When did your kid(s) get out of their booster?

[SewingMom2many]

My 8 1/2 year son old is still in a high back booster.  He's a big kid and possibly doesn't need to be in there any longer. In the van, the middle captains chairs are too big for him to sit without a small gap behind the small of his back but the seat belt sits in the right places. In the back of the van on the bench seat he fits fine.  I've been such a fanatic about keeping kids in proper seats, riding backwards for an extended time, etc. that it's hard to think he might actually be safe in a regular belt and regular seat. I've read all the advice at carseatlady.com and other car seat sites and I know the laws but I'm just curious when you all let your kids ride in regular seats.  

 

This all came to light when my 22 year old moved back into state and I realized my son is just a couple inches shorter than she is. Plus people have commented that he looks way too big to be in the booster.  I won't be pressured into not using the booster just because of their comments but I will at least look to see if really he is too big.  

 

 

 

[Carrie12345]

We had/have the same situation with the 3rd row being okay but not the middle capatain's chairs.

My daughters are very different sizes, so one sat in the back without a booster at 7, the other at 8.  My current 7yo is still in a 5-pt booster.  He's very skinny, but he's beginning to get quite tall.  If we switch up seating arrangements, he could probably sit in the back without one next year.  If I keep him in the middle row, maybe not.

I've never based it on age. These are just the ages it has worked out to be for us.

[Matryoshka]

The way to tell when they're ready is the 5-pt test.  It's not by weight.  Height guideline is 4'9" minimum height, but it's actually thigh bone and torso length that's more important than overall height., 1. Legs bend naturally at edge of seat when 2. sitting all the way back (not slouching), 3. lap belt is over the hip bones and doesn't ride up on the belly, 4. able to sit still in the correct position for the whole ride (again, no slouching), and 5. shoulder belt over the shoulder, not the neck.  It's entirely possible to be ready to be out in the 3rd row but not the captain's chairs, or one car vs. another.

 

My shortie wasn't out till I think 12?  She's still only 5'1" at 16.  Her sisters (including her fraternal twin) were both out years earlier.

[LisaKinVA]

I have Sunshine Kids Radian seats (2).  My middle two children outgrew it by weight and height around 9 1/2.  My 8yo is still in hers (she's tall, but a fly-weight...she weighs under 50#), and my 5yo is in hers (of course).  I keep them in it until it's safer not to.  I expect Blondie will be about 9 or 10, Boo (because she is so much smaller than her siblings) will be in hers until she's probably 11 or 12.  When Boo is ready to move from the 5 pt.harness to a shoulder belt, we will need a newer vehicle because my back row doesn't have a middle head rest or a full seat-belt.  

[SKL]

If he's happy in the booster, I don't think it hurts, but if he's ready (in his mind) to switch out, I'd do it.

 

My kids will be out of the booster as soon as my tallest turns 8, unless they want to sit in it longer.  I have an older car with a backseat designed for smaller people / kids.  My eldest is short, so I will just keep her in the seat until the youngest turns 8.

 

I'm counting the days when I don't have to worry about booster seats when they ride in other cars ...  :P

[Mom-ninja.]

I have small kids. My 13 yr old and 10 yr old just stopped a few months ago sitting in a high back. Now the 10 yr old is in a seat only booster and 13 yr old sits in regular seat. I'm not happy about it cause technically he could still fit in a booster. However, on that note so do I. 

[Dmmetler]

9 is the legal age in my state. DD still uses her high back, and doesn't want to give it up-it has built in reading lights :). She's about 4'6" with long legs, and would be Ok in some cars, but not in the 2nd row of our minivan.

 

My SIL has similarly sized kids, and let her oldest stop using her booster this fall-she couldn't see making the kid take it with her for the middle school carpool. However, she also has her oldest in the third row of the van, where the seat belt is lower.

