# When did you switch to a booster from a carseat?



## JuniperMama (Sep 1, 2004)

DS is 3 1/2. He's average in weight and height. He is currently in a Britax Marathon. Those suckers are just huge plus they're heavy and hard to take in and out when needed.

I was kind of thinking of switching to a booster seat. I found two different styles today but I don't know anything about booster seats. Technically he'd qualify for either of these but what would you do?

Booster 1 - just a lift with no back, uses regular seatbelt.
Booster 2 - high back, "wings" for side impact, uses regular seatbelt.


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## sbgrace (Sep 22, 2004)

The minimum to move to booster is 4 years and 40 pounds. But there is plenty of reason to stay in a harness far beyond that.

My boys are four. They'll be harnessed as long as possible. 5 point harness is safer for little bodies. Actually, it's safer for anyone (hence race car drivers harnessed) but not practical for cars for adults. I did read that I think Ford motor company plans to come out with a four point harness system for their vehicles (adults) by maybe 2010. Anyway, if you look around you'll find he's much safer in a seat not booster.

How about a Graco Nautilist? He can stay harnessed, it turns into a booster eventually, and it's easier to get in and out than a marathon I imagine. And cheaper. Why do you need to get it in and out so much? Maybe a second seat (like Nautilist) for wherever else you need a seat and the Marathon stays in the place he most rides. Maybe?


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## thismama (Mar 3, 2004)

I think your boy is too young. I just went through this with my 4 year old and opted to get a carseat that could keep her harnessed to 50 lbs. I watched a couple of crash test vids and they freaked me out - the seatbelt just isn't reliable with young children.


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## sbgrace (Sep 22, 2004)

http://www.car-seat.org/showthread.p...859#post370859

This gives the information better than I could.

I really had no clue until I started investigating as my son was growing out of his seat. But it makes sense. I hope you can figure out something that works for you!


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## octobermom (Aug 31, 2005)

I wouldn't untill at least 40lbs and 4 years. My DD is 5.5 and we still have her in a 5pt harness seat (radian) as our main seat. This past December we did get a graco turbobooster for DH car as we needed a second seat by then she was 40lbs and 5 years and its still not often. Ild personally keep him in the marathon as long as possible.


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## DaughterOfKali (Jul 15, 2007)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *sbgrace* 
http://www.car-seat.org/showthread.p...859#post370859










Fabulous link!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


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## veganf (Dec 12, 2005)

40 pounds and slightly shy of 4 years for us. They were already over the high limit for their previous seats (a Graco and a Britax).


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## lightheart (Jul 2, 2005)

my guys are still in 5 point harness car seats, they are ages 4 and 5, they will stay in them until they reach the weight limit of 80 lb or height 53 in, it will be a long time. We have the Regent from Britax.

I would reccomend that you keep your child in a 5 point harness as long as there is a seat available on the market that will meet height/weight for your son.

If you decide to go the booster route and I mean IF you just must go with a booster then be aware that they should be used with lap and shoulder belts, not just lap belts. Make sure the belt crosses at the chest not the neck and the thighs/hips not the stomach.

The main difference in the 2 you linked to is one is a high back and one is a backless. Use the backless model only if your car has headrests or seats where your child's ears do not extend past the top of the seat.

Again I would like to say 5 point harnes rocks!!!


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## OakBerry (May 24, 2005)

My ds is 5.5 and I just switched him over to a high back booster.
He is 38lbs, but quite tall. He just grew out of his 5pt car seat height wise.


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## Peony (Nov 27, 2003)

I read this recently and it really rang true to me. When you make the switch from a 5 point harness to a booster, you are moving the responsibility of them being restrained from you as the parent to the child being responsible. In a booster, they must sit still or else it is not effective. We just shelled out $$ for another 5 point harness because my 5y old DD1 is in no way mature enough for a booster.


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## hottmama (Dec 27, 2004)

I would not use a booster before 5, and my boys (big for their ages) will be harnessed until 7+.


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## JuniperMama (Sep 1, 2004)

Thanks so much for all the feedback. I knew I'd get great input!


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## User101 (Mar 3, 2002)

Moving to family safety, home of the carseat threads


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## velochic (May 13, 2002)

My dd just grew too tall for her Britax Marathon and she's just turned 6. She is far below the weight limit, but the seat was close to expiration, so I moved her to a booster. If we had any other kids, I would have gotten the Regent and continued to keep her harnessed until 8 years old.


