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.

My 9 year old (60% size) DD still uses the booster with the sides/back because she wants to - she says it is more comfortable for this reason exactly. She can lean against the side, etc. For travel, we'll use the backless one. Though amongst her friends, I am noting that many don't use a booster at all now.

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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.

I kept my child in a 5 pt harness until around this age as well, but they I read this & switched to high back booster mode with a seatbelt.
https://www.consumerreports.org/toddler-booster-seats/child-car-seats-from-britax-cosco-graco-harmony-break-in-consumer-reports-tests/

Very interesting. Basically weight matters when using the 5-point harness, and if your child is approaching the weight limits for the seat, the car’s seat belt is a better choice than the harness.

Switched older to backless at beginning of third grade at almost 8.5. He is average size. Younger is 7.5 and just started second grade, also average size. Will switch her sometime in the next year. Maybe around 8th birthday. My 9 year old says he does not know anyone in a booster, even kids who are barely over 4 feet tall. He is nonetheless okay with being in a backless booster.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

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.

So you don't go on road trips. Got it.

They can learn to sleep sitting up.

Or you keep your child in an appropriate seat and harness style for your car, their size and their behavior- not based on some arbitrary age number.

https://csftl.org/harness-or-booster/

If you're saying that anyone who falls asleep in a car should be in a harness, I'm afraid I must disagree. That's just nutty.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

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.

So you don't go on road trips. Got it.

They can learn to sleep sitting up.

Or you keep your child in an appropriate seat and harness style for your car, their size and their behavior- not based on some arbitrary age number.

https://csftl.org/harness-or-booster/

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.

I kept my child in a 5 pt harness until around this age as well, but they I read this & switched to high back booster mode with a seatbelt.
https://www.consumerreports.org/toddler-booster-seats/child-car-seats-from-britax-cosco-graco-harmony-break-in-consumer-reports-tests/

WOW! This study should be disseminated more widely.

My small child switched at age 9. For us, it really is a matter of what's most convenient for which car or carpooling

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.

I kept my child in a 5 pt harness until around this age as well, but they I read this & switched to high back booster mode with a seatbelt.
https://www.consumerreports.org/toddler-booster-seats/child-car-seats-from-britax-cosco-graco-harmony-break-in-consumer-reports-tests/

Pp here. Thank you so much for this. The CR report is brand- new news to me.

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.

I kept my child in a 5 pt harness until around this age as well, but they I read this & switched to high back booster mode with a seatbelt.
https://www.consumerreports.org/toddler-booster-seats/child-car-seats-from-britax-cosco-graco-harmony-break-in-consumer-reports-tests/

My newly 10 year old isn’t quite tall enough to ride with no booster. He’s still in a HBB because it’s what we have in the car & he finds it more comfortable than a backless booster.
But in other people’s cars, when traveling, etc, I think he started riding in a backless booster around age 7.
My 5 yo is small & still in a 5 pt harness.

I don’t really care what “everyone else” is doing. For my kids, I’ll follow the guidelines & logic regarding child size/age/seatbelt fit, etc.

My 8.5 year old won't switch. He likes the wings to rest his head. He knows there's going to be a point when he outgrows it and is prepared.

We've been carpooling a bit more and he tells the other kids why he still has it and all the other kids have asked to sit in it instead of using our spare booster.

For our sedan, which is just for around town, regular booster at 6. For the SUV which we take on road trips, we still have the HBB with seatbelt. I think by 8 we'll switch to a regular booster in both. For road trips when he falls asleep, I'll get a neck pillow or a seat belt pillow.

My 8.5 year old is in a highback booster still. We have used a backless for trips where we flew and then drove, for ease of transporting it. But for regular use I am happier with the highback as long as it still fits.

Anonymous wrote:

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.

So you don't go on road trips. Got it.

They can learn to sleep sitting up.