When did you put your kid in a booster seat?

[cleo29]

Our original plan was to have K take over C's convertible seat and transition her to a 5 point harness booster. Well, K is rapidly growing out of her infant seat which means this might have to happen sooner rather than later.

C will be three at the end of October, is 38 or so inches tall and weighs 32/33 pounds.

[papie]

4 and 40 lbs. We switched Anna at 4.5. We gave Sophia the convertiblae and got a Britax Frontier for Anna, which she used for a year with the harness and we then converted it to a booster. I love it.

[cleo29]

OK. We'll just get a new convertible seat for K and put off the booster seat for another year or two.

[papie]

5 pts harness does not = booster. You mean one that converts? If so, it is fine as long as you use the harness until she is 4 and 40 lbs.

(the 4 years old is not mandatory, but it has to do with their ability to sit properly. They are too younger before that, and end up with a seatbelt not properly positionned)

[cleo29]

Aug 13, 2012 13:15:22 GMT -5 papie said:

4 and 40 lbs. We switched Anna at 4.5. We gave Sophia the convertiblae and got a Britax Frontier for Anna, which she used for a year with the harness and we then converted it to a booster. I love it.

That's the one I think we will go with when the time comes.

Thanks for the advice, I couldn't remember what the age/weight requirements were.

[onomatopoeia]

I think it's too soon. DS is 6 and we just did it. Age-wise he's a little older than most, but he also just passed the 40 pound mark.

[EmilieMadison]

4 years and 40 lbs MINIMUM for a belt positioning booster. And most kids aren't mature enough at 4 for a booster because all it does is raise them up to a level where the seat belt fits them better (because it was made for an average sized adult male).

An option that will allow you to give the convertible seat to K and keep C in a harness is the Graco Nautilus, which harnesses up to 65 lbs and then converts to a booster. But honestly, you're better off just giving it to the younger kid and buying your older one a high back booster for $40 when they're ready for just the booster part. There are others as well, but this one is the most cost effective.

DD was 6 when she started riding in a high back booster. DS is 4.5 and nowhere near ready for sitting in a booster lol!

[papie]

Aug 13, 2012 13:17:21 GMT -5 cleo29 said:

Aug 13, 2012 13:15:22 GMT -5 papie said:

4 and 40 lbs. We switched Anna at 4.5. We gave Sophia the convertiblae and got a Britax Frontier for Anna, which she used for a year with the harness and we then converted it to a booster. I love it.

That's the one I think we will go with when the time comes.

Thanks for the advice, I couldn't remember what the age/weight requirements were.

You ca definitely use that now. It is a real carseat, not just a booster, when used with the harness and latch.

[cleo29]

Aug 13, 2012 13:16:59 GMT -5 papie said:

5 pts harness does not = booster. You mean one that converts? If so, it is fine as long as you use the harness until she is 4 and 40 lbs.

(the 4 years old is not mandatory, but it has to do with their ability to sit properly. They are too younger before that, and end up with a seatbelt not properly positionned)

Sorry, yes I meant one that converts to a booster. Sorry, I am not explaining things well today. lol

I was thinking the Britax Frontier or something like it.

[ProfessorArtNerd]

Lucy got a graco nautilus around Christmas time bc her britax roundabout seat was getting too small with her winter coat on. She doesn't weigh enough for a belt-positioning booster, so we are still using the 5pt harness.

[cleo29]

I will be researching different seats, thanks everyone.

And you better believe me, she will be using the five point harness for a long time.

[emsumm]

Professor, I'm pretty sure you're supposed to eschew the winter coat in the car seat.

[ProfessorArtNerd]

Really? I thought that was for little babies- shes four.

[emsumm]

Aug 13, 2012 13:57:59 GMT -5 ProfessorArtNerd said:

Really? I thought that was for little babies- shes four.

Oh, hm. I'm not sure them I guess. I just assumed it was, like, forever
Emilie?

[Deleted]

I think they have to be four yrs old and 40 lbs.

[blueshirt2003]

We didn't do a booster seat (3pt harness system, car belt with the boost) until almost 6 1/2 years old.

[loveday]

Ditto everyone else. I just switched DS at the beginning of the month (he's 6 in a couple of weeks). He's in a Recaro Vivo and it fits great.

[Deleted]

Just a rec for you if you're interested--the Diono Radian (we have the r120) has a five point harness that goes up to 80 pounds. The back is also relatively tall so we are going to be using it for a really long time. I love it.