# When did your children not need their booster seats anymore?



## SAHDS (Mar 28, 2008)

So, I'm wondering when you all took your kids out of their boosters.

Right now, DD doesn't need to be in one by law, but I do NOT feel comfortable with her in just a seat belt - she's 9 but only 48 lbs. and 4'3". DS is almost 8 and won't have to ride in one by law soon, but he is only 42 lbs. and 3'10". So, I'm leaving them in their seats, but at this rate, they'll be in them until they're teenagers, has anyone else done this?


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## kewb (May 13, 2005)

The law where I am is 8 years/80 lbs. I was more concerned with them passing the test which mine were able to do before 8. They both knew they were not coming out of the booster if they did not pass the test at 8.

With your child buckled into a seat belt only, without a car seat or booster seat, answer the following questions:
1) Does your child sit all the way back against the auto seat? Specifically, is the entire length of his or her back against the seat?
2) With the child sitting so that his or her back is against the back of the seat, do the child's knees bend comfortably at the edge of the auto seat?
3) Does the shoulder belt cross your child's shoulder between the neck and arm? If higher, your child could suffer muscle or nerve damage to the neck during an accident.
4) Is the lap belt as low as possible, touching the thighs? If the lap belt is crossing your child at the abdomen, there is a higher risk for injury to the internal organs during an accident. Physicians even refer to these types of abdominal injuries as "Seat Belt Syndrome."
5) Can your child stay seated like this for the whole trip?

If you answered "no" to any of these questions, your child should continue to use a booster seat.


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## AnnieA (Nov 26, 2007)

The AAP and the NHTSA recommend that children are 4'9" before they are moved from a booster seat. My DSD 9 is only 4'7.5" so she is still in a booster although technically the law in my state is 8 yrs old. She and DSS 7 will stay in boosters until they are 4'9" regardless of how old they are.


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## mamato3cherubs (Nov 30, 2004)

The law in my state changed to 6yo when my oldest was 5.5yo. I think it was a few months after he turned 6 that we took him out of it, I had no room for two car seats in that car and had an infant at the time. I dont remember his size.

Here now the law is 8yo, 60lbs., and 4'9" tall. at this size a child should be just fine.

Your is small still, if you are not comfortable without it, then go with your gut. I would personally judge according to how the seat belt itself fits on her in the seat. if it sits where it is supposed to be and she hates the booster, then I would go without. thats my personal opinion only though, you have to do what you feel is best


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## SAHDS (Mar 28, 2008)

I wasn't 4'9" until I was 14, would you put your 14 y/o in a booster seat?

Thanks, *kewb*, for the guidelines.

Also, as it is, my children don't mind the boosters at all, but most (if not all) of their friends aren't in them so I know it may become an issue in the next few years.

Another question - has anyone gone past 12 y/o? If so, how was it received by the child (and their peers).


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## angela&avery (May 30, 2002)

yes our laws here are 8 and 80lb...

im just fine with that, my ds is soooo scrawny and he is 7 and only 53 lb. Im pretty sure he will be nearing 10 before he is heavy enough.

my dd is almost 5 and about 43 lb (maybe more now?.. its been a while) and I think she will hit 80 before she is 8..

While boosters are a super pain, I want my kids to be safe... so Im kind of glad that the law says it so it doesnt have to be mean ole mom!!!


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## H & J's Mom (Jun 1, 2008)

Our law is age 9, 4' 9", or 100 lbs. We didn't go by age at all.

She was almost 10 when she got out .. that is when she hit 4' 9" and outgrew the seat.

DD is one of the biggest of her friends and she was in her seat the longest (some of her friends were never in them







) and it didn't seem to bother her at all.

I really don't see how they are a pain either ... our's just stayed in the car like a regular car seat.


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## bandgeek (Sep 12, 2006)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *SAHDS* 
I wasn't 4'9" until I was 14, would you put your 14 y/o in a booster seat?

Thanks, *kewb*, for the guidelines.

Also, as it is, my children don't mind the boosters at all, but most (if not all) of their friends aren't in them so I know it may become an issue in the next few years.

