# ds2 will be 8 ina few wks and if one more person asks...



## blessedwithboys (Dec 8, 2004)

..."are you _finally_ going to let him lose the carseat?", i think i'll scream.

he is only 55 lbs and very slim and slight and all his height is in his legs so there is no way the belt will fit him right for many yrs to come.

ds1 used a LBB til he was starting 6th grade! he finally fit in the belt properly at that time, plus i allowed for the fact that he would be humiliated to be in 6th grade and using a "carseat". so, at 11yo he was able to move up a level. ds2 is only in 2nd grade for crying out loud!

and if one more person tells me about so-and-so-mutual-friend who ditched the boosters at age *4!* on the advice of her ped, i'll go nuts. i already told one person today that so-and-so's kids were in grave danger and would likely die in an accident that might only barely hurt my same age/same size ds, bc my ds is using a BPB.

just had to vent...


----------



## MJB (Nov 28, 2009)

Yikes! My 7yo is 54 lbs. and 49-50" and I can't imagine not using a booster. We just switched from a harness to a booster last September. The law in our state is they have to be 8 or 80 lbs. to ride without a booster but 8 and 55 lbs. seems way too small.


----------



## 2xand2y (Sep 13, 2009)

My oldest if 9, 63 lbs, and 53''. She still rides in a five point harness. When people ask her about it she says "because my mama loves me and wants me to be the safest possible". Which is also what I tell people; I don't care that it implies that they don't love their kid and that their kid isn't the safest possible. Maybe my reply will get them to think twice about their decision not to use a car seat.


----------



## LynnS6 (Mar 30, 2005)

Yeah, ds is 1 month shy of 9, and tall for his age. He hit 4' 9" last week and we finally got rid of the HBB he was riding in. He's not 80 lbs yet, but his head was above the head rest, so it had to go.

He was the last child in our acquaintance to give up the booster. And he's a head taller than most.


----------



## beckyand3littlemonsters (Sep 16, 2006)

My dd chloe is about the same age as your ds and weighs about 45lb(?) and if i had a car she would most deffenately be using a booster seat.
you should just politely tell them to mind their own buisiness.


----------



## Katie T (Nov 8, 2008)

My dd will be 10 next month and is in a booster. I get a lot of comments mainly from my mother-in-law. (She also didn't see the point in rfing until 3 1/2yo.

I just ignore there comments they don't understand and never will, I have tried to educate and she says "I just want them safe" uh no kidding lady why do you think I do what I do.


----------



## bdavis337 (Jan 7, 2005)

My 9 year old still sits on the Graco base in every vehicle he rides in - they're easily portable and while he's nearly 75 lbs he's still a bit too short for the belt to fit properly. My family has stopped asking when I'm going to give it up and my friends still roll their eyes when I say "hey wait, he needs this if he's going to ride in your car", but they don't say anything anymore. I also have my nearly 5 year old in a 5 pt Britax and won't move him until he outgrows it!


----------



## Eman'smom (Mar 19, 2002)

Ds will be 9 next month and is also only about 55 pounds, we moved him to a HBB when he turned 8. He'll be in some sort of seat for quite a while, he's just a small guy.


----------



## incorrigible (Jun 3, 2007)

Ds was up n out in no time flat, but I kept dd in until she got too tall, even though almost no one in our area did past 4-5. I used to reply dead serious with something like "Ya. After this birthday, he can just ride on the roof of the car. It'd sure be a lot more fun, and really...I've NEVER been in an accident, so why should I worry about whether he'll be safe if I ever do?"

*snicker*


----------



## jillmamma (Apr 11, 2005)

That sounds a lot like the crap people were giving me a few months ago when DD was still RF at age 4! Like, aren't you ever going to turn her? aren't her legs squished? blah blah blah Oh well, I figure my child's safety is more important than people's lame comments!


----------



## sapphire_chan (May 2, 2005)

"Honey, if they made a booster that could handle all 1XXlbs of me, *I'd* be using one. Sorry to hear that so and so's ped hates her kids."

Or do you actually like the people who are saying stuff to you about moving your ds out of the booster? In that case "do you really want to be educated on this topic or are you trying to make small talk? If it's small talk, how about that local sports team?"


----------



## laughingfox (Dec 13, 2005)

My DD is 8 1/2 and still in a booster. I've been asked about why DD is in a booster even though law doesn't require it for her age. My simple answer is that the laws of physics don't take her age into consideration.


----------



## Eclipsepearl (May 20, 2007)

I confirm "Well he knows that it's safer. I often point out all the mistakes other parents make and my kids know that a lot of their friends are not riding safely in their parents' cars..."

That usually shuts them up. Or something like "Well it's better than a lot of the car seat use I see..." then I'll start listing the usual (you all know the words to that song...)

