Short 2nd graders -- what age did they switch from car seat to backed booster

[Anonymous]

our dd is only 46" tall and like 44 lbs -- she is tiny (we are not particularly tall either).

she is still in her 5 point car seat -- it goes to 50" and 65 lbs, so no need to change yet, but she reports all of her friends are in boosters (even ones shorter than her).

are most people switching to boosters once they weight 40 lbs and are basically at the minimum reqs for a booster, rather than exceeding the car seat?

car seats are so much safer, but i know its hard for DD to be the outlier here and its "babyish"

[Anonymous]

My 2nd grader is 49” and 47 lbs. We still have her in a 5 point harness, although we’re comfortable having her in a backed booster seat when she’s riding with other people or we’re on a trip.

Our feeling is that she should be in the safest seat possible.

[Anonymous]

We have a high back booster that had a 5 point harness but you can remove the harness and use the car seat belt. Our kid started lobbying hard to switch to the seat belt during 1st grade. I definitely resisted for a while because the harness is safer but I finally relented (after one last road trip with the harness). She's only a smidge bigger than your kid -- 47 inches and 45 lbs.

I emphasized to her the importance of good safety habits in the car and told her I'd reinstall the harness if she started getting sloppy (shifting around in her seat or not wearing the belt properly or playing with it or moving it). She's been very good.

It's hard making the transition but it's not like I'm letting her ride with no seatbelt at all or skipping the booster -- she's in a well rated booster that is properly installed in a car with a great safety rating using a functional seat belt that is properly threaded through her booster seat. No it's not as safe as the harness but then not driving at all would be safest wouldn't it.

I wouldn't judge a parent for keeping them in the harness longer though. I get it.

[Anonymous]

We moved because it's simply so much faster for school drop off (we're in the kiss 'n' ride/carpool line). I know some kids could do a 5 point harness just as quickly, but mine could never get the hang of it. They could, however, learn to sit properly in a high backed booster and stay that way.

I do think as time goes on more and more kids will stay in the various levels of each type of seat longer and longer. I mean it's already happening, however.

[Anonymous]

I'm lazy/cheap and won't switch until she can fit into a regular booster. We did that with our oldest and it was fine.

[Anonymous]

We switched our 47" 45lb DD in K because we needed her to be able to buckle/unbuckle by herself and it was easier in the booster. I think you could absolutely do it now no problem. I agree with carseat guidelines, but honestly, I could still be in a booster (5'2" and 100lbs) so I also don't always go to the max.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:our dd is only 46" tall and like 44 lbs -- she is tiny (we are not particularly tall either).

she is still in her 5 point car seat -- it goes to 50" and 65 lbs, so no need to change yet, but she reports all of her friends are in boosters (even ones shorter than her).

are most people switching to boosters once they weight 40 lbs and are basically at the minimum reqs for a booster, rather than exceeding the car seat?

car seats are so much safer, but i know its hard for DD to be the outlier here and its "babyish"

The bolded isn't actually a known thing for older kids. Both five point harnesses and high back boosters are significantly better than belts (this has been studied), but the data isn't actually very strong for car seats making a huge difference once kids are older.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:our dd is only 46" tall and like 44 lbs -- she is tiny (we are not particularly tall either).

she is still in her 5 point car seat -- it goes to 50" and 65 lbs, so no need to change yet, but she reports all of her friends are in boosters (even ones shorter than her).

are most people switching to boosters once they weight 40 lbs and are basically at the minimum reqs for a booster, rather than exceeding the car seat?

car seats are so much safer, but i know its hard for DD to be the outlier here and its "babyish"

The bolded isn't actually a known thing for older kids. Both five point harnesses and high back boosters are significantly better than belts (this has been studied), but the data isn't actually very strong for car seats making a huge difference once kids are older.

I think it's important to understand WHY certain things are considered safer when we make these decisions.

The reason boosters are necessary is that seat belts are designed for adults so a child under a certain height will not be secure in a shoulder belt -- it's not possible for a child under a certain height to be correctly positioned.

5 point harnesses restrain in an ideal way, keeping the body perfectly positioned for restraint be preventing slouching and ensuring the straps stay over the shoulders. That's why they are essential for babies and little kids who are either incapable of sitting upright or unreliable for it.