[Lolly]

My kids are older. The youngest was 7 when one of the first 9 yo to leave the booster was passed into law. My eldest was in a booster until about 10; the twins until 8. I think I took them out about the same time. By current laws, only one of the twins would be required to still be in a booster until 9. My ds outgrew his booster at about 6 or 7. I took him out of it at that time. Back then, boosters weight limits were not as high as they are today. So, they put this law into being and there were very few boosters available to handle the kids who weighed more than about 60 lb. Lots of kids under 4'9" who weigh more than that! So, my 7 yo ended up in a booster that I finally found that had him at the very upper edge of the weight limit. After a month or so, he started bringing the seat along with him (stuck to his rear) when he exited the car... I put the seat in the truck and kept it to demonstrate the problem to any officers who might happen to pull me over and question his age. I figured no one was going to not know he wasn't 9, but he was obviously too large for the seat. Anyway, that is what made my decision. I would keep your ds in a booster until he turns 9, unless he is taking the seat with him when he tries to leave the car...

[Desert Strawberry]

My big kids are tall. Sagg was 9 and Aries is 8, still in a backless booster. His shoulder was hitting the head rest, so we took it off. 

It depends on the kid and their proportions. The older two are long through the torso, so the belts fit earlier than they would have if they were more proportionate. 

[Freckles]

My kids are really tall. They were both out of boosters by seven.

[MiMi 4under3]

My kids were all forward facing at 9 months and out of their boosters at 4-5 years old.

 

I know, Bad Mommy!!  :crying:

[BigMamaBird]

Our kids are out of boosters when they are 8 in accordance with our State law. 

[alisoncooks]

Our kids are out of boosters when they are 8 in accordance with our State law.

Same here.

My 8 year old is out.

[zoobie]

When they passed the test Matryoshka stated earlier. I believe they were both mid-8 and are >95% for height. (The others are still RF babes.) They were out of them in one vehicle before the other, but now I can't remember which was first.

[Matryoshka]

Our kids are out of boosters when they are 8 in accordance with our State law. 

 

I read a great article about boosters that said you should not worry about what State Law says.  You should worry about the Laws of Physics, because that's what's going to matter if you get in a crash and your kid isn't properly restrained.  Age (and for that matter weight) has absolutely no bearing on when a kid's ready to get out of a booster.  Five Point Test - that's what you use.  It's different for every kid.

 

[StaceyinLA]

I read a great article about boosters that said you should not worry about what State Law says. You should worry about the Laws of Physics, because that's what's going to matter if you get in a crash and your kid isn't properly restrained. Age (and for that matter weight) has absolutely no bearing on when a kid's ready to get out of a booster. Five Point Test - that's what you use. It's different for every kid.

 

Thanks for the link. I just took a screen shot for my dds. All my grandbabies are still too small for boosters (in fact, the 3yo is still rear facing), but this will be great info as they get older. Both dds have the Radian seats, so the kids will be able to ff in those for a while.

[Momling]

I know many people on this board have strong feelings on the topic of car seats, but I would bet there are more than a few of us who find it easier to just skip this thread than trying to justify why our elementary and middle school aged kids aren't in booster seats.

 

You might watch this one: https://www.ted.com/talks/steven_levitt_on_child_carseats

[LucyStoner]

My very tall, long legged son passed the 5pt test when he was 9. He was in a backless booster from about age 7 until he no longer needed it.

[Paige]

My children are thin and short, so I won't talk about age. My DS is the only one out of a booster and we let him out when he was 4'9. At that point, it was obvious that his booster was becoming too small. His ears were nearing the top of the seat at the highest height. I think that's the main clue that kids are too big for boosters- they are literally too big. If your child's ears are still well below the edge of the booster seat, he's probably not too big. We only used high back ones because DS found the others uncomfortable. Prior to him hitting 4'9 or within an inch or so of it, we did let him ride without a booster here or there and it was obvious that he didn't pass the 5pt test. With a booster with no back, maybe you could see if their heads rest against the seat's headrest correctly. 

 

My DDs want to get out of the booster but they are only about 4'1. They have a different body type than DS so may get out of the booster before 4'9, but I feel that 4'9 is a good guideline. Once kids are within an inch or 2 of that, they may be able to pass the 5pt test. 

[Ali in OR]

My middle dd grew earlier--she was probably out sometime between 9 and 10. Youngest was in it longer--maybe age 10. She'll still use a backless booster in dh's miata and she's about 5'0"! But she is relatively short-torsoed. She just feels better in a booster in that car.

[SKL]

4'9 or age 8 is the law in my state, but I think the 4'9 assumes the kids are going to sit in adult-sized seats.  My kids will pass the 5-point test in my car long before they are 4'9.

