# How old was your child when you put them in a booster



## goodcents (Dec 19, 2002)

How old, how tall and how much did they weigh?

I am considering it for my almost six year old.


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## Peony (Nov 27, 2003)

DD1 started using a booster as a infrequent spare seat a few months after turning 5. We use a Parkway because she is so thin, 38 lbs, it's something that I would not be comfortable with for anything longer then short trips due to her weight. She turns 6 right after the first of year, and she still weighs the same so she'll remain harnessed for the vast majority of the time.


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## alysmommy2004 (Jun 23, 2006)

Mine will be 5 in February and she is still harnessed. Once she's five I'll be okay with occasional use (emergency, vacation, etc.), but I've told her that when she's six she can ride in one full time. I don't want to let her yet because she's only 37lbs.


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## thepeach80 (Mar 16, 2004)

AJ uses a booster when there is no other option, but he's 5.5yo, 45# and 44" and still harnessed and will be for at least another year. When Ilana can go ffing, we'll see then.


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## traceface (Feb 17, 2003)

My son will be 6 in a few weeks and weighs 50# -- he just started using a booster seat part of the time about 2 months ago.

He still is harnessed in his Radian 80% of the time, but when I drive another little girl in our carpool (who is a year younger and weighs less) she gets the Radian and my son is in a high-back booster.

And honestly, though he is more than big/tall enough, he moves around a lot when he is in the booster with just the seatbelt. I'm not sure he has the maturity to sit up straight and lean back *all* the time, which one has to do to be safe in a booster.

Keep your child harnessed as long as possible, seriously. I


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## veganf (Dec 12, 2005)

4. They're both tall for their age but only slightly above average weight .


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## alegna (Jan 14, 2003)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *traceface* 
And honestly, though he is more than big/tall enough, he moves around a lot when he is in the booster with just the seatbelt. I'm not sure he has the maturity to sit up straight and lean back *all* the time, which one has to do to be safe in a booster.

The suggestion I've heard for that is to lock the belt- pull it out all the way then let it back in as if you're installing a carseat. Then they'll be locked in position as if it was a tightened harness.

-Angela


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## an_aurora (Jun 2, 2006)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *alegna* 
The suggestion I've heard for that is to lock the belt- pull it out all the way then let it back in as if you're installing a carseat. Then they'll be locked in position as if it was a tightened harness.

-Angela

Really, you shouldn't lock the belt, because if you need to lock the belt they shouldn't be in a booster anyway


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## LizaBear (Feb 1, 2003)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *alegna* 
The suggestion I've heard for that is to lock the belt- pull it out all the way then let it back in as if you're installing a carseat. Then they'll be locked in position as if it was a tightened harness.

-Angela

Only works if you have belts that lock, not all do.

Back to the original question though.

I let my son start riding in a booster occasionally recently - at 6yrs old, 48-ish lbs and 49" tall. Most of the time though, he is harnessed in his Radian.


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## TEAK's Mom (Apr 25, 2003)

My dd1 is 6.5 and is moving into a booster this week. She is 50 inches tall and weights 56 pounds.


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## Cinder (Feb 4, 2003)

Janelle is 6, 35lbs, 45", and won't be in a booster for a long long time...I think the law here is 40lbs, which I assume she will be around 7 1/2 before she weighs...but even then, she'll probably fit into her boulevard till it expires (when she is about 10...) if she stays on her non existent growth curve.

Kincaid is 4 1/2 and 39lbs and 44", he will outgrow his boulevard before she does...he is shorter than her, but has a much longer torso, so when sitting side by side he looks taller. We plan on buying him a regent when that happens, probably within the next 6 months since he doesn't have very much further to go... I'd like to keep him out of a booster till at least 8 or 9...

Travis is smaller than Janelle, and I'd assume by the time he is her age there will be more stuff on the market, so he will be harnessed till he is 18 probably.







:


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## kundemama (Oct 17, 2005)

DS is 5 years and just over 40 lbs. He is still in a 5-pt harness and hope to keep him in it for at least another year.


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## Grace and Granola (Oct 15, 2005)

delete


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## DahliaRW (Apr 16, 2005)

My 4 yo has a turbobooster in dh's car. It came down to buyign him a booster and shuffling seats to keep ds2 rfing in dh's car, or turning ds2 around and keeping the same seats. I felt that the 4 yo in a booster was the better option. And he does sit fine in it and it's occassional use type of thing. In my car he's still harnessed in a nautilus, and I think will last that way until 6 years or so. At which point I won't have a problem using a booster as his primary seat.


