DD will be 4 in early April and should be at the weight requirement by then or shortly after. Right now she is in a harness to booster convertible seat but we are probably going to need to move DS to that seat before too long because he is quickly approaching his current convertible's weight limit. What are the benefits/advantages to a high-back booster versus a no-back booster?
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I believe the high back boosters are safer for the most part.. according to this article, it may depend on your car, etc. http://www.consumerreports.org/cro/news/2013/01/high-back-boosters-are-the-safest-type/index.htm But the main purpose is to be able to position the belt properly. If a backless booster can do that sufficiently in your car, it would also be safe. We have a combination harness to booster for my 5 yr old. But I also have a Bubble Bum (backless) that I got for a recent trip. It's not a great example of a backless booster, but it did the trick and positioned the belt pretty well. But not as well as my Britax booster. The main advantage is the portability, I think? Also, some high backs provide more head protection.
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Is she mature enough to sit in the seat with just the seat belt for a long time? Like no slouching?
If not, she's not ready for the belt and should be harnessed.
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@looch: yes, she can do that just fine.
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@looch: Agreed. I think the age I generally read that boosters become a safe option is 5 or 6.
@purrpletulips: Check out Car Seats for the Littles on FB. If you post there some techs should be able to help you out. Include your LO's age, shirt size, height, weight, as well as the make/model of your vehicle and they'll make suggestions.
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4 seem really young for a backless booster - They are super cheap though if you want to buy one and see how your DD does. I cant imagine she would sit still and straight though in one - too much wiggle room. I think my 5 yr old will be in the frontier until he is like 7!
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@Mamaof2: I too was thinking that she is a little young for a backless booster but I need some reinforcement for when I approach the subject with DH who complains whenever I bring up changing seats because he strongly feels "we were just fine without them when we grew up"
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@purrpletulips: well, to that I reply, just because we survived doesn't mean we were safe! Technology has come a long way since we were kids and we know a lot more than we used to.
I would personally go with at least a high backed booster, if you're adamant about using the belt.
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@purrpletulips: Its hard to say - I have looked at a few studies and yes a high back booster is SAFER than a LB booster BUT a LB is better than nothing at all.
High back boosters often provide more side impact protection than backless and help ensure that the shoulder belt stays properly positioned.
I think that is the key - will the shoulder belt fit properly on a 4 yr old w/o using a positioner that is available on the HBB?
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@purrpletulips: why not just buy a new seat for your DS and leave DD in her current seat?
My 5 yr old is in a frontier (harnessed) and when DD's Marathon expires next year she will be 4 and instead of moving her to DS's Frontier I plan to buy her a new Frontier for her to use.
The Frontier has a 9 yr expiration date so DS will be using that as a harnessed booster and a HBB until he eventually moves to a LBB.
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@looch: that is pretty much my response whenever he gives me any of his "but we didn't" responses.
@mamaof2: in looking at prices, we will likely just buy another two of the harness to booster we currently have since they are only like $5 more than a HBB (which was my booster preference)
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