What age do most kids switch to backless booster?

[Anonymous]

Having this conversation with my DH right now. He wants to move to a backless straight from a harness. I want to do the high back booster.

I did read that the one safety difference is for high back boosters, they protect better in a side collision.

DS doesn't sleep in the car anymore unless we do night driving from a trip (which we do a few times a year). So that would also be a benefit for the highback.

[Anonymous]

Our DD was 7.5, end of first grade.

[Anonymous]

My nearly 7yo is in a high-backed booster (Britax Frontier) and still using the 5-point harness. She is on the small side, though, and I think the harness is easier for her to buckle than seatbelt.

[Anonymous]

We moved him out near the end of second grade. He was almost 8. Prior to that for the last year, he had used a backless booster in grandparents car.

Just turned six year old just moved out of a 5 point harness to a full back booster.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My 8.5 year old is still in a 5-point harnessed seat with wings (Britax Frontier). Having survived a car crash as a teenager, I am paranoid about car safety. He'll be in this until he maxes out and understands why I feel so strongly about it. For travel, we have a backless booster -- unless we're at my family's house where we keep a Britax Highpoint. I like the wings for long car rides...he can lean against them for resting, reading, etc.

Why not switch to regular seatbelt?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My 8.5 year old is still in a 5-point harnessed seat with wings (Britax Frontier). Having survived a car crash as a teenager, I am paranoid about car safety. He'll be in this until he maxes out and understands why I feel so strongly about it. For travel, we have a backless booster -- unless we're at my family's house where we keep a Britax Highpoint. I like the wings for long car rides...he can lean against them for resting, reading, etc.

Why not switch to regular seatbelt?

Sorry to clarify I get that you might still want the high back seat but a five point harness for a fourth grader? Is that even documented to be safer at that age?

[Anonymous]

Wasn't really a one-time transition -- depended on the trip type. 4 for short trips/carpool/travel. Probably closer to 6 for longer trips. By 8 he was in seatbelt only (well, tbh, it was a couple of months before his birthday -- we misplaced the car seat).

[Anonymous]

I have a big five-year-old and a small eight-year-old. This summer we switched the five-year-old out of the five point harness but he is still in the high back booster with regular seat belt. Older one had been in high-back booster with regular seatbelt and we switched that to regular booster. He was definitely one of the last of his friends to be in a high-back.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We switched around 8.

I’m in Arlington, and the majority of kids were in backless by 1st. My kid is old for his grade, and by third many kids aren’t even using anything.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We switched around 8.

I’m in Arlington, and the majority of kids were in backless by 1st. My kid is old for his grade, and by third many kids aren’t even using anything.

Is this a brag? That's really sad that most parents stop out of laziness. Most kids at 8 still don't pass the seat belt test.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We switched around 8.

I’m in Arlington, and the majority of kids were in backless by 1st. My kid is old for his grade, and by third many kids aren’t even using anything.

Is this a brag? That's really sad that most parents stop out of laziness. Most kids at 8 still don't pass the seat belt test.

It depends on the car. My kid did at 8 in my car but not in my brother's car. Yes, many 8 year olds do pass the seat belt test. And if they do, then there's no reason to be in a booster.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My 8.5 year old is still in a 5-point harnessed seat with wings (Britax Frontier). Having survived a car crash as a teenager, I am paranoid about car safety. He'll be in this until he maxes out and understands why I feel so strongly about it. For travel, we have a backless booster -- unless we're at my family's house where we keep a Britax Highpoint. I like the wings for long car rides...he can lean against them for resting, reading, etc.

Why not switch to regular seatbelt?

Sorry to clarify I get that you might still want the high back seat but a five point harness for a fourth grader? Is that even documented to be safer at that age?

He just started 3rd grade and is still well within the constraints given by Britax for this seat with 5-pt harness. He rolls his eyes about it a little every now and then, but it is not a big deal at all. Friends don't care either when they ride with us - they use the other highback booster we have, which is not a 5-pt harness. If he starts getting upset about it, we'll reassess.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My 8.5 year old is still in a 5-point harnessed seat with wings (Britax Frontier). Having survived a car crash as a teenager, I am paranoid about car safety. He'll be in this until he maxes out and understands why I feel so strongly about it. For travel, we have a backless booster -- unless we're at my family's house where we keep a Britax Highpoint. I like the wings for long car rides...he can lean against them for resting, reading, etc.

Why not switch to regular seatbelt?

Sorry to clarify I get that you might still want the high back seat but a five point harness for a fourth grader? Is that even documented to be safer at that age?

An 8.5 year old wouldn’t be a 4th grader. That would be a 3rd grader.

[Anonymous]

We switched going into 3rd grade. I don't think there's much difference in safety other than slight protection of the headwings.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:To those who went backless, what did you do to avoid falling to the side when the kids are sleeping on a long car ride? This is an issue with us now that we removed the back, because the shoulder of the seat is now uncomfortable.

If your child can’t stay awake, sitting properly for a seatbelt, they are not mature enough to be out of a harness.