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## hottmama (Dec 27, 2004)

My son started using a booster for carpooling at 5.5. He's 6 now, 46" 48 lbs. and harnessed in our car but uses a booster whenever he rides with anyone else. He'll be in the harness until at least 7 in my car, but I feel pretty comfortable with the booster now.


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## BathrobeGoddess (Nov 19, 2001)

My dd who is now 14 started riding in a booster at age 6 when there were not any other options form children 40lbs and over. She did fine but she did sit in the booster until she was 11...

My ds is 42 lbs almost 5 and he will be harnessed for the rest of his life







...he is a mover and shaker in th car...thank goodness he is small!


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## sarahmae1 (Nov 11, 2002)

My oldest started using a booster at age 4.5yrs. when he hit 40lbs. (At that time I think the only seat that harnessed past 40lbs. was the Regent which we couldn't/can't afford.)

My second will most likely start using a booster at age 5.5-6yrs. depending upon his growth. He's big and tall for his age, and right now at almost 5yrs. he rides harnessed in an Apex65.


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## jillmamma (Apr 11, 2005)

DS started using it occasionally in DH's car at age 4.5 (Graco Turbobooster, high-backed). At almost 6, he outgrew his Marathon, so started using the booster full time (we just move it between cars now). He was about 41" at 4.5 and is 44.5" now at 6.

DD is 3.5, and still RF in her Britax Decathlon. I don't think she will be 40 lb till she is at LEAST 6. She is 26 lb now and 35". So for her, I won't have her in a booster even occasionally till she hits at least 40 lb, and grows a lot taller.


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## mistymama (Oct 12, 2004)

We started using one at 4.5 when he outgrew his MA by height. He was around 45" and 49 pounds.


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## jenniferlynne (Jun 17, 2006)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *alegna* 
The suggestion I've heard for that is to lock the belt- pull it out all the way then let it back in as if you're installing a carseat. Then they'll be locked in position as if it was a tightened harness.

-Angela

Now that's a good idea. My DS is nearly five and is still harnessed (and should be for a while since he's in a Regent) but I'll keep that in mind for when he outgrows the harness in his second seat (Nautilus).


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## LynnS6 (Mar 30, 2005)

Our long-torsoed son outgrew his Britax Roundabout when he was 3, so we moved him to a harnessed booster (Graco Cargo - I'd probably get a different one now that I know more, I hate that seat). He wore the harness until he was about 5 1/2 and outgrew the harness. Then he used it has a belt-positioning booster.

He still uses that as a belt-positioning booster in our station wagon. He's 7 1/2 and is just about to outgrow that as a booster too (he's got an incredubly long torso), and I'm not sure what we're going to do. He's only 60 lbs., and is 54" tall.

In dh's car, dd has finally outgrown the Roundabout, and so now she's using the Cargo as a harnessed seat (she's 4 1/2) and ds is using a backless booster. I'm hoping to keep dd in a harness until she's 6.


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## KayleeZoo (Apr 8, 2003)

DD was 8.5, 45lbs


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## 4Marmalade (May 4, 2004)

Ds1 was 5-1/2 and about 55lbs. Dd1 will be 4 in a few months but will be harnessed for a long time yet as she's only 35lb.


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## Katie Bugs Mama (Feb 1, 2004)

We put DD in a high back booster when she was 5 years, 9 months. She was around 45 pounds and tall for her weight and age. She could have stayed in her marathon for a while longer, especially since she's now 8 and has only just reached 50 pounds; however, she certainly would have outgrown the marathon for height by now.

We mostly switched her for social reasons. She was starting kindergarten, and we wanted her to be able to hop out of the car like her peers. We also judged that she was big enough and mature enough to not deliberately undermine the safety features of the high-back booster by unbuckling herself or twisting herself around.


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## Eman'smom (Mar 19, 2002)

Ds is nearly 8 and still in a 5pt harness (Regent), he's about to outgrow it.


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## cutekid (Aug 5, 2004)

My DS is 4.5 and will stay in a harness until he has outgrown both of his harness seats (Nautilus and Radian), when that happens then we'll move him to a booster.
Denise


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## Porcelain Interior (Feb 8, 2008)

5.5 years old, but she'd outgrown her height for the seat. I don't recall her exact height and weight though at that time.

She's always been totally spot on average for height though.


