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

[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.

We bought one of these for our daughter when she was in K - she was easily able to buckle and unbuckle herself.

[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.

This is a really good answer. A second grader is probably very ready to be safe in a backless booster with the seatbelt. They are able to sit up straight consistently, understand following rules etc. My new first grader is on the bigger end so he has been in a backless booster since end of K. Though I totally understand OP, I think she is probably right that it is rare for a second grader to be using a 5 point harness. THe high back booster with seatbelt could be a good place to start, if you're comfortable

[Anonymous]

We switched to a high back booster in K, because like others have posted, a harnessed seat was not really compatible with carpool line.

My DS in in 2nd grade, 49" and 52 pounds. He's still in a high back booster, and I don't foresee switching him to a backless anytime soon.

[Anonymous]

Kindergarten. Seriously, don't do that to your kid.

[Anonymous]

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

2nd grader. Almost all 2nd graders are age 7 right now.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote: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!

Why is it insane? A 5 point harness car seat is the safest place for a kid that height/weight to be.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Kindergarten. Seriously, don't do that to your kid.

Don't keep them in the safest seat possible? Do you hear yourself? You're more worried about your kid being embarrassed in the drop off line than about your kid being safe in the event of a car accident. That's bad parenting.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

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

2nd grader. Almost all 2nd graders are age 7 right now.

My daughter is in the older side for 2nd and she is turning 8 in Oct. she is 65 pounds and 56” tall.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Kindergarten. Seriously, don't do that to your kid.

In many places the kids seriously don't care. In my neighborhood and school community it's normal to stay in a car seat until 1st or 2nd and the kids rarely see each other in cars anyway because most people walk places including school.

Eventually the kids do start talking about it and notice who is still in a carseat versus who is in a booster (and the kids think a high back booster is a carseat so you get feedback about that two). But it doesn't come up until around 2nd grade because that's when a critical mass of kids have switched and it's also when more families start giving kids rides to activities and things as kids get more into sports and other activities and schedules start getting busier.

Similarly kids in my neighborhood are in strollers longer than I know some people think is "normal" and it's because people walk a lot and if you do a .8 mile walk to and from school with a stop at the grocery store daily then it's not a big deal to see preschoolers or even young kindergarteners in strollers occasionally. Whereas in a suburb where everyone drives people ditch strollers sooner because they don't use strollers in the same way.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

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

2nd grader. Almost all 2nd graders are age 7 right now.

My daughter is in the older side for 2nd and she is turning 8 in Oct. she is 65 pounds and 56” tall.

Congrats. This doesn't change the PP's point that the vast majority of 2nd graders (including yours) are 7 right now. Also your kid is much bigger than OP's kid so OP's question (specifically about short 2nd graders) doesn't apply to you. Your kid exceeds the height recommendation for most car seats so it makes sense that your kid would switch to a booster but OP's kid is still well within the height and weight limits for her car seat so it's less clear if she "should" switch.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Kindergarten. Seriously, don't do that to your kid.

Don't keep them in the safest seat possible? Do you hear yourself? You're more worried about your kid being embarrassed in the drop off line than about your kid being safe in the event of a car accident. That's bad parenting.

https://thecarseatlady.com/booster-seats/

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote: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!

My third grader just hit the magic 4’9” (yes she’s very tall) and still in a high back booster because she prefers it. It’s her choice at this point and we certainly don’t bring a booster for travel or carpools.

But OP, I don’t know any kids that were still in a harness last year. A shocking number of tiny kids stopped using a booster as soon as they turned 8.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

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

2nd grader. Almost all 2nd graders are age 7 right now.

My daughter is in the older side for 2nd and she is turning 8 in Oct. she is 65 pounds and 56” tall.

So she’s 7. Cool

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

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

2nd grader. Almost all 2nd graders are age 7 right now.

My daughter is in the older side for 2nd and she is turning 8 in Oct. she is 65 pounds and 56” tall.

So she’s 7. Cool

She’s also almost a foot taller and 20 lbs heavier than OP’s kid. Irrelevant.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote: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!

Why is it insane? A 5 point harness car seat is the safest place for a kid that height/weight to be.

No there is no consensus of research substantiating that.