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My son is in a harnessed booster at almost 8 years of age because the car that we have makes it impossible to use a belted booster. My husband didn't believe me and he was sweating in the car trying to make it work, but he finally gave up and we are still harnessing...it's actually easier for him to buckle using the harness.

My son is complaining, but he sees that he can't buckle the belt in that kind of seat, so he is dealing with it. I am extremely conservative when it comes to car seats, and I feel like there needs to be a weight consideration. My son just hit 60 pounds now, so I would be okay with a belted booster if we could make it work in our car.

DD stayed in her convertible seat until she was ready for a seatbelt booster

I'm in the exact same boat as you. Same age, same considerations. We rented a seat belt booster when we were on vacation this year (long story) and he did great. I'm not necessarily in a huge rush to make the change but I do believe he's mature enough to handle it. He can buckle and unbuckle the harness just fine and I'm wondering if the seat belt might be harder since his seat is actually pretty wide so it might be awkward to reach the seat belt part. I figured I would test it out soon as I can always go back if need be.

My 5 year old is still harnessed (and will be for a while as she’s small, pretty immature, and not a rule follower). But I will say many many of her friends have already switched to seat belt booster. I know HB tends to be on the much more conservative side for car seat stuff- in a good way, but I was definitely one of very few who kept my kids rear facing after two.

Anyway, what I was going to say is I realized that I can turn around in my drivers seat and unbuckle my daughters harness with one hand- I don’t loosen the straps, just release the buckles. Then she can climb out through the passenger side if we are parked on the street or something. Would that help, at least for drop offs?

I’m keeping my 6.5yo in a 5-point harness booster until she reaches the maximum height and weight limits.

We switched DS at 4.5. Crazy car seat lady says at least 4 years old and 40 pounds and 40 inches, and mature enough to sit correctly. DS hit all of those criteria. He’s very good about sitting correctly and buckling himself. And it’s awedome not having to buckle him. Also, from what I read the belt positioner is just as safe as the harnessed seat as long as they meet the requirements and sit correctly.

@Foodnerd81: this is what we do with DD1 (5.5 and tall and 50+ lbs) with 3 across. she can buckle and unbuckle all the way and we turn around and just tighten and loosen.