 

I would also note that a backless booster might be worse than no booster if it makes the child's head go much over the top of the car's back seat / headrest.

 

I would further note that a seat belt strap adjuster seems to be a happy medium if the main concern is the position of the shoulder strap.

[LucyStoner]

Most newish cars have adjustable headrests. Our car is 10 years old and has them. My son would have had to be a veritable giant to have his head over the top of the head rest while in a booster. My husband's head isn't over the top of the highest setting and he is tall. We are all taller than average.

[Hypatia.]

My older 3 kids (6, 8, and just turned 10) are still in boosters.  My 10 year old DS1 tried the 5 point test that Matryoshka linked a couple months ago and is not ready yet, at least not in the captain's chair in the van.  (Possibly in the 3rd row, but he doesn't sit back there.)  He's in a backless booster and the girls are both in high-backed boosters.  On short trips in DH's car my 8 year old DD1 will ride in the extra backless booster.  Luckily none of them feel any pressure (from friends, etc., because all their friends are still in harnessed seats or boosters also) to move out of their seats.  Just this morning DS1 was explaining to the other kids in the car that DS3 (19 months, rear-facing) was the safest in the car.

 

I read a great article about boosters that said you should not worry about what State Law says.  You should worry about the Laws of Physics, because that's what's going to matter if you get in a crash and your kid isn't properly restrained.  Age (and for that matter weight) has absolutely no bearing on when a kid's ready to get out of a booster.  Five Point Test - that's what you use.  It's different for every kid.
 

 

I think I love you.   :D

[NotSoObvious]

Just before their 11th birthday, when they could fit in the seat properly. We tried about once a month for several months before. At first it would look like they were big enough, but once we started moving and they shifted around, I could tell they weren't quite there. That shoulder belt can't be on their neck.

[Ravin]

My understanding of whether to use a high back or not is based upon the type of seat. A captain's chair with a high back doesn't need it, but it gives extra head impact protection on a bench seat without an appropriate height headrest.

 

My daughter is in a backless booster. She's 4' 8" and 73lbs, and almost 11yo. It looks like she's going to hit the height before the weight limit or age 12. Just an inch to go!

 

Eta: generally I don't worry about it for short trips in other people's cars. I just remind her to make sure the belt isn't riding up on her neck (the point still problematic for her).

[Luanne]

My daughter was 10.  She still was only 4'6" and weighed only 65 pounds though.  There weren't the same laws in Colorado then for car seats as there are now.  She's 25... will be 26 next month.

[LucyStoner]

I know many people on this board have strong feelings on the topic of car seats, but I would bet there are more than a few of us who find it easier to just skip this thread than trying to justify why our elementary and middle school aged kids aren't in booster seats.

 

You might watch this one: https://www.ted.com/talks/steven_levitt_on_child_carseats

I have found his general idea interesting and been aware of it even before his book was really popular but even him and his partner acknowledge that their data conflicts with some other research and even other data sets. The CDC reports that a booster vs. a regular seat belt (not unrestrained) for kids 4-8 offers a 45% reduction in serious injury.

 

The main thing that I think people miss is that his ultimate reccomendation is to design vehicle seats that accommodate children and protect them better than seatbelt a designed for adult sized passengers. But somehow that gets lost by people who just want to use it to say car seats are unnecessary.

 

Also he's in the business of provocative ideas that get attention for a fairly unsexy academic discipline. This is the same book that advances the notion that abortion is the singularly most significant reason for the drop in crime rates in the late 1980s, 1990s and now. They interept the data in such a way to totally disregard policy and policing changes.

[kristi26]

ODS was out at 8 years old.  He's a big kid and was over the 80 pound requirement then too.  MDS was also 8.  He was close to the weight, but not quite there. DD is 8.5 and only barely 40 pounds.  She is short and tiny.  She is nowhere near the right size to get out of her booster.  She was measured earlier this week and has about 9 inches to go yet. YDS is still in his five-point harness at 5 years old. He will stay in it until he doesn't fit and then move to a booster, where he will stay until he can fit safely in a regular seat. :)

[SKL]

Most newish cars have adjustable headrests. Our car is 10 years old and has them. My son would have had to be a veritable giant to have his head over the top of the head rest while in a booster. My husband's head isn't over the top of the highest setting and he is tall. We are all taller than average.