I told a friend who is going to keep my kids for the weekend that no booster for the older two was fine "...as long as the seat belt doesn't go over their necks. My kids know that that's bad and could really hurt them even in a small accident. They don't like the idea of being strangled..."


----------



## boheime (Oct 25, 2005)

My odlest is still in his Regent. He still has growing room, so he'll be in that until he outgrows it. Then we will switch to a HBB (I think probably the Monterey - he's slim and long but has dh's broad shoulders). My kids will be in boosters until they can pass all o fthe 5 pt. test, which will likely be until age 12 or 13.

I know we are outcasts even in our AP community for our carseat use. My 7 1/2 and 5 1/2 year olds are harnessed in Regents, my 2 1/2 year old is still RFing. I just installed the new carseat for the baby, and the van does look rather full with 2 RFing carseats and 2 Regents in the back.

However, my kids know that being properly secured is safer and they prefer it. My 2 1/2 year old has said that he never, ever, ever will sit FFing (we'll have to work on that unless they keep coming out with higher RFing heights







).


----------



## meemee (Mar 30, 2005)

i am on the petite side. and I use a booster seat myself. a couple of cushions.

so no one dares to say anything to me.

my 2nd grader is still in her booster seat and i have no intentions of changing it till she is tall enough.


----------



## Honey693 (May 5, 2008)

I'm just snarky and I know I'll end up saying "When we want a dead kid we'll stop listening to safety regulations." I'm pretty sure I've said that to people who ask why my 17 month old is still rear facing.


----------



## KMK_Mama (Jan 29, 2006)

My almost 8yo, 6 1/2 yo, and my 4yo are all harnessed in Radians. Amazingly enough I haven't gotten many comments!


----------



## PreggieUBA2C (Mar 20, 2007)

My children are giants and we have had the hardest time keeping them in seats available for thier height and weights. I wish they could all be rf still, but it's not possible in our country with the seats available.









I am shocked when our friends opt to move their children up and out as soon as their children can fit into the lowest limits of their seats. And giving them information doesn't seem to really register the danger for them; it's like some weird sort of la-la-la-la-la-I-can't-hear-you thing.









Otoh, I was in hospital with our 4 yr old whose larnyx was nearly closed and the dr asked me if I really wanted the steroid that would hold it open because it would mean I'd have to be there for three hours longer for observation with him. He told me that most parents given this situation opt to not do it, but usually end up back in there the same night or the next day anyway.

For me, the amount of time it would take to make sure my baby was breathing was just a non-issue altogether, but I guess the safety and well-being of children isn't as convenient to others as they prefer. This is an immediately dangerous, life-threatening condition involving _breathing_, and most parents don't take the safest option because it's inconvenient!??? WHAT???!!! So, given that carseats are preventative, and that's a further leap than the immediate necessity of breathing, I guess I shouldn't be shocked at how some parents treat the subject and safety issues.

Crazy.

Dp and I have talked about having our van equipped with 5 pt harnesses for all of the seats, like racecars. And we're serious. We drive in the mountainous wilderness and the animals here are enormous; hitting one would be a devastating experience of one sort or another. I'd love roll-bars and cow-catchers too, but I'm not sure how to not overload the vehicle with all of that weight. If that seems extreme, I'm not sure how we ever came to be so apathetic towards the reality of traveling at 100+ kms regularly in metal, plastic and glass boxes with seats. From a human perspective, I think that's pretty odd.

OP, I appreciate your rant. I also loved some of the pp's responses to the comments you receive. They're perfect.


----------



## RiverSky (Jun 26, 2005)

Ooo, I think I win this thread! LOL! My 11 year old is still in his high back booster. He is very close to passing the 5 pt test, but not quite. It might only be a few more months, but he's only about 70 lbs, so his 100 lb limit Britax Parkway fits him just fine.

I have never had other adult question me, but sometimes his friends ask why my 11 and 8 year old are still in boosters (because they aren't) and I say it's because the boosters are good until 100 lbs and as my DS was in a car accident once and was injured, so now we are extra cautious. They always accept that without question and seem to think nothing further of it.


----------



## justKate (Jun 10, 2008)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *blessedwithboys* 
..."are you _finally_ going to let him lose the carseat?", i think i'll scream.

he is only 55 lbs and very slim and slight and all his height is in his legs so there is no way the belt will fit him right for many yrs to come.

In my state it would be illegal for your son to _not_ be using a booster, so I would go with that. (TX: 8 years or 60 lbs.)

Once he's 8, you should just tell everyone to S*@! IT. I also like *laughingfox*'s suggestion.


----------



## an_aurora (Jun 2, 2006)

Yeah, you are totally in the right! Boostering at 8 is not "extreme" or "extended" boostering--it's barely past the legal minimums (and in your case, depending on your state laws, could be legally required). Most kids don't pass the 5 step test until 10-11.


----------

