Are all K'ers out of convertible carseats?

[Anonymous]

Mine uses a backless booster. shes 43lbs.

[Anonymous]

DD is a rising 1st grader. I'd say about 2/3 of her friends are now in HBB but a good number are still in harnessed seats. We have a HBB that we use for carpools when we need a second seat in the car, but since our Radian has such a big height/weight limit and she's petite we're sticking it out.

I expect that by the end of 1st, the percentage of kids in harnesses is small, but rising K he definitely won't be alone. In addition to height and weight, the other key for a booster is that the child needs to be able to sit in it properly. We drove a friend of DD's last weekend. First thing she said upon seeing the harnessed seat was "oh, you're in a baby seat" but then promptly slouched in the HBB in a very unsafe way. I feel better with the 5pt harness for now.

[Anonymous]

I kept my older child in a harness until the end of kindergarten and will do the same with my rising kindergartener. She is fine, size wise, for a booster, but isn't mature enough for one full time. My rising third grader is mostly in a high back booster but is also regularly in a backless booster.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Nope. My average DD is going into second grade and is still in a convertible seat.

When did you buy the new one? It hasn't experied?

NP but we have a Radian which is good for 10 years.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Yes, they are mostly all in high back boosters, some in backless boosters. At 5 or 6, a 5 point harness isn't safer than a high back booster anyway.

You realize adult race car drivers are in 5pt, right?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Yes, they are mostly all in high back boosters, some in backless boosters. At 5 or 6, a 5 point harness isn't safer than a high back booster anyway.

You realize adult race car drivers are in 5pt, right?

And roll cages, and flame retardant suits. So?

I've actually looked at studies and found nothing saying that 5 point harness is safer than a high back booster, for a 5 or 6 year old.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Yes, they are mostly all in high back boosters, some in backless boosters. At 5 or 6, a 5 point harness isn't safer than a high back booster anyway.

You realize adult race car drivers are in 5pt, right?

And roll cages, and flame retardant suits. So?

I've actually looked at studies and found nothing saying that 5 point harness is safer than a high back booster, for a 5 or 6 year old.

5 pt harness is safer for EVERYONE. The auto industry knows this but also knows that people are safer in seat belts they will choose to wear and therefore doesn't push the 5 pt which is less comfortable and more of a burden.

-my work is tangential to auto crash safety testing I've been in the labs and seen the test results

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Yes, they are mostly all in high back boosters, some in backless boosters. At 5 or 6, a 5 point harness isn't safer than a high back booster anyway.

You realize adult race car drivers are in 5pt, right?

And roll cages, and flame retardant suits. So?

I've actually looked at studies and found nothing saying that 5 point harness is safer than a high back booster, for a 5 or 6 year old.

Please share.

[Anonymous]

DS is a rising first grader and still in a Britax Frontier with a 5-point harness. Anecdotally (I've been in a few other parents' cars), it does seem like most of his friends are in low back boosters.

I carpooled and took DS and two of his friends to a b-day party when they were in K, and the kid that got stuck in DS's car seat was clearly mortified (when I travel with other kids, DS uses a low-back booster and the friend rides in the safer seat).

One thing to note here, OP - I think people that generally respond to these threads tend to be those that are more conservative. I don't think you get an accurate survey of what most people, or the average parent, does. From what I've seen, either with friends or just my FB feed, most people switch up to the next level seat pretty soon after their kid meets the minimum levels.

[Anonymous]

We kept our daughter in a harnessed seat until she was finishing 1st grade in our vehicles. She did use a HBB in her afterschool sitter's van to go about a block to and from school - she went only a couple days a week.

She is still in a backless booster at 10. She isn't tall enough yet. And after I showed her that picture of average size kids of different ages under a 4'9" sign, she understood the issue. I was boostered for a long time (we're petite in our family).

So many people hit 8 and say they don't have to use boosters anymore - it's not about age, it's about height.

Anyway, yes, we kept her harnessed for a while even though lots of other people in K had moved to HBB if not less. We mostly walk to school, though, so I only know what I saw if we went to friends' houses or at events or something.

[Anonymous]

Oh yeah definitely out. for carline, getting rides from other parents home sometimes for play dates, carpool, etc. the booster is so much easier. I truly don't know a single kid still in a 5 point at that age. Not saying it doesn't happen it's just not something I ever see at our school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:DS is a rising first grader and still in a Britax Frontier with a 5-point harness. Anecdotally (I've been in a few other parents' cars), it does seem like most of his friends are in low back boosters.

I carpooled and took DS and two of his friends to a b-day party when they were in K, and the kid that got stuck in DS's car seat was clearly mortified (when I travel with other kids, DS uses a low-back booster and the friend rides in the safer seat).

One thing to note here, OP - I think people that generally respond to these threads tend to be those that are more conservative. I don't think you get an accurate survey of what most people, or the average parent, does. From what I've seen, either with friends or just my FB feed, most people switch up to the next level seat pretty soon after their kid meets the minimum levels.

OMG you made that poor kid ride in the baby seat? You should always just make that your son's designated seat, those kids have probably been in boosters for 2 years!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Yes, they are mostly all in high back boosters, some in backless boosters. At 5 or 6, a 5 point harness isn't safer than a high back booster anyway.

I disagree. Did you see the story about the 5 year old who was in a car seat, but was killed on 66 last week.

My K sits in either a Boulevard or Pioneer. He prefers the Boulevard.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Mine uses a backless booster. shes 43lbs.

Unless she us super tall and just happens to be a lighweight she probably shouldnt be.

[Anonymous]

According to Car Seats for the Littles, assuming the child fits the seat belt properly and has the maturity to sit in one correctly, they find no evidence that a 5 point harness is safer than a booster:

"There is not any scientific information that gives us reason to believe that a harness is safer than a properly used booster seat. The key is the booster being properly used: where the child is of appropriate age and the belt is positioned properly.

NHTSA recommends utilizing a 5 point harness until the child outgrows it. There’s no rush to move to a booster right away, but if your child is nearing the weight or height maximum of their seat and is behaviorally ready to ride in a booster; don’t feel that you are reducing their safety by moving to a booster."

If anyone follows this group, you know this is a very conservative group of people. http://csftl.org/harness-or-booster-when-to-make-the-switch/