# When does a child outgrow the booster?



## Ruthla (Jun 2, 2004)

DS, who just turned 8, is still in his HBB. Today, when the car wasn't in motion, he sat down in the regular carseat next to his booster and buckled himself in. It looks like he just might fit properly in the car now, but I told him I wanted to double check with you guys, and he needs to keep using his booster in the meantime.

I know there's a checklist somewhere of "how to see if your child fits safely in the vehicle seat belts"- does anybody have that link handy?

Also, is there a safety benefit to using the booster even if he does fit properly in the car seats? Is there ever a reason to use the booster without the back, or should he graduate straight from HBB to vehicle seatbelt?


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## bandgeek (Sep 12, 2006)

Does the child sit all the way back against the auto seat?
Do the child's knees bend comfortably at the edge of the auto seat?
Does the belt cross the shoulder between the neck and arm?
Is the lap belt as low as possible, touching the thighs?
Can the child stay seated like this for the whole trip?

Lots of techs add that their feet should rest against the floor (if they dangle they are more likely to slouch).

The most common thing overlooked (IMO) is making sure the lap belt lays low enough. Some parents think it's ok when it's really not.

I think if they fit better in the booster than without, then they should stay in the booster. And yes, a low back is a nice compromise when the child is too tall for the back, but doesn't yet fit properly without the booster.

If you aren't sure, post a pic if you can and we'll let you know, but most 8 year olds don't pass the 5 step test (the law minimums are too low IMO).


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## chickabiddy (Jan 30, 2004)

There is some benefit to a child staying in a booster even if s/he doesn't need it (as long as it still fits properly and all that) -- mature hip bones (which have to do with age and not size) do a much better job of holding the lap belt down in place. Boosters can act as as artificial hips for younger/larger children.

If the child's shoulders are above the shoulder belt guide on a highbacked booster, that booster has been outgrown by height. It is never "safer" to use a backless booster over a properly fitting highbacked booster, but a backless booster is a perfectly appropriate choice for an older child, especially one who has outgrown the highbacked portion.


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## Ruthla (Jun 2, 2004)

He's in the Graco Turbo Booster- I've recently had to adjust the backrest taller, and there's still room for me to raise it higher if needed.

He was able to sit back and his knees were comfortably


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## Ruthla (Jun 2, 2004)

Does the child sit all the way back against the auto seat? Yes
Do the child's knees bend comfortably at the edge of the auto seat? Yes
Does the belt cross the shoulder between the neck and arm? In the middle seat yes, in the way back, not yet.
Is the lap belt as low as possible, touching the thighs? I didn't check yet.
Can the child stay seated like this for the whole trip? Yes

Lots of techs add that their feet should rest against the floor (if they dangle they are more likely to slouch). Nope, definitely not yet.

The most common thing overlooked (IMO) is making sure the lap belt lays low enough. Some parents think it's ok when it's really not. This is one of those things I couldn't remember to check for.
I think if they fit better in the booster than without, then they should stay in the booster. And yes, a low back is a nice compromise when the child is too tall for the back, but doesn't yet fit properly without the booster.

If you aren't sure, post a pic if you can and we'll let you know, but most 8 year olds don't pass the 5 step test (the law minimums are too low IMO). If I could figure out how to post pics online, I would have shared some photos of my daughters' crocheting creations.









Quote:


Originally Posted by *chickabiddy* 
There is some benefit to a child staying in a booster even if s/he doesn't need it (as long as it still fits properly and all that) -- mature hip bones (which have to do with age and not size) do a much better job of holding the lap belt down in place. Boosters can act as as artificial hips for younger/larger children.

If the child's shoulders are above the shoulder belt guide on a highbacked booster, that booster has been outgrown by height. It is never "safer" to use a backless booster over a properly fitting highbacked booster, but a backless booster is a perfectly appropriate choice for an older child, especially one who has outgrown the highbacked portion.

In the Graco Turbo Booster he's got, the height of the back is adjustable. I've recently raised the back height, and there's still some more room left to raise it further.


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## Maedze (Dec 16, 2008)

I hate to be the Booster Grinch, but if you still have a height adjustment left on the Turbobooster, it's pretty likely he isn't big enough to pass the 5-step test.

Often times parents think it's been passed when it actually hasn't.


