Highback booster v. booster?

[dukie41181]

Which is the best? What are the best seats of each type? Also, when do you switch to this rather than a convertible car seat?

[SnuggleBuggles]

No specific ideas but to answer part 3...I have no plans to switch ds2 till he outgrows his Marathon. Hopefully we'll get to almost 6yo. Then he'll go into a high backed booster.

[jjordan]

Just to make sure we're on the page, "booster," to me, means a child restraint that uses the vehicle seat belt instead of an internal harness to restrain the child. A convertible car seat is one that can be installed rear facing and forward facing, and uses an internal harness to restrain the child. A combination seat is a seat that is forward-facing only, and can either be used with a harness OR with the vehicle seat belt (as a booster).

A highback booster has a back.

A backless booster does not.

Children's skeletons are not developed enough for a booster until they are at LEAST 4 years old. They also need to be at least 40 pounds in order to be big enough for most boosters to function properly. (This applies even to boosters with starting weights below 40 pounds!) Since the vehicle seat belt allows for more movement, they need to be mature enough to sit still, and often that doesn't happen until age 5-6.

So, bottom line, a child is ready for a booster when he/she is at least 4 years old, weighs at least 40 pounds, and is able to sit still in the car so that the seatbelt remains properly positioned (even while the child falls asleep, if he/she does that in the car). Most children should remain harnessed to age 5-6, if that is feasible.

The kids in your sig are ages 3 and 1.5, so neither will be ready for a booster for a while. But if you are shopping for a new car seat for the 3 year old, I'd go ahead and get a combination seat rather than a convertible. Your 3 year old has outgrown her current seat if she is over the weight limit OR if her shoulders are higher than the highest harness slots (assuming that she is forward facing).

HTH!

[dukie41181]

Thanks for the all the info! I was kinda thinking about moving my daughter to something that used the vehicle seat belts as she is impossible to get to keep her straps on in her Britax. Its so frustrating and nothing is helping! Sounds like we'll have a while before being able to make a change in that way.

Originally Posted by jjordan

Just to make sure we're on the page, "booster," to me, means a child restraint that uses the vehicle seat belt instead of an internal harness to restrain the child. A convertible car seat is one that can be installed rear facing and forward facing, and uses an internal harness to restrain the child. A combination seat is a seat that is forward-facing only, and can either be used with a harness OR with the vehicle seat belt (as a booster).

A highback booster has a back.

A backless booster does not.

Children's skeletons are not developed enough for a booster until they are at LEAST 4 years old. They also need to be at least 40 pounds in order to be big enough for most boosters to function properly. (This applies even to boosters with starting weights below 40 pounds!) Since the vehicle seat belt allows for more movement, they need to be mature enough to sit still, and often that doesn't happen until age 5-6.

So, bottom line, a child is ready for a booster when he/she is at least 4 years old, weighs at least 40 pounds, and is able to sit still in the car so that the seatbelt remains properly positioned (even while the child falls asleep, if he/she does that in the car). Most children should remain harnessed to age 5-6, if that is feasible.

The kids in your sig are ages 3 and 1.5, so neither will be ready for a booster for a while. But if you are shopping for a new car seat for the 3 year old, I'd go ahead and get a combination seat rather than a convertible. Your 3 year old has outgrown her current seat if she is over the weight limit OR if her shoulders are higher than the highest harness slots (assuming that she is forward facing).

HTH!

[jjordan]

If she's not cooperating with a harnessed seat, putting her in a belt-positioning booster would be like jumping out of the frying pan and straight into the fire! Sorry! If you post a separate thread for ideas on keeping her strapped in, people might have a few that you haven't tried yet.

[KrisM]

Originally Posted by dukie41181

Thanks for the all the info! I was kinda thinking about moving my daughter to something that used the vehicle seat belts as she is impossible to get to keep her straps on in her Britax. Its so frustrating and nothing is helping! Sounds like we'll have a while before being able to make a change in that way.

A booster will require her to sit properly the entire ride. The seatbelt doesn't help her sit upright and in the right position. So, if she's not keeping a harness strap on, I don't think she'll keep herself in the right spot and not mess with the seatbelt.

Is she unbuckling the harness? Or sliding the chest clip down? People have ideas of how to fix that if you post what she's doing!

[dukie41181]

She is sliding the chest clip down and and then she can reach the release for the straps so she can loosen then. I am referring to the release between her legs, where you pull to tighten the straps. It often feels useless really. I also find it difficult to give consequences for messing with it when we aren't home. We do timeouts at home but can't do then in the car.

Originally Posted by KrisM

A booster will require her to sit properly the entire ride. The seatbelt doesn't help her sit upright and in the right position. So, if she's not keeping a harness strap on, I don't think she'll keep herself in the right spot and not mess with the seatbelt.

Is she unbuckling the harness? Or sliding the chest clip down? People have ideas of how to fix that if you post what she's doing!

[KrisM]

Ideas that I've read before:

Pin the flap down over the release lever/button so she can't get to it.

Thread toilet paper tubes onto the harness, under the chest clip, so that it can't be pushed down.

Can she unbutton? Put a lightweight button-down shirt on her and button it over the harness straps.

[Joolsplus2]

You time out of driving. Oh, we are going to (insert her absolutely favorite location), and if you sit with your carseat properly, we'll get there faster. Oh, I see you are loosening your harness, mommy is pulling over now and it's taking longer for us to get to (favorite location). It really only takes one time where she knows you absolutely mean business, that you WILL pull over or not start driving (We sat in the preschool parking lot for 5 minutes once because my dd was being obstinate about her harness fit, she really did want to go home), and it will no longer be an issue. Of course you can reward her by letting her help get out of her seat after you are safely parked and give the go-ahead