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## odenata (Feb 1, 2005)

We will be doing a five point harness as long as possible as well. In our main car, we have a Britax Regent (harness up to 80 pounds), but these are both huge and expensive. If you are looking for something easier to take in and out, lighter, and still has a five point harness, the Safety First Apex would be a good choice - we have this in our second car. Harnesses up to 65 pounds, and is a booster from 65 to 100 pounds. It's $109 with free shipping - it's the best deal I've seen for a seat that has five point harness up to 65 pounds.


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## Eman'smom (Mar 19, 2002)

Ds will be 7 next month and still happily sitting in a Regent. He will be there for a while.

We did purchase a backup booster for dh's car about 1.5 years ago, but he is in that car about 40 minutes a week.

For me safety is the primary concern.


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## ayme371 (Jan 5, 2005)

I was wondering the same thing a few weeks ago and someone pointed me in the direction of this site, www.kyledavidmiller.org It made my decision real easy.

I just installed my regent today, had a bugger of a time but it harnesses to 80lbs.

He will be in a 5 pt harness for as long as humanly possible.


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## s_kristina (Aug 9, 2004)

We switched dd to a booster when the only seat out there that she could fit in was the Husky now Regent and it won't fit in our vehicle. I can't tell you how happy I am that there are other higher weight harnessing options out there now. Our 2 year old ds will soon be moving to a Nautilus and will thanks to that seat be able to be harnessed much longer then dd was.


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## alegna (Jan 14, 2003)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *hottmama* 
I would not use a booster before 5, and my boys (big for their ages) will be harnessed until 7+.









:

I would not personally consider a booster for my children before 7yrs unless there was no harnessed seat on the market that would hold them.

It's a HUGE drop in safety to move from a 5pt harness to a booster.

-Angela


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## s_kristina (Aug 9, 2004)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *alegna* 







:

I would not personally consider a booster for my children before 7yrs unless there was no harnessed seat on the market that would hold them.

It's a HUGE drop in safety to move from a 5pt harness to a booster.

-Angela

It must be nice to have tiny kids. My 6 year old hasn't fit in any 5 pt seat for a while now. I couldn't imagine having a child tiny enough to fit rf at 3 year old either. I'm happy to get mine to 2 years old rf.


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## alegna (Jan 14, 2003)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *s_kristina* 
It must be nice to have tiny kids. My 6 year old hasn't fit in any 5 pt seat for a while now. I couldn't imagine having a child tiny enough to fit rf at 3 year old either. I'm happy to get mine to 2 years old rf.









dd isn't tiny- just skinny. She would have outgrown most seats rf by HEIGHT around 2yrs.

-Angela


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## yamilee21 (Nov 1, 2004)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *s_kristina* 
It must be nice to have tiny kids. My 6 year old hasn't fit in any 5 pt seat for a while now. I couldn't imagine having a child tiny enough to fit rf at 3 year old either. I'm happy to get mine to 2 years old rf.









This is what I always think whenever I read any of these car seat threads, especially ones lauding the longevity of the Britax Regent, which my 2 1/2 year old now uses, and is already on the third strap slots. I will be very surprised if he makes it to 5 in the Regent.


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## bobandjess99 (Aug 1, 2005)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *s_kristina* 
It must be nice to have tiny kids. My 6 year old hasn't fit in any 5 pt seat for a while now. I couldn't imagine having a child tiny enough to fit rf at 3 year old either. I'm happy to get mine to 2 years old rf.

There are seats on the market that harness to 65/70 and 80 pounds, with harness heights of up to 18-19-20.5 inches. Obviously, I don't know your child, but I jst wanted to make sure you knew about these seats....Even as little as a year ago, most of these seats weren't on the market, but they are now. I can see a very large/tall or heavy 6 year old being larger than these seats, but that would be a rarity. I'm not trying to say your child isn't as big as you say, I believe you, but I did want to just be sure to mention these "high weight harnessing" seats for other that might be reading and thinking they have to put their 4 year old/40 pounder in a booster...There ARE options for *most* 4-7ish year olds to be harnessed...radian 65/80, regent, nautilus, como, signo, safeguard, and to a lesser extent, the Apex and Triumph Advance- all of these seats have height or weight limits that are higher than on most traditional 40 pound carseats. If you are like Kristina and me (sigh), and have ginormous kids, you might want to look into one of these seats.....with knowledge and planning, you can harness your child longer, with less cost, if you think ahead and buy strategically....(says the woman who bought all the WRONG carseats and is now buying her billionth carseat to keep dd harnessed a bit longer....again wth the *sigh*)