 

My kids are 7 and not tall, and their heads are too high for our back seat head rests when they are in (non-high-back) boosters.  I'm sure it varies greatly from car to car.

[Ivey]

My older boys have always been big for their age (the teens are 6'2"-6'4"), and none were still in a booster seat at age 8 1/2. My teens stopped using booster seats when they were 6 or 7, then a new law came in so the younger boys were stuck in theirs until Ds11 hit 4'9" (at age 7.5) and Ds9 turned 8. 

 

Ds5 is tiny and will probably be in his booster until he's 9 or 10. 

 

I've seen it recommended that kids stay in their booster seat until they outgrow the manufacturer's height/weight restrictions, but that seems excessive to me. Ds9's old booster seat holds kids up to 5'3" and 120lbs, but I haven't seen many grown women riding in boosters lately. 

[happypamama]

Minimum of eight, per our state law, but only if they could meet the five point test. I think DD could easily, but DS1 did in some vehicles for a while but not in others.

[mom2jjka]

It all depends on seatbelt fit (which could be different for any child depending on the vehicle and the size of the child.)

The 5 point test that others linked to above is a good rule of thumb.

 

My kids are small.  My son rode in a booster until 13.  My 11 and 9 year olds are still in boosters with no sign of getting out of them anytime soon.

I'd rather have them look silly and be safe vs. the opposite.    (Google crash test videos for kids w/o boosters if you want a sobering wake-up call)

 

 

[Shellydon]

Age 10 in the third row and 11 in the middle row.  The 5 point test is what we use.  I put them in low back boosters at age 7 as long as there is a head rest behind them.

 

My kids are tall.  My 11 yo is 5'5" and the 10 yo is 5"1.

[umsami]

My 10 year old left his when he exceeded the weight limit of 100 pounds.

 

DS2 will be 9 in a few weeks.  Still in a booster, but a low-back.  He's 70 pounds.  70th percentile for height.  When he's 4'9", he can come out.

 

DD is 7.  She weighs 45 pounds, but is tall.  She will outgrow her booster in height long before weight at this rate.  Still, I want her 4'9".

 

I think our state law is pretty lax.  Like car seats only for kids under 3 or something like that.  Doesn't mean it's the right thing to do.

[skimomma]

It varies by vehicle.  It just happened that both of our cars were not good fits for dd (did not pass the 5-point test) so she was in a booster until age 10.  She could (and did) go in other cars (that fit her better than our own) without a booster before that age, but in our own, she had to sit in one....and she was not happy about it.  Now she can go without in any car we have encountered but I do still have a booster on hand just in case and I am not afraid to use it.  Dh and I both have engineering backgrounds and know a little too much about crash physics.  I really do not care what the law says or what "everyone else" does.  All occupants of any car I am involved in are always properly secured before the vehicle moves.   

 

 

[SABE]

We wait until the kids can pass the previously linked 5 step test. For my 2 oldest kids, that happened somewhere around their 10th birthdays. Kid #3 isn't nearly as tall for his age as his brothers are, so I suspect that he'll be in a low back booster for a while longer.

[Excelsior! Academy]

When they are legally allowed.  Dh's sister is only 4'10" and weighed 85# in high school.  If we followed current recommended guidelines she would've taken her driving test with a booster. 

[Laura Corin]

When they meet the requirements for safe seat belt use - with Hobbes that wasn't until age 13.  They don't sit in the front seat until age 15.

 

Meanwhile, they are roaming the countryside from age 10 or so, and taking public buses into town from age 12.  I look carefully at risks.

 

L

[Amy in NH]

My kids have been old enough to wear the seat belt properly without a booster when their feet touch flat on the floor while they are sitting properly on the seat (lower back against the seat back).  This usually happens around age 8ish.

[Mommyof4ks]

My dd was 5, but that was before the awareness campaign to keep them in carseats longer. My boys who are 9 and 10 are still in boosters, not high back ones though. They need that extra height to make the seatbelts fit well in our van.

[MomtoCandJ]

My older boys have always been big for their age (the teens are 6'2"-6'4"), and none were still in a booster seat at age 8 1/2. My teens stopped using booster seats when they were 6 or 7, then a new law came in so the younger boys were stuck in theirs until Ds11 hit 4'9" (at age 7.5) and Ds9 turned 8.