So IF a child is in an appropriate booster for their head that and size, and IF the belt positions correctly against their body, and IF they can be relied upon to sit up and leave the belt where it's supposed to be (including not falling asleep and sliding sideways under the belt), there is no safety reason why the child should be in a 5-point harnessed car seat.

If you understand this you can make choices that are safe and make sense. Like one option is for a kid who is big enough and mature enough for a shoulder belt but is prone to falling asleep on car trips: use a car seat that converts to a high back booster and use it in booster mode with a shoulder belt for day to day around town (short trips) but put the harness in for long trips. Then you get the benefits of a booster (ease of drop off and pick up, kid feels more in line with peers) but you are still maximizing safety.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We switched our 47" 45lb DD in K because we needed her to be able to buckle/unbuckle by herself and it was easier in the booster. I think you could absolutely do it now no problem. I agree with carseat guidelines, but honestly, I could still be in a booster (5'2" and 100lbs) so I also don't always go to the max.

Same, we switched in K for the drop off line. Still a high back booster but with the seat belt, not the harness. I forget how big DS was at that point though!

[Anonymous]

You have your 8 year old in a car seat …?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:our dd is only 46" tall and like 44 lbs -- she is tiny (we are not particularly tall either).

she is still in her 5 point car seat -- it goes to 50" and 65 lbs, so no need to change yet, but she reports all of her friends are in boosters (even ones shorter than her).

are most people switching to boosters once they weight 40 lbs and are basically at the minimum reqs for a booster, rather than exceeding the car seat?

car seats are so much safer, but i know its hard for DD to be the outlier here and its "babyish"

The bolded isn't actually a known thing for older kids. Both five point harnesses and high back boosters are significantly better than belts (this has been studied), but the data isn't actually very strong for car seats making a huge difference once kids are older.

Take a peak at a race car harness

[Anonymous]

I moved my 4 year old into a high back booster when he was 50” and 50 pounds.

[Anonymous]

We switched in 1st for social reasons but stayed in a HB booster a long time.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:our dd is only 46" tall and like 44 lbs -- she is tiny (we are not particularly tall either).

she is still in her 5 point car seat -- it goes to 50" and 65 lbs, so no need to change yet, but she reports all of her friends are in boosters (even ones shorter than her).

are most people switching to boosters once they weight 40 lbs and are basically at the minimum reqs for a booster, rather than exceeding the car seat?

car seats are so much safer, but i know its hard for DD to be the outlier here and its "babyish"

The bolded isn't actually a known thing for older kids. Both five point harnesses and high back boosters are significantly better than belts (this has been studied), but the data isn't actually very strong for car seats making a huge difference once kids are older.

I think it's important to understand WHY certain things are considered safer when we make these decisions.

The reason boosters are necessary is that seat belts are designed for adults so a child under a certain height will not be secure in a shoulder belt -- it's not possible for a child under a certain height to be correctly positioned.

5 point harnesses restrain in an ideal way, keeping the body perfectly positioned for restraint be preventing slouching and ensuring the straps stay over the shoulders. That's why they are essential for babies and little kids who are either incapable of sitting upright or unreliable for it.

So IF a child is in an appropriate booster for their head that and size, and IF the belt positions correctly against their body, and IF they can be relied upon to sit up and leave the belt where it's supposed to be (including not falling asleep and sliding sideways under the belt), there is no safety reason why the child should be in a 5-point harnessed car seat.

If you understand this you can make choices that are safe and make sense. Like one option is for a kid who is big enough and mature enough for a shoulder belt but is prone to falling asleep on car trips: use a car seat that converts to a high back booster and use it in booster mode with a shoulder belt for day to day around town (short trips) but put the harness in for long trips. Then you get the benefits of a booster (ease of drop off and pick up, kid feels more in line with peers) but you are still maximizing safety.

Where is the research showing a harness is safer than a belt booster for older kids?

[Anonymous]

What? My 3rd grader is 48" tall and weights 49lbs. She is in a backless booster. I cannot even imagine having her in a high back booster, let alone a 5 point carseat. This is insane!