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## treqi (Dec 31, 2006)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *yamilee21* 







This is what I always think whenever I read any of these car seat threads, especially ones lauding the longevity of the Britax Regent, which my 2 1/2 year old now uses, and is already on the third strap slots. I will be very surprised if he makes it to 5 in the Regent.

your 2.5yo is on the 3rd harness height on the Regent







: How tall is he? that is one big kid! I hope dd won't be that big by 2.5 but seeing as I'm 6' and dh is 6'3" I'm still pretty worried


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## s_kristina (Aug 9, 2004)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *bobandjess99* 
Obviously, I don't know your child, but I jst wanted to make sure you knew about these seats....Even as little as a year ago, most of these seats weren't on the market, but they are now. I can see a very large/tall or heavy 6 year old being larger than these seats, but that would be a rarity.

My dd has been flying above the top of the growth charts since she was about age 2. Now at 6 her height is still off the top of the charts, but her weight is only around the 80% I think. My ds is only hanging around the 95% for both height and weight, but he very thankfully does not have the super long torso that dd has. We'll be getting a Nautilus for ds soon as he is still very tall for his age and outgrowing seats that most 2 year old would fit in. He is bigger then a number of the 4 year olds in pre-k at my dd's elementary. I think he is the same size as a few of the kindergarterners. Car seat safety is the only time I wish my kids were different then they are. It would be so much easier to keep them safe if they weren't so big.


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## yamilee21 (Nov 1, 2004)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *treqi* 
your 2.5yo is on the 3rd harness height on the Regent







: How tall is he? that is one big kid! I hope dd won't be that big by 2.5 but seeing as I'm 6' and dh is 6'3" I'm still pretty worried

I think he is above 40 inches, although I'm not sure since he won't let me measure him, but he has a _looong_ torso. Even when he was just born, we had him in a convertible seat and had to start on the second slots! We are in a parent-child swim class, in which most of the other children are 4 to 5 years old, and he's about the same size as the rest of them. The funny thing is that both my husband and I, all the grandparents and all of the great-grandparents were short or just average height.


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## hottmama (Dec 27, 2004)

The top 2 harness slots on the Regent will last a LOOOOONG time, even for a tall kid. Especially since around 3, their torsos slow down and their arms and legs grow all lanky and kid-like. I'd be very surprised if a 2.5 yr. old in the 3rd harness slots didn't make it to 5. My newly 5 yr. old is even with the 3rd harness slots (he's 45", but average proportions) and I expect him to make it until 7 or 8. Also, I assume when you say 3rd slots, his shoulders are in between the 2nd and 3rd slots, which means his torso is in between 14.4 and 16.75", and the top slots are at 19.1". 3-5" of torso growth is a TON for a 3+ yr. old. My 2 yr. old's torso is 14-14.5" which would mean he's almost on the third slots, too (I've never tried putting him in it because at only 31 lbs., he's still rear-facing, but I will next time I go to my car!)

Also, why in the heck does the Regent have 11.5" bottom slots? A child that small should still be rear-facing! 14.4 is stretching it, too. It seems like only the top two slots are appropriate for that seat.


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## yamilee21 (Nov 1, 2004)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *hottmama* 
The top 2 harness slots on the Regent will last a LOOOOONG time, even for a tall kid...

I'm not convinced about this. My then 4 1/2 year old godson used our Regent a few months ago, and only had about 1 inch left with the fourth (top) slot. He is relatively tall, but doesn't have a particularly long torso. I can't imagine him still fitting in the Regent in another year and a half. Actually,I can't think of any 6-8 year olds I know that could still fit in a Regent.


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## mama2mygirl (Dec 14, 2005)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *yamilee21* 
I think he is above 40 inches, although I'm not sure since he won't let me measure him, but he has a _looong_ torso. Even when he was just born, we had him in a convertible seat and had to start on the second slots! We are in a parent-child swim class, in which most of the other children are 4 to 5 years old, and he's about the same size as the rest of them. The funny thing is that both my husband and I, all the grandparents and all of the great-grandparents were short or just average height.

Wow! Your toddler is bigger than my five-year-old!!! My dd is actually tiny, though. Poor girl hates it. Twice this week people have asked, "Is she three yet?" She has a tooth that is loose and she's beyond excited --finally something she's doing at the same time her friends are or even a little early. In our case, I am tallish and my dh is average. The other moms with tiny girls always come up to my chest and I feel like a giantess.