Another question - has anyone gone past 12 y/o? If so, how was it received by the child (and their peers).

If they did not pass the 5 step test, yes. I started driving sitting on a pillow. If someone had told me I could go out and buy a comfy booster, I would have been all for it. I got tired of readjusting the pillow everytime they sunk into the crack of the seat! And that blue couch pillow with the ruffles was *hideous*. And yes, my friends teased me for it. They would have teased me about a booster too. But you can't drive if you can't see over the dash!

At that age, I would just have them in a no-back booster though. Getting in and out of the car, no one would even see it unless they were looking for it.


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## aaronsmom (Jan 22, 2007)

This is interesting to me because although my children are still very young, I'm only 4ft 9 in and when I'm not pregnant I'm only 97 lbs. I've always had problems with the seatbelt irritating my neck my neck and the lap belt always touches my abdomen and not my thighs. Is this something _I_ should worry about?


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## hottmama (Dec 27, 2004)

If I was 4'9" and the seatbelt didn't fit me right, I'd use a booster.

My kids are still in harnessed seats-- my 5.5 yr. old is 3'10" and about 50 lbs. We use a booster for carpooling. I suspect he'll need a booster until 9ish, but I'd keep him in one until 12 if necessary. Eventually, I'd turn the choice over to him (at 12 or 13).


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## Patchfire (Dec 11, 2001)

Right now, my dd has stated she's not going to even 'try' to sit in a backless booster (much less sit without a booster at all!) until she's 11.







She is probably the only person she knows who still rides in a booster seat, with the exception of her cousin, who is a year older. Her cousin complains about it, but I think it does help both of them to know the other is still in a booster.

Dd is 8 but only 4'2" and 46 lbs. I anticipate she'll be in a booster until at least 12-14, depending on when puberty hits. Her booster is good to 100 lbs, so I'm not attached to taking her out at 80 lbs, and she understands, at least at this point, why she is still in it, even if practically no one else is.


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## Jilian (Jun 16, 2003)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *aaronsmom* 
This is interesting to me because although my children are still very young, I'm only 4ft 9 in and when I'm not pregnant I'm only 97 lbs. I've always had problems with the seatbelt irritating my neck my neck and the lap belt always touches my abdomen and not my thighs. Is this something _I_ should worry about?

I would think so, it sounds like you are at risk for a seatbelt related injury if you are in an accident. I barely pass the test too and I'm 5'3" and 115 lbs. The seatbelt is right on my stomach and closer to my neck even on the lowest setting. I'm considering getting something to sit on. Some cars do have seats that raise and lower so that would be an option if you have that. My car doesn't and my seatbelt is on the lowest setting already


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## thepeach80 (Mar 16, 2004)

My kids will be in boosters at this point (good, high backed boosters) till they no longer fit in the booster. It offers more side impact protection than no booster and almost always a better fit. I know when I ride in the back of my van I have to sit as close to the buckle as possible and sit nice and straight to keep the belt off my neck. I'm 5'3", but have a longer torso than legs, as do my kids. It's going to be a while before any of them can sit w/ their legs bent at the edge and feet on the floor!







I can't even do that in the 08? Town and Country I rode in a few mos ago, the backseat was ridiculous!

The oldest child I 'know' (on one of my carseat boards) is 15 I think that still uses a booster. It may also make a difference about the vehicle the child is in, some will pass the 5 (6) step test in some, but not in others. As it is now, my 5.5yo is 45# and 43" and still harnessed and my 3.5yo and almost 2yo are still rfing. They'll be in whatever seats I want them to be in for as long as they need to be. My oldest is very safety conscious and would rather be safe than dead, he understands that at 5.


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## Ruthla (Jun 2, 2004)

I moved DD1 out of her booster at age 7; not because she'd outgrown it but because I couldn't fit 3 carseats in the back of a Honda Civic after DS outgrew his infant-only seat and needed a convertible.

