Big Kids and Boosters

**Phteven** · February 4th, 2013, 11:27 AM

Mr8 knows that the law says he doesn't need a booster and he is getting increasingly bolshy about using it.
He is too tall for any with sides etc so he is on one that is just a seat.
What age did your big kid stop using their booster? I was planning on using it until he was 12 but I'm not up for years of tanties and power struggles.
Is the no booster issue a phase or will it be ongoing?

**bellany** · February 4th, 2013, 11:34 AM

My 9 year old is in a full booster. I don't personally like the booster cushions and they have been written out of the safety standard now too.
My kids haven't had any issues but I make their friends sit in them in my car too so they just accept its the rules.
I let my dd pick the color of hers so she has a flash pink one and she won't be out of it till she can pass the 5 step test (Google for it) for sitting without a booster. She will probably be 12 before she is out lol

**Rouge** · February 4th, 2013, 12:27 PM

Those half seats aren't comfy. It feels weird to sit on. Neither are the big boosters. We are lucky we have a car with inbuilt boosters, but I can guarantee you my nearly 7 year old has an epic tantrum if he has to sit in the back with a stand alone booster. They are both fine with the inbuilt ones (they say they are comfy), and technically they are safer anyway... but unless you can afford a new car

I dunno man, I don't have much in the way of advice, next to sitting him down and scarring him for life with some car crash footage

**ladybirdflies** · February 4th, 2013, 12:35 PM

How much does he weigh?? My daughter is nine and only 20kgs. "they' say that most injuries to children happen because of the adult seatbelt hurting them. Perhaps google overseas standards and make a decision that you are comfortable with. Going back and telling said child of decision may be difficult, but you have to live with the outcomes either way. Perhaps you could make a deal with him, trips under certain kms no booster?

**Trillian** · February 4th, 2013, 01:56 PM

I ditched the seats as soon as we were legally able to. It may possibly be ongoing or just a phase - only time will tell you that unfortunately

If you are absolute about wanting to keep him in one till that age (and seriously, no 11-12 year old will want to sit in a booster!) then maybe find some literature/videos etc that support your position and read/watch them together. And being realistic, when he's 10-12 years old and has a friend over who is the same age, would you make that child sit in a booster too? Or if your DS was at a friend's place, would you expect them to provide a booster for your DS etc? or on a school bus? THat may make it harder to stay firm on what you want though. Your kids are smart, you'll need to counter those issues with them.

**Rivlas** · February 4th, 2013, 04:03 PM

Our girls had to sit in the booster seast until they were tall enought to see out the window without it.

Even sitting in a normal seat with a harness is safer than a normal seatbelt while they are young.

**Olive** · February 4th, 2013, 06:13 PM

Britex have a new one that goes to age 10

**Butterfly Dawn** · March 6th, 2013, 10:13 PM

Im gonna look at harnesses for my oldest. he's big and tall and Im not going to have room for 3 carseats.
I never understood how the cushion boosters where "safe" but Im not an expert

so yeah, over shoulder harness for us.

***Efjay*** · March 6th, 2013, 10:22 PM

I thought they had written the harness out of the safety standard thingy too? I know Infa say that the lap sash belt is just as if not safer then using a harness?

Both my 8 & 10 yr old no longer use a booster. I would prefer my 8 yr old still did though.

**bellany** · March 7th, 2013, 05:40 AM

I would not use a add on/ H harness. They are not safer thsn a lap sash belt.

**LimeSlice** · March 7th, 2013, 06:07 AM

I would not use a add on/ H harness. They are not safer thsn a lap sash belt.

I thought they had written the harness out of the safety standard thingy too? I know Infa say that the lap sash belt is just as if not safer then using a harness?

Yep, this. The H harness is not safer than a lap/sash belt, when the harness is not a fixed part of the seat.

**~clover~** · March 7th, 2013, 07:42 AM

DD2 has a half booster that we use on long trips, but not every day. She's quite tall & the seat slides out from under her all the time.

I've bought DD3 a seat that goes up to 8 years rather than the standard 7 & for her age she's short compared to my other kids, so she might still be in it at 9.

I know all kids DD2's age (7) have different rules in their car. Some have a booster, some don't. But the ones that do, just do. That's the rule in their car, & there's no choice.

**Dollyroux** · March 7th, 2013, 07:53 AM

If you only have a lap belt (no sash/shoulder part) then the H harness would be the better option?

**Beach Mama** · March 7th, 2013, 08:25 AM

If you only have a lap belt (no sash/shoulder part) then the H harness would be the better option?

Yep I am pretty sure that is the only time they are safer, when child is in the middle with a lap belt and you have no other option. xox

**Cranky Kitten** · March 7th, 2013, 08:51 AM

My 11 year old is taller than my mother. There is no way known that she'd agree to sit in a booster and I'm completely okay with that.

Most kids at 8-9 are pretty cluey about what rules affect them and if he knows the law says 7, I don't think it will go away. You may do better by explaining your reasons and negotiating an agreed age where the booster can be removed. That way he feels like there's a definite end date and that he's been listened to.

**AnyDream** · March 7th, 2013, 08:56 AM

Yes, the H-harnesses are designed for lap-belts. If there is a correctly fitting lap-sash belt then use that instead.

I think the point of the booster is two-fold - 1) to put the kid's bum in the optimal spot for correct fastening of the seatbelt (ie right back against the seatback) and 2) to position the seat belt best for a child (eg some of the boosters have slots for the seat-belt to run through). I read the guidelines the other day and the message I took away from it is to look at your child's body, especially the length of their legs, if they can sit back against the seat and the edge of the seat comes to behind their knees, then they're big enough to forgo the booster (in that they are now big enough for the seltbelt to work correctly). Of course if you've got a tall one with flaps around the head then that has a protective role (side impact crashes) but that doesn't apply to the cushion-style boosters.

IMO those cushion-boosters aren't very useful - my eldest DD went into one of those when she got too tall for the other booster seat, but then it was less than a year until her eyes were higher than the seatback (ie too tall), so then it was no booster. From memory that was around 5 or 6, but that was back in the bad old days when there weren't any other bigger options on the market. We've now got on extendable one with the side-of-head flaps and I intend to keep DD2 in it as long as possible, based on her physical size. I suspect 10 years old is the absolute utter limit I could stretch it out to, but in reality, I have tall children so it will be before then, based purely on size.

**Beach Mama** · March 7th, 2013, 09:00 AM

I agree MD - it's so different for each child, we have a MR and converted it to use a seat belt and it sat horribly on DS so we ended up trying him in DD's other HiLiner and it sits on him so well, he looks comfy and the belt sits perfect across his chest as well. Really is based on each child and what you feel is the best thing for them.

**Jaycee** · March 7th, 2013, 09:04 AM

Those half seats aren't comfy. It feels weird to sit on. Neither are the big boosters. We are lucky we have a car with inbuilt boosters, but I can guarantee you my nearly 7 year old has an epic tantrum if he has to sit in the back with a stand alone booster. They are both fine with the inbuilt ones (they say they are comfy), and technically they are safer anyway... but unless you can afford a new car

I dunno man, I don't have much in the way of advice, next to sitting him down and scarring him for life with some car crash footage

I've enever heard of inbuilt boosters, that's pretty awesome! What kind of car is it Rouge?