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## mama2mygirl (Dec 14, 2005)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *yamilee21* 
I'm not convinced about this. My then 4 1/2 year old godson used our Regent a few months ago, and only had about 1 inch left with the fourth (top) slot. He is relatively tall, but doesn't have a particularly long torso. I can't imagine him still fitting in the Regent in another year and a half. Actually,I can't think of any 6-8 year olds I know that could still fit in a Regent.

My dd won't outgrow her Marathon--it's going to expire when she turns six.
Some kids are just little.


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## yamilee21 (Nov 1, 2004)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *mama2mygirl* 
My dd won't outgrow her Marathon--it's going to expire when she turns six.
Some kids are just little.

But, I don't know _your_ daughter; I did say that I was talking about the 6-8 year olds I know (in IRL), not the small children that are always mentioned about on these kinds of threads, who certainly exist, but aren't a part of my reality.


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## purplepaisleymama (Jan 31, 2007)

I can say that with our experience with the Britax Husky has been incredible, it has worked for all of my children forever.... I have thin and tall kids and it has lasted to 8.5 yo for both my ds and dd. The Husky is the older version of the Regent and it is incredible the size range it serves. I have 5 kids in seats, the older two are in belt positioning boosters ( actually the 8.5 yo dd is getting hers this weekend) and the almost 5yo is in a Britax Marathon, until this weekend when he moves up to the Husky, and the almost 7yo is in a Husky. The 2.5yo is in a Britax Roundabout. The truck we drive allows me to use about any seat imaginable, though we will be using our Durango soon and that is a bit tighter for space.
I have found that I feel much safer with my kids in harnesses longer, as a pp mentioned that when you switch a child to a booster you have to trust that they will ALWAYS keep in the proper position throughout the entire ride. My 10yo is a wonderful child and he will do whatever I ask, I still have to remind him to sit properly almost every time we ride in the car, he will lean over a tiny bit to get a book or to talk to his little brother and I will remind him that if we were to get into an accident when he wasn't in the proper position, he could be very injured.
I feel that it is very important to keep a child in a harness as long as possible, I wish that there was a harnessed seat that would work for my older two.
Laura


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## hottmama (Dec 27, 2004)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *yamilee21* 
I'm not convinced about this. My then 4 1/2 year old godson used our Regent a few months ago, and only had about 1 inch left with the fourth (top) slot. He is relatively tall, but doesn't have a particularly long torso. I can't imagine him still fitting in the Regent in another year and a half. Actually,I can't think of any 6-8 year olds I know that could still fit in a Regent.

My kids are NOT small kids. My oldest just turned 5, and he's 45", 45 lbs., and above average for both height and weight. He doesn't have a short torso (lucky for him! I can't say the same for myself). He'll fit into his Husky until 6.5 at the very least, probably 7, 7.5. All of his friends are normal sized 6-8 yr. olds and I think every one of them would fit in his seat-- other kids we know have ridden in it before (if I have to drive them around). I'm only a teeny bit too tall for it, and I'm 5'7"!

I'd like to see the torso measurements on these kids, measured sitting up against the wall from the floor to the low part of their shoulder where the harness goes. I'd be SHOCKED to find a 5 yr. old with a torso over 19".


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## s_kristina (Aug 9, 2004)

I would be very surprised if the majority of the kids in kindergarten at dd's school didn't fit in a Regent. However I think you also have to take in to account that the Regent will not fit in all vehicles and seating situations. I cried after trying unsucessfully to get the Husky to fit in our truck when dd was 2.5 years old. Thankfully there are a lot more choices out there now that will fit in more vehicles. Hopefully the companies keep working on the larger harnessed seats that fit in more vehicles and situations. I don't know of any kids that outgrow seats by weight before height so I'm far more concerned about having high harness slots then what the weight might be on them.


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## Eman'smom (Mar 19, 2002)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *yamilee21* 
But, I don't know _your_ daughter; I did say that I was talking about the 6-8 year olds I know (in IRL), not the small children that are always mentioned about on these kinds of threads, who certainly exist, but aren't a part of my reality.










Ds will be 7 next month I just measured him, he is 47.5 inches tall and on strap 3 in the Regent. He will fit for a looooong time.


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## MommytoTwo (Jun 20, 2004)

My son is 5.5 We put him in a high back booster at age 5. I cant recall what he weighed at that time, but right now he is about 50 pounds and 98th percentile for height. He is a big kid. I got the Graco turbo booster bc I just didnt see that much difference between that and the Britax booster.

