WWYD: 7.5yo carseat/booster?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have my 4.5 year olds in boosters. I'm sure they'll all be fine.

That's not something I'd be bragging about. They are fine till you get in a horrible accident.

Do you use a 5 or harness? It would be safest.

NP but we took our 5.5 yo out of the Frontier and into a HBB because she hated it so much she was constantly wiggling and not sitting properly. The straps were always twisting. She's had no issues in the HBB. Sitting properly in a booster with proper belt placement is safer.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Thanks all. Safercar.gov advises booster seat, thanks very much for that PP.

To the Wow PPs, I get it. As I said, some of my neurosis on this is that we were T-boned with both kids in the backseat (the impact hit at the back passenger door where the kid in question was in his car seat) and the EMTs had to extract him from the totalled car in the middle of Conn Ave.

That was 5 years ago, but it's the kind of thing that sticks with you. The EMTs told me at the time that they had never seen a child fatality in a car with car seats properly installed and in use. I do a lot of things half-assed in life, but this is one place I try not to cut corners.

Hey, you have every right to be paranoid.

And this is good to know. But using a booster that properly positions the seat belt should count as part of that, as well.

Another thing to consider is the safety of the car. If it's relatively new, it's generally safer, with more air bags, reinforced roof, reinforced doors, front end collision avoidance systems, etc. I don't know what you are driving, but I get paranoid about safety, too, and try to stay in newer cars with more safety features.

To hell with anyone who has a problem with car seat usage.

That said, I do think it's a bit overkill at this point to have him in a harnessed seat. In fact he would probably be fine at this point in a regular (not high backed) booster.

Although the 4'9" inches thing ALSO includes an age restriction for those who are upset about it. It's about height AND maturity of bone structure. Driving is the most dangerous thing we do with our kids by far. It makes sense to use a little caution.

"Older kids get weighed and measured less often than babies, so check your child’s growth a few times a year. Generally, kids need to use a booster until they are at least 4 feet 9 inches tall and weigh between 80 and 100 pounds. For most kids, they will be between ages 8 to 12 years old. "

http://www.safekids.org/safetytips/field_age/big-kids-5%25E2%2580%25939-years/field_risks/booster-seat

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Thanks all. Safercar.gov advises booster seat, thanks very much for that PP.

To the Wow PPs, I get it. As I said, some of my neurosis on this is that we were T-boned with both kids in the backseat (the impact hit at the back passenger door where the kid in question was in his car seat) and the EMTs had to extract him from the totalled car in the middle of Conn Ave.

That was 5 years ago, but it's the kind of thing that sticks with you. The EMTs told me at the time that they had never seen a child fatality in a car with car seats properly installed and in use. I do a lot of things half-assed in life, but this is one place I try not to cut corners.

Hey, you have every right to be paranoid.

And this is good to know. But using a booster that properly positions the seat belt should count as part of that, as well.

Another thing to consider is the safety of the car. If it's relatively new, it's generally safer, with more air bags, reinforced roof, reinforced doors, front end collision avoidance systems, etc. I don't know what you are driving, but I get paranoid about safety, too, and try to stay in newer cars with more safety features.

To hell with anyone who has a problem with car seat usage.

That said, I do think it's a bit overkill at this point to have him in a harnessed seat. In fact he would probably be fine at this point in a regular (not high backed) booster.

Although the 4'9" inches thing ALSO includes an age restriction for those who are upset about it. It's about height AND maturity of bone structure. Driving is the most dangerous thing we do with our kids by far. It makes sense to use a little caution.

"Older kids get weighed and measured less often than babies, so check your child’s growth a few times a year. Generally, kids need to use a booster until they are at least 4 feet 9 inches tall and weigh between 80 and 100 pounds. For most kids, they will be between ages 8 to 12 years old. "

http://www.safekids.org/safetytips/field_age/big-kids-5%25E2%2580%25939-years/field_risks/booster-seat

For those who've stuck it out with a lighter kid, was there a point when the kid had a growth spurt and finally hit the requirements? My 8 year old weighs about 50 lbs. I care about safety, but it feels like 30lbs is reeeeeally far away. I'm thinking for boosters the height requirement is probably more important?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have my 4.5 year olds in boosters. I'm sure they'll all be fine.

That's not something I'd be bragging about. They are fine till you get in a horrible accident.

Do you use a 5 or harness? It would be safest.

NP but we took our 5.5 yo out of the Frontier and into a HBB because she hated it so much she was constantly wiggling and not sitting properly. The straps were always twisting. She's had no issues in the HBB. Sitting properly in a booster with proper belt placement is safer.

User error. If the straps are twisting or she is wiggling out you don't have it tight enough, and a child who can't be trusted to sit properly in a harness certainly can't be trusted in a booster.

[Anonymous]

I use my Frontier as a high backed booster and have since my small 8 year old was 5 or 6. He can operate the belt well and fits fine. He doesn't object at all so we are keeping it even though he's 8 until he has a really good belt fit without it.

[Anonymous]

It seems to me that proper usage of a high backed booster at this point would be as safe as a harnessed seat. My son is 6 and is capable of sitting with the belt properly postioned, without wiggling or slumping. I would bet, OP, that if you gave your child the opportunity, he would be capable of showing the same maturity.