 2yr9m and I plan to keep her RFing until she maxes out of it.

ncbelle

My 4 year old is staying harnessed for a good long while

74dragonfly

My DD also turned four in January. She is in the harness still. My DD had a bad habit of trying to unbuckle. I will reassess when she is five. If your DD is fine as is I wouldn't switch.

Angela814

I switched DD1 to a high back booster at 5 years. She was 44 lbs and almost 46" at that point, and I felt like she was at the point where she could sit correctly in the car. I also liked that the transition corresponded to her being done with preschool and moving on to kindergarten.

SeasideBride06

Thanks for all of the responses. I think we are definitely going to stay with the harness for a while...at least until 5 or the end of preschool next year. I guess I started feeling pressure from her school when they went over how to go through car line...basically expecting all kids to be in a booster.

echowysp2

SeasideBride06:

Thanks for all of the responses. I think we are definitely going to stay with the harness for a while...at least until 5 or the end of preschool next year. I guess I started feeling pressure from her school when they went over how to go through car line...basically expecting all kids to be in a booster.

I wouldn't let the school pressure you about how you have your child in the car.  You can throw it into park and get her buckled in.  I've seen it done at schools all the time.

gimmietimmies

fredalina:

There is no evidence that says that a harness is safer after 40 pounds and FIVE years. There IS evidence before five AND 40 pounds. Before 40 they can submarine under the belt.

Add in as long as they can sit in a booster appropriately. Some might hit this at five, most will be six before they can actually do this. I has a seven year old that struggles with this (and she's NT), but she outgrew the harness on the Frontier. The NHSTA has come back to say harness as long as possible because people over estimate booster readiness. 

Fred is correct though, harness or seatbelt in an older child has no shown safety difference......when used correctly.

OP, a five year old likely can learn to get in and out of the Frontier harness, mine can. 

ilovemygirls

SeasideBride06:

Thanks for all of the responses. I think we are definitely going to stay with the harness for a while...at least until 5 or the end of preschool next year. I guess I started feeling pressure from her school when they went over how to go through car line...basically expecting all kids to be in a booster.

I kept my oldest in a 5pt harness until she was 7 - she is really tiny & she was comfortable in it, so I figured why switch her?  My younger one has a high back booster now at age 6, she's bigger & is mature enough to sit in it correctly so I feel good about that.  As for car lines, at our preschool they put the kids in the car, we would pull around, park in the lot & then buckle them.  I never had any issues with doing so- we were in a small church parking lot & everyone is going slow, doing the same thing.  I wouldn't hold up the line to buckle, just have her sit in the seat while you pull out of the way. 

penguingrrl

If she still fits and you're more comfortable with her in her harness there's no reason to change it. After age 5 there is absolutely no evidence of any safety difference at all between a harness and a properly used booster so I wouldn't sweat switching since a harness isn't safer. I would even say that at age 5 it may make sense to do a bit of booster training so that if she rides in other people's cars (grandparents, other relatives, carpool, etc) she can just use a booster and not deal with installing carseats and lugging the frontier, but there's no reason she can't stay harnessed to the height limit of her frontier in your car if you would prefer it. Both of my kids moved right around 4 out on necessity (they're both very tall and got too tall for their tall harness height harnessed seats).

brettsmama

My kiddo is still rearfacing at 3.5 years and I can guarantee he'll be harnessed for many years. My husband laughs at me and says the our kid will be I'm a car seat until he's 16 and driving lol. I recently found a great Facebook page called "car seats for the littles" it has great car seat advice.

sunnyday016

DD is harnessed and will be for a long while. She is in a Graco Nautilus and has plenty of room left to go before even needing to move up to the highest harness slot. I plan on beginning to think about boostering around 5.5, which will be right when she starts Kindergarten.