What age/size did you switch to a backless booster? We currently have our 6 year old daughter in a 5 point harness booster seat. Should we switch to seatbelt with the back on or go ahead and go backless? She weighs 60 pounds and she’s tall for her age. Thanks in advance!
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It’s generally helpful for kids to start with a booster with a back - it helps them remember to sit up straight and provides a bit more support.
What seat is she currently in? Are the straps still above her shoulders? I only ask because you mentioned she is tall for her age.
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I follow @safeintheseat on IG and it’s more about the child’s maturity rather than weight/height/age unless she has reached the limits of the seat. She has to be able to sit in the seat without moving around, reaching for things, falling asleep etc because she wouldn’t be safe with the seatbelt. That said, I purchased the Unbuckle Me tool and I pass it back to my 5 yo when we get somewhere and he is able to unbuckle himself from his harnessed booster and open the car door totally independently and it’s awesomeeeee. So if you’re looking to make the harnessed booster a little easier for yourself, I’d highly recommend that tool!
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My daughter has been in a backed booster since she was 5 and a half, because she didn't fit the convertible seat we had and I didn't want to buy another 5-point seat when we'd switch to a seatbelt anyway. She was mature enough to handle it but not tall enough to sit without the back. She's 7.5 now and we still have her in the backed booster, and I periodically check her height so that the seatbelt isn't cutting into her neck. Once she's tall enough I'll switch her into the backless but there's no rush for us.
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@Mrs. Carrot: Dig you ever pull the seat belt strap to lock it so that your girl couldn't wiggle around in the seat? I'm considering doing the same thing you did and skipping the 5-point booster.
@peaches1038: Thanks for the ig recommendation! And I love the unbuckle me tool. I bought it for my mom after seeing it on shark tank!
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@agold: You don't want to lock the belt if a child is using a booster. A locked belt limits torso rotation, which is important in how the body reacts to crash forces. If a child needs the security of a locked belt, they need to be in a harnessed seat.
But a "5 point booster," also called a combinations seat, is not always needed. Many kids can go straight from a forward facing convertible to a booster. Just depends on age, size, and maturity.
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I just switched my DD, who will be 8 in March, from a 5 point harness to a high back booster about a month ago. I’m planning on keeping her in it with the back for at least another year. She actually likes the back and feels safer with it, she is very concerned that her cousin of the same age uses a backless booster and she doesn’t want him to not be safe
she’s smaller for her age though, 46 inches tall and 49lbs.
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I think your car matters a lot too - how they fit in it. My husband’s sedan has a very supportive back seat and everything fit right and encouraged sitting straight even without the back so we never used the high back. My car is the opposite, belt geometry is not great and I don’t see how they could ever sit in the back row without the high back to position the belt ... I guess the positioner strap on a standard booster would work too but seems more of a hassle!
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@bhbee: this is true as well. Some belts are not compatible with backless boosters (or even adults). And the belt positioning strap is not always a fix for that issue. So in those cases the choice would be made for you.
Also, when using a backless booster a child needs head support to the tops of their ears. Not all seating positions have that available.
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@catgirl: thanks for mentioning that, I think the belt geometry will force the issue on buying a new car in a couple years. Why do they get away with making seat belts that can’t even fit an adult properly??
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@bhbee: It's honestly ridiculous that it is allowed. Hopefully you can shuffle kids around to make the car work for awhile. But at some point since you have three, I'm sure it won't be possible to move them around.
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@agold: I haven't (I actually don't know how to). Wiggliness was a real concern for us because my daughter definitely is wiggly, so we held off as long as we could. We then had a conversation with her about how important it is for her to sit back and safely and that it's a big kid responsibility, which she does seem to take seriously. And in total transparency, for longer drives, we have her watch cartoons on her iPad that we strap into a holder on the back of the passenger seat so that she's sitting and facing forward rather than reaching for toys, etc. Overall it hasn't been an issue.
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We have a backless booster for my 7.5 year old that we bought this last summer—but right now we only use it in rare occasions when we put our 3rd row up for other people to ride with us. She’s been in it twice.
We actually still have her in her Diono Radian (convertible car seat). She hasn’t outgrown it, so we haven’t had a need to switch her. She’s average height and weight—about 45 lbs now.
she’s smaller for her age though, 46 inches tall and 49lbs.
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