DD2 stopped using her booster around age 8 or 9 when she fit properly into the seatbelts of the Honda Civic. Had I had my Chevy Venture back then, she probably would have stayed in the booster until her hips got too wide for it (which happened before she was too tall for it.) There was no way I was putting her back into a booster seat at age 10 when she'd been out of one for several years.

DS is tall and skinny and still using his high-backed booster at age 6.75. When he gets older, I may switch to using it as a backless booster before I stop using it completely.

ETA: is that 49 inches or 4 feet, 9 inches? My 12yo is under 4'9" but she's got this puberty thing going on and her hips will NOT fit into her brother's booster seat!


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## mamazee (Jan 5, 2003)

What if your child gets tall early? Will a booster seat work beyond 4'9" if they are too young but still that tall?


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## SAHDS (Mar 28, 2008)

Thanks so much for all the replies! It's so nice to know that I'm not the only nut who will have their teens in boosters, LOL. My LO's also understand about safety, have never questioned coming out of their booster and would be too scared to ride w/o one. We are very safety conscious around here









I think maybe I should go take that 5-step test. I'm 5'3" (almost), but have really long legs so my torso might not fit right. I only hit 100 lbs. when I got pregnant with DD. Maybe I should look into a booster for myself. That way, I could keep them in there until they graduate...


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## thepeach80 (Mar 16, 2004)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *mamazee* 
What if your child gets tall early? Will a booster seat work beyond 4'9" if they are too young but still that tall?

Absolutely, see my post above. In cars w/out headrests, a high backed booster is a necessity to have head support. The new Monterey is a GREAT booster, is rated to 120# and is adjustable for height and width.


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## Malva (Nov 2, 2005)

My 8yo dd, technically ok without a booster according to the provincial laws here, prefers to use a booster anyway. She's very tall but somehow, she gets carsick when she's not using it.


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## mamazee (Jan 5, 2003)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *thepeach80* 
Absolutely, see my post above. In cars w/out headrests, a high backed booster is a necessity to have head support. The new Monterey is a GREAT booster, is rated to 120# and is adjustable for height and width.

Thanks! I have no doubt my daughter will be 4'9" before she's 8. She must already be 4'4" or 4'5" or so, and shes' only 6. I won't feel comfortable with her in just a regular seat for a long time. Though our car does have headrests. What I worry about is the seatbelt smooshing her. Her booster seat has armrests and the seatbelt goes under that. That must be intentional? To keep her stomach from getting smooshed? I assumed that's what they were for. Though I suppose when she's 4'9" maybe her hips will be at the right place to take the pressure. I don't know what all the booster is for. I know part is so their legs go comfortably over the end of it so they don't slouch, but it seems like there's probably more to it than just that.


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## thepeach80 (Mar 16, 2004)

The armrests are to keep the belt on the hips and off the abdomen. This happens naturally when a child develops the iliac crest in the pelvic region, but this does until then.


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## PassionateWriter (Feb 27, 2008)

no, not until teenagers. but my 10.5 is in a LB booster (Ollie Clek) that he loves.


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## lovin'leo (Feb 8, 2006)

Going by the 5 step thing, I should be in a booster. I fail number 3 without even having to go check. I'm forever pulling the strap away from my neck. I'm 5'.


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## Ironica (Sep 11, 2005)

Until we got our current car, I *wished* I had a booster. In our Accord, the front seat belts adjust vertically, and teh driver's seat can be raised as well; I raise the back of it to the max and then lower the front a bit so I can reach the pedals without being tooooo close to the steering wheel. (I also recline the back of the seat some to increase my distance from the airbag.)

But in the back seat, the belt is just a bit too close to my throat for comfort. :-/ And I'm 5'3"!


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## ReadingMama (Mar 13, 2007)

My son is 8 and 70 pounds and 4'3". He's not tall enough to be without a booster because the seat belt rides across his neck without one. We don't use a high back booster though--we have a booster seat with arm rests. My son's same age peers don't seem to be in boosters anymore, but I'm safety obsessed, so we'll use them until he's 4'9". That's what the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends.


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