 

Ds5 is tiny and will probably be in his booster until he's 9 or 10.

 

I've seen it recommended that kids stay in their booster seat until they outgrow the manufacturer's height/weight restrictions, but that seems excessive to me. Ds9's old booster seat holds kids up to 5'3" and 120lbs, but I haven't seen many grown women riding in boosters lately.

Well then I should be in a booster along with DMIL (though not sure on the weight part)

[Above The Rowan]

In Ontario it's 8 yrs old OR 80 lbs OR 4'9 - as a minimum.

 

My 8.5 yr old is out of his booster seat in my pickup truck and my partners Civic. But he uses a backless booster in my Moms Ford Fusion. The seatbelts and seats are different depending on which vehicle. We use the 5 pt rule as a general guideline.

 

Fwiw he's pushing 5' tall at not yet 9 yrs old. My kids are tall.

[Butter]

10 and 11 for my older two.  My younger two are in high back boosters (8 and 6) and will be for a while.  I mostly have weirdly short kids when they are little.  My 8 year old lines up among the 6 year olds and my 6 year old is right behind the 4 year old at taekwondo (we line up by height).  I'm not sure if the older two had reached 4'9" or 80 pounds by the time they got out of their boosters, but they could fit the regular seatbelt properly at those ages.

[Paige]

I thought of this thread today. I rode to church today in the little extra seat in the middle row of our Honda Odyssey because we had a guest with us. That seat definitely did not fit me- the belt was across my neck and part of my face and I'm 5'2! I made my DH ride in it on the way back and it fit him correctly. I told my DS that if he needed to ride in that seat sometime, he'd need a booster. He's 13 but shorter than me. The regular back seats in both rows fit both of us fine, but that middle seat made it clear to me that it's about fit and not height or weight. It's kind of concerning, in a way, because that seat is not really appropriate for adults and is not a good spot to install a car seat either. 

[SKL]

 

I thought of this thread today. I rode to church today in the little extra seat in the middle row of our Honda Odyssey because we had a guest with us. That seat definitely did not fit me- the belt was across my neck and part of my face and I'm 5'2! I made my DH ride in it on the way back and it fit him correctly. I told my DS that if he needed to ride in that seat sometime, he'd need a booster. He's 13 but shorter than me. The regular back seats in both rows fit both of us fine, but that middle seat made it clear to me that it's about fit and not height or weight. It's kind of concerning, in a way, because that seat is not really appropriate for adults and is not a good spot to install a car seat either. 

 

 

This is where I'd try a seat belt (shoulder belt) adjuster.

 

This is also an example where it is probably safer to not have a shoulder belt at all. But that ship already sailed ....

[ScoutTN]

Mine are nowhere near passing the 5-pt. test, so they are still in Britax Frontiers in my van and Britax Regents (harness seat, not a booster) in DH's car and my mom's.

 

We have Graco high backed boosters for the occasional ride with someone else, since our Frontiers are big and heavy and our Regents likewise and strapped into the car.

[Shellydon]

Well then I should be in a booster along with DMIL (though not sure on the weight part)N

Not really.  You see this statement a lot and it isn't true.  Adults have hardened skeletons whereas children's are still soft and more fragile.  A 35 year old short woman has a much sturdier pelvis that can better withstand crash forces than similar sized 10 year old child. 

[Momling]

Not really. You see this statement a lot and it isn't true. Adults have hardened skeletons whereas children's are still soft and more fragile. A 35 year old short woman has a much sturdier pelvis that can better withstand crash forces than similar sized 10 year old child.

That seems pretty unlikely considering the rate of fractures is much higher in older than younger populations. http://i.imgur.com/NesBqA6.png I understand the older you get, the less flexible your bones are. Brittle bones break more readily and older people take longer to heal than younger.

 

As for the original question, I'm not sure about boosters, but I would assume every person of any age would indeed be safer in appropriate sized rear-facing car seats with five-point harnesses.. Just as we would probably be safer wearing helmets and bullet-proof vests and face masks and carrying defibrillators in our daily lives. I assume that we don't do these things because we've considered the risk and the likelihood and the safety gear available to reduce the risk and weighed the inconvenience and comfort and cost and social acceptability and made the decision that it would be pretty weird to, for instance, ride in rear-facing car seats as an adult.