Ttma booster seats

[dizzycooks]

My kids are tiny. My oldest is 5 1/2, 42" and weighs 37lbs dropping wet; the middle one is 3 1/2, 32lb and 38". Both bigs are harnessed and ffing. My youngest is 19mo, 30" and 18 1/2lb, she is still rfing and will be for a long time.
When did you switch to a belt positioning booster and when did you switch to just a booster seat? What needs a tether strap and what doesn't?
We are looking at cars and there are 4/5 seat positions with tethers, but that requires three across the middle row and I'd like to spread them out a bit. Being they are so little I haven't really considered how long I'll need tethers and latches and all that. We just need them 😂.

[nicolewi]

Well, here's what we do.

My 8.5 year old is in a regular backless booster that just sits on the seat. No tether or anything. This is the first summer I let her go for a long ride in just the booster, and really, it's probably still not great b/c she slumps over if sleeping. Previously she was in a Frontier.

My 6.5 year old usually uses just a regular backless booster now around town, but for long trips I still put him in a Britax Frontier so he can be harnessed for sleeping/slumping. The Frontier is still tethered on the back of the seat on which it sits. I just started using the regular booster a lot with him last...winter? I think?

My 4.5 year old (about 40.5 inches and about 37 pounds) is still in a Frontier all the time. Again, tethers in back.

My 2.5 year old is in a convertible seat (Britax Boulevard) that tethers.

The Frontiers install easily with a regular lap belt (they are made to be easier to do with the belt vs. Latch).

I think the weight limit for the regular booster is generally 45 pounds. That seems to be about kindergarten age for a lot of people but you are supposed to still use a harnessed seat for long trips if they can't be counted on to stay upright without a harness. What kid does stay totally upright if sleeping in the car?

[dizzycooks]

Aug 25, 2017 18:01:44 GMT -5 nicolewi said:

Well, here's what we do.

My 8.5 year old is in a regular backless booster that just sits on the seat. No tether or anything. This is the first summer I let her go for a long ride in just the booster, and really, it's probably still not great b/c she slumps over if sleeping. Previously she was in a Frontier.

My 6.5 year old usually uses just a regular backless booster now around town, but for long trips I still put him in a Britax Frontier so he can be harnessed for sleeping/slumping. The Frontier is still tethered on the back of the seat on which it sits. I just started using the regular booster a lot with him last...winter? I think?

My 4.5 year old (about 40.5 inches and about 37 pounds) is still in a Frontier all the time. Again, tethers in back.

My 2.5 year old is in a convertible seat (Britax Boulevard) that tethers.

The Frontiers install easily with a regular lap belt (they are made to be easier to do with the belt vs. Latch).

I think the weight limit for the regular booster is generally 45 pounds. That seems to be about kindergarten age for a lot of people but you are supposed to still use a harnessed seat for long trips if they can't be counted on to stay upright without a harness. What kid does stay totally upright if sleeping in the car?

What adult stays upright? Just saying.

Anyway, so there's a chance she could be in a high back booster next summer (6 1/2)? Does that need a tether? I'm assuming yes. I cannot imagine her in a backless booster, but the idea excites me. She's just so small.

[penguingrrl]

Most high back boosters do not require tethers. A frontier in booster mode might be an exception, but I'm not sure.

The recommendation for switching from harness to booster is 5+ and having outgrown their harnessed seat for either height or weight. Some states and provinces also have a 40 lb weight minimum to move out of the harness, but I'm not sure which ones.

Once a child is 5+ and at least 40 lbs there's actually no evidence that they're safer in a harness than a properly used booster. None of my kids have had trouble sitting correctly and staying in position in a booster, even while sleeping. Other people definitely have different experiences with that, though.

[expectantsteelerfan]

High back boosters that don't latch and just use the seatbelt don't need tethers, they sit on the seat and are secured by using the seatbelt, just like a backless booster.

My dd is almost 6, also right around 42 inches tall, and has been asking weekly for me to weigh her to see if she's 40 lbs to use a booster. She's around 38-39 lbs, so I decided that at this point, if I need someone to drive her occasionally that doesn't have a car seat in the car for her (like my mom or my bff), she can ride in a high back booster (she is also a rule follower). We will keep her in a ff harnessed seat in my car through this school year and likely change it to a booster next summer or at the start of next school year.

My ds is 8 and still in a high back booster and will continue to be in that until he outgrows it by height (he's about 49 inches and still has room in the ones we have). The booster he has in my car is latched and tethered, but the ones he rides in in all other cars just sit on the seat and use the seatbelt (like the Graco Turbobooster).
I *think* the only difference is that if they are not latched/tethered, you are supposed to buckle the seatbelt around the booster when it is NOT in use by a child to keep it from being a projectile in the case of crash (but I can tell you for sure dh has a booster in his car with no seatbelt buckled around it 90% of the time).

[mamaalysson]

My now 7-year-old switched to a high back booster in DH's car and when going home with friends sometime in kindergarten, but stayed harnessed in my car until last summer. She was six, and hit the weight for boostering in her seat (Britax Pioneer). Her seat is anchored and tethered because it can be, but boosters don't have to be.

As far as making the switch in your car, you can find backless boosters with shoulder belt positioners, and as long as she has head coverage from the vehicle seat, and you're not worried about her being slouchy or squirmy, she might be fine to make the switch to one of those as soon as you are comfortable with it.

[L From The D]

My 6.5 just crossed 40 pounds this summer. She's riding in a latched Britax Frontier with 5-point harness in my car. When school starts, I'll move her to a backless booster and seatbelt.

[NandaB]

My 6 yr old has been in a booster since about 5.5 when his little sister's chest clip broke and she needed his straps. His can be high back or backless. He prefers thw back for longer trips because its more comfortable for him to sleep. He has always slept sitting straight up, so luckily that wasnt a concern for us.

[auroraloo]

We haven't used latch for a long time, just seatbelts. C is over the FF weight limit for latch.

C will get a booster this year, just for daycare. If school closes early, she will be picking him up so we're getting her a booster since he will rarely be in it. It's a 1.5 mile ride, so he's unlikely to fall asleep.