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## sweetcheeks (May 21, 2005)

We put DS1 in a booster at the end of this past December when we got our Sienna. He's approx. 48inches tall and 48lbs. He was in a Radian but those are almost impossible to install in a Sienna w/the seatbelt so we decided to put him in his booster. We had planned to move him into his booster when he turned 6 (end of March) so that got bumped up by 3 months. Before we made the switch, we had a talk about how important it was to sit up straight and still and to never, ever unbuckle the seatbelt unless the van was parked and we said it was OK to unbuckle. We haven't had any problems.


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## velochic (May 13, 2002)

Dd was 6. She was 45" and 45lbs at the time. Her Marathon expired shortly after she turned 6, she was also right at the limits for the top slots anyway, and as she is an only child, we weren't going to buy a new 5-pt. harness.


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## CortLong (Jun 4, 2003)

DD was 5.5 when she went into a Britax Pkwy booster. My next oldest is 4 right now and I'm not sure when we'll move her into a booster. We'll see what happens (growth patterns, maturity, etc)


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## roxyrox (Sep 11, 2006)

Just before he was 4yo. He was about 36lb and his booster (britax parkway?) is from 33lb.


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## KayleeZoo (Apr 8, 2003)

Quote:

Just before he was 4yo. He was about 36lb and his booster (britax parkway?) is from 33lb.
Just an FYI- the owner's manual of the Parkway states that the booster can be used for children between 38"-60", but that children under 40lbs are better protected in a harnessed seat. Britax does not specifiy a minimum weight for this particular seat.


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## Ironica (Sep 11, 2005)

DS1 (4.5) will be harnessed until he outgrows the top slots on his Frontier, and he's still on the second-from-top ones now, so probably age 6+.


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## roxyrox (Sep 11, 2006)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *KayleeZoo* 
Just an FYI- the owner's manual of the Parkway states that the booster can be used for children between 38"-60", but that children under 40lbs are better protected in a harnessed seat. Britax does not specifiy a minimum weight for this particular seat.

I am in the UK so it's probably a bit different. It definitely specifies from 15kg (33lb) Ds is quite tall too.

ETA - maybe it's not a parkway we have. I can't find our exact one online but it looks nearly exactly like this one only it's all black.
http://www.britax.co.uk/index.php?op...id=9&Itemid=31


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## KayleeZoo (Apr 8, 2003)

Quote:

I am in the UK so it's probably a bit different. It definitely specifies from 15kg (33lb) Ds is quite tall too.
Oh, you're one of the lucky ones to get the "good" Britax seats, LOL!! Yep, that's not a PW. I love the non-US Britax seats!!


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## roxyrox (Sep 11, 2006)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *KayleeZoo* 
Oh, you're one of the lucky ones to get the "good" Britax seats, LOL!! Yep, that's not a PW. I love the non-US Britax seats!!










And I love the US seats. I think they allow you to RF a lot longer there too, not sure why!


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## lajn (Jun 10, 2007)

My two older kids were about 4.5 years, and just under 40 pounds, but had outgrown their harnessed seats by height.

Youngest (28 months) is in a Radian, so we shouldn't have that problem with him. Once he meets the age and weight minimum, though, I think I'd be fine with him in a booster. ERF is more important to me than extended harnessing.


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## urchin_grey (Sep 26, 2006)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Cinder* 
Janelle is 6, 35lbs, 45", and won't be in a booster for a long long time...I think the law here is 40lbs, which I assume she will be around 7 1/2 before she weighs...but even then, she'll probably fit into her boulevard till it expires (when she is about 10...) if she stays on her non existent growth curve.

Sounds like my DS. He will probably be about that weight when he's that age. At this rate, he won't be in a booster until he's damn near ready for his license.


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## KayleeZoo (Apr 8, 2003)

Quote:

Sounds like my DS. He will probably be about that weight when he's that age. At this rate, he won't be in a booster until he's damn near ready for his license
Yep! My 6yo is 33lbs and DH said we'll have to figure out a way for her to take her car seat to college







At this rate, she'll be harnessed till then. I wouldn't dream of putting her in a booster now *shudder*


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## urchin_grey (Sep 26, 2006)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *KayleeZoo* 
Yep! My 6yo is 33lbs and DH said we'll have to figure out a way for her to take her car seat to college







At this rate, she'll be harnessed till then. I wouldn't dream of putting her in a booster now *shudder*









My DS is almost 4 and only 22.5 pounds. He's still RF'ing and I couldn't imagine even FF'ing him any time soon even though most of the kids his age we know are already in boosters!


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## maylea_moon (Mar 4, 2005)

4 years and a couple months. 42 lbs.


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