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paigepea
I'm PEAchy Keen!
PeaNut 74,479
March 2003
Posts: 17,034
Layouts: 116
 |  Posted: 1/30/2013 10:21:05 AM
My older dd is still in a 5 pt harness (Britain frontier) even though she met the requirements (40 lbs) at least 2 years ago. She is almost 7.5 and she has asked us recently if she can use a booster seat in our car. We allow her to ride in boosters in other cars, and if she has a friend in our car we allow her to ride in a booster next to her friend, but the majority of the time she is in her carseat.
Younger dd (4) is 36 lbs and is starting to outgrow her carseat in comfort. Older dd's would fit her perfectly. She still fits hers (boulevard) size wise, it just isn't as roomy as a frontier. It looks and feels more like a carseat whereas we find the frontier is more like a booster seat with a harness.
The question is to buy a new carseat for younger dd or move older dd to a booster. We'd buy a new carseat, but is older dd going to feel uncomfortable in a carseat at 8 yrs old? If so then it isn't worth the money for 6 months if older dd is on the way out with a carseat.
Paige. |
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Dalai Mama
La Pea Boheme
PeaNut 49,641
September 2002
Posts: 24,386
Layouts: 85
Loc: Drunk on the lawn in a nuclear dawn
| Posted: 1/30/2013 10:28:14 AM
We converted them both to boosters when they hit the 18kg (40l mark. |
Jo Mama
***********************************
Gotta kick at the darkness 'til it bleeds daylight. - Bruce Cockburn
The knack of flying is learning how to throw yourself at the ground and miss. - Douglas Adams
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megmc
Ancient Ancestor of