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## chickabiddy (Jan 30, 2004)

It is my experience that a child who has not outgrown a Turbobooster by height will not pass the 5-step test except in very rare cases (like the tiny back seat of an extended-cab truck).

ETA: sigh, that's what I get for taking a pee break.


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## Ruthla (Jun 2, 2004)

We've come to the conclusion that DS is "_almost_ ready to graduate from the booster, but not quite yet." Maybe by the time he's 9.


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## Ruthla (Jun 2, 2004)

I'm bumping up my old thead because DS is bigger now, and he's once again asking about getting out of the booster seat.

*Does the child sit all the way back against the auto seat?* Yes
*Do the child's knees bend comfortably at the edge of the auto seat?* Yes
*Does the belt cross the shoulder between the neck and arm?* Yes
*Is the lap belt as low as possible, touching the thighs?* It touches his thighs, but it also touches his belly.
*Can the child stay seated like this for the whole trip?* Yes
*Lots of techs add that their feet should rest against the floor (if they dangle they are more likely to slouch).* Yes, they do now

*The most common thing overlooked (IMO) is making sure the lap belt lays low enough. Some parents think it's ok when it's really not.*

How low is low enough? How can I tell?


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## DahliaRW (Apr 16, 2005)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Ruthla* 
*The most common thing overlooked (IMO) is making sure the lap belt lays low enough. Some parents think it's ok when it's really not.*

How low is low enough? How can I tell?


Can you link to a picture?


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## Ruthla (Jun 2, 2004)

I still don't have a working camera.

Is there somewhere with photos of kids in seatbelts, showing both "right" and "wrong" fits?


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## LynnS6 (Mar 30, 2005)

Here's a good website that shows Poor Fit and Better fit for boosters and for regular seat belts. Scroll all the way down and there's a good picture of how it should fit over the hips.

http://www.iihs.org/research/topics/...s/default.html


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## Ruthla (Jun 2, 2004)

That video would have been a whole lot more instructive if I had working speakers on my computer (which were the examples of safe belt usage and which were examples of unsafe usage?) but the photos were certainly helpful. I'll double check tomorrow morning in daylight, but it looks like DS may be big enough to stop using his booster altogether.

I will check him in both the middle and the back seats of my minivan, as well as each of my parents' cars before letting him ride boosterless in either of those.

Oh, and what do I do with the booster seats if he's truly done with them? He switched to a booster in kindergarten and he's now in 4th grade, so these seats are 5 years old (3 seats, one in my car, one in my mom's, and one in my dad's.) Can they be safely given away or should they be destroyed?


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## an_aurora (Jun 2, 2006)

I'd keep them, since he might still need the booster in other cars even if he does pass the 5-step test in yours.


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## Ruthla (Jun 2, 2004)

What do I do with the boosters after he passes the 5 step test in my car, my parents' cars, our friends' cars, etc? I can't imagine he'll still need the booster by the time he's 10, not at the rate he's been growing.


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## Aliy (Jun 1, 2010)

I know our provincial law here is 9 years old or 4'9" or they have to be in a booster seat.

Nice to know more about the 5 point questionaire


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## Sharlla (Jul 14, 2005)

_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## Sharlla (Jul 14, 2005)

DS1 stopped sitting in one not too long ago and he's 11. he's technically not tall enough to be out of a booster but he fits in the seatbelt properly without one.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## Ruthla (Jun 2, 2004)

I double-checked his fit in the booster, and realized he'd gotten too tall to fit in the booster properly. Then I tried to raise the booster back, and realized I'd been mistaken; it already was on the highest setting. And he seems to fit properly in the vehicle seatbelts.

So he's done with the booster seat. What do I do with the booster seats now? They're not safe to give away, since they're 5 years old, right? Should I throw them out? Keep the backless booster as a spare?


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## Marissamom (Dec 17, 2009)

huh, I don't meet the 5 step test if I sit in the front seat of my car. maybe I should be looking into backless boosters for me.


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## LynnS6 (Mar 30, 2005)

We are going to throw ours away. Right now they're waiting for dump day in our neighborhood. It kills me to throw about 2 nice (but 6 and 9 year old) Britax car seats, plus 2 boosters. (Dd is still in a booster, but I got a new one for her, since ds' didn't fit her anyway.)


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