Backless Booster

[Anonymous]

Good advice to not buy a seat for the future. We bought the frontier thinking we would use it forever and all of us hated it after a while. The foam ripped and the straps were a pain. My oldest went into a backless that latched in when he was 6. He is tall. Now at 8 we are considering stopping soon altogether. My younger child is 5 and in a HBB. We did not buy another frontier and got the same version as her brother with the back. It's a better fit, so we feel it's safer, even without the harness. Graco Affix

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If a tractor trailer was hitting your car, would you want your 4yr old in a unlatched backless booster or a 5pt harness latched car seat?

Hahahaha!! If a tractor trailer was hitting my little car, then we would all be smushed, regardless of who was in what seat.

Absolutely not true. A 19 month old just survived a similar accident in Alaska last week. Rear-facing in a convertible carseat. People do survive accidents last time I checked.

Ummm.... A Ford-F150 is not quite the same thing as a tractor trailer. Nice try.

PP, let this poster keep her 4yr old in a backless booster because her kid whines. She knows it is not safe but her kid doesn't complain so she is happy. Let her roll the dice and continue to rationalize that you either get into an accident and die or not get into accident at all. It makes her feel better.

Nope, not me... I don't have a 4-year-old in a backless booster. I switched my son to a backless booster at age 6. I was just pointing out that a 5-pt harness would not save a kid whose car got plowed into by an 18-wheeler.

[Anonymous]

My 6yr old is still in a 5pt harness that goes until 60lbs. We won't change her until she is past the weight or height. I can't believe some people have preschoolers in just a bottom booster. Terrible

[Anonymous]

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[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My 6yr old is still in a 5pt harness that goes until 60lbs. We won't change her until she is past the weight or height. I can't believe some people have preschoolers in just a bottom booster. Terrible

"Terrible"? Really? Because that is what the law requires and more than people have done even in recent past.

My kid (8 - tiny) is still in 5 pt in our car but has used a regular booster for carpools from time to time since he was 4. NBD.

[Anonymous]

Most convertible car seats go up to 60-85lbs. There is absolutely no need to go spend more money on a booster seat when the kids can fit in a convertible seat for years.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Most convertible car seats go up to 60-85lbs. There is absolutely no need to go spend more money on a booster seat when the kids can fit in a convertible seat for years.

Eh, our kid still fit in her convertible car seat at close to 4 when we switched her to a harnessed booster. The booster made our lives so much better-she likes it better because she's more upright, she can get in and out of it herself, her feet are further from the front seat so there is less kicking, she can see out the windows better, etc. it was well worth a few hundred bucks.

Not that this has anything to do with OP's question.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Most convertible car seats go up to 60-85lbs. There is absolutely no need to go spend more money on a booster seat when the kids can fit in a convertible seat for years.

Do you have a 60 pounder in a convertible carseat or do you have a preschooler and yet are predicting the future?

Because my 42 pound 6.5 year old (yes, he's tiny) just outgrew his "60 pound" carseat because of the harness strap lengths. And he outgrew his baby carseat based on height well before the weight limit.

And more to the point, the average child is 8 or 9 when she hits 60 pounds. I can't imagine still having a 9 year old in a full-up carseat.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Most convertible car seats go up to 60-85lbs. There is absolutely no need to go spend more money on a booster seat when the kids can fit in a convertible seat for years.

They advertise crazy weight limits to get you to buy it. We have had many seats for one kid and most lasted till 4 except the Pria which is 6.5. He is no where close to the limit but is squished and it does not fit well. It depends on the seat.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The boosters say on the box that they can be used 3/30 pounds or 4/40 pounds that doesn't mean it's legal (in some states) or safe.

A child has to be able to sit with the seatbelt fitting correctly. We have small kids, and in addition to that they were NOT mature enough for a booster at 3 or 4 years old.

We went on a cross country trip this past summer and I ended up putting my 6 year old back into his old Radian because he was literally crawling out of his seat/seatbelt while trying to get things and being silly and could not contain himself. In the Radian I knew he was contained and safe.

We never called 5 point harness "baby seats", so that's never been an issue. We switch to a booster for everyday use around 5-5.5 but the harnessed seats are still around if we need them.

Great parenting! Too lazy to teach him how to properly behave in a car. Just shove a 6-year old back in a baby seat! Yay, mom!

Oh no, he knows how to behave in the car and he's been taught, his impulse control and the combination of being excited and being on a long drive got the better of him. He went into the 5 point after repeated warnings to sit and leave his seatbelt alone.

Not safe for him, or me, given how distracting it was. And again, not a "baby seat", just a safer seat. If he couldn't be safe in the car, I put him in a seat that would be safer for him.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Most convertible car seats go up to 60-85lbs. There is absolutely no need to go spend more money on a booster seat when the kids can fit in a convertible seat for years.

Eh, our kid still fit in her convertible car seat at close to 4 when we switched her to a harnessed booster. The booster made our lives so much better-she likes it better because she's more upright, she can get in and out of it herself, her feet are further from the front seat so there is less kicking, she can see out the windows better, etc. it was well worth a few hundred bucks.

Not that this has anything to do with OP's question.

Kids can get in and out of 5pt harnesses themselves. Even tightening
Convertible seats are higher than a booster to see out of a window better
They can be put in upright positions. The Radian is completely upright.

But yes, your 4yr old in a backless booster makes her whine less and your lives easier. Worth a few hundred dollars.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Most convertible car seats go up to 60-85lbs. There is absolutely no need to go spend more money on a booster seat when the kids can fit in a convertible seat for years.

Do you have a 60 pounder in a convertible carseat or do you have a preschooler and yet are predicting the future?

Because my 42 pound 6.5 year old (yes, he's tiny) just outgrew his "60 pound" carseat because of the harness strap lengths. And he outgrew his baby carseat based on height well before the weight limit.

And more to the point, the average child is 8 or 9 when she hits 60 pounds. I can't imagine still having a 9 year old in a full-up carseat.

My child is 6 and she is 49" tall, 55lbs. She rear faced until 2.5yrs old and is currently forward facing in a Radian. Same seat for 5.5yrs since she outgrew her infant bucket. Great investment. She can 5pt harness until 80lbs and can turn into a full booster until 100lbs as long as she is under 57".