My daughter is 3.5 and is still in her 5 pt harness Britax.


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## keriberry (May 27, 2007)

Well, we haven't tried a booster yet and dd is 7.5yo. She is perfectly even with the 2nd from the bottom slots on the Regent. Yeah, she's all legs. But, the Regent is a seriously LARGE seat. I can't imagine a K class where none of the kids would fit. They're gonna have one heck of a football team!

The height limit for the Regent is 53". That is the AVERAGE height of a 9.5yo girl and 9yo boy. That doesn't take into account torso height, so some may outgrow sooner and some later, but the vast majority of 5yo's will fit in this seat. I don't think that there is a single 1st grader in dd's class that WOULDN'T fit.










You can see some 10-11yo's in the Regent HERE. There are a few peanuts, but plenty of nice, solid older kids.

I just don't want anyone to discount the Regent and think that it is outgrown early.


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## LizaBear (Feb 1, 2003)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *JuniperMama* 
... what would you do?

At 3½, I would not even begin to consider the use of a booster.

Heck - my oldest is 5½ now, and booster use is not on our radar yet - he's staying in a 5-point harness as long as we can keep him in one. Hoping to get at least another year, if not two, out of the seat he's in (Radian Premier - weight limit of 65 lbs).


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## JuniperMama (Sep 1, 2004)

I hear ya, mama -







: he stays in that 5-point harness until he's totally unable to be in one! Got it.









DS is in a Britax Marathon. We bought it summer 2004. How do I know the expiration date? Is there some kind of formula?


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## DahliaRW (Apr 16, 2005)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *JuniperMama* 
I hear ya, mama -







: he stays in that 5-point harness until he's totally unable to be in one! Got it.









DS is in a Britax Marathon. We bought it summer 2004. How do I know the expiration date? Is there some kind of formula?

Look at the date of manufacture (should be on a sticker on the carseat somewhere). The seat expires 6 years after that. So sometime in 2009 or 2010 for you. (Most seats have a 6 year life span. The radian is the only one I know of that has an 8 year one).


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## seawind (Sep 28, 2007)

Getting more confused by the minute! I see some boosters with a 5 point harness, is this booster safe to use for a toddler? Are all boosters forward facing only? What do experienced moms recommend for toddlers in terms of which seat is safest and best? Thank you!


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## ThreeBeans (Dec 2, 2006)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *seawind* 
Getting more confused by the minute! I see some boosters with a 5 point harness, is this booster safe to use for a toddler? Are all boosters forward facing only? What do experienced moms recommend for toddlers in terms of which seat is safest and best? Thank you!

We need a little more information.









How old is your child, how tall, and how much does he weigh?


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## ryansmom02 (Jan 8, 2003)

My son is 6 and sits in a regent with a TON of growth.. I am just needing to move his straps to the top.. He has a 16.5in torso I think.. is 59lbs and 46in tall..
He is autistic and will be harnessed until I cant harness him no more..


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## seawind (Sep 28, 2007)

Oops! My toddler is one year old, 32in, 24 pounds.


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## alegna (Jan 14, 2003)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *seawind* 
Oops! My toddler is one year old, 32in, 24 pounds.

At that age and size your child needs to be rear facing in a convertible seat. I would look at higher limit seats like marathon, boulevard and radian.

-Angela


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## ThreeBeans (Dec 2, 2006)

Angela is quite right









As a general rule of thumb, it's better to be rearfacing until they are at LEAST two and at LEAST 30 pounds.

There are many good convertibles on the market that would allow your child to continue rearfacing.


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## hottmama (Dec 27, 2004)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *seawind* 
Oops! My toddler is one year old, 32in, 24 pounds.

Yep, definitely a rear-facing seat. I love our Radian, but the Boulevard is a great seat too. If your budget can't handle either of those, the Evenflo Triumph Advance is a good seat.


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## seawind (Sep 28, 2007)

Thank you for the recommendations! I would really appreciate some links on the benefits of keeping toddlers in rear facing seats.


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## ThreeBeans (Dec 2, 2006)

http://www.cpsafety.com/articles/stayrearfacing.aspx That's a good article laying it out


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## thepeach80 (Mar 16, 2004)

http://www.kyledavidmiller.org/pages..._is_safest.htm

My oldest rfing child is 40 mos and 27#, my youngest is 17 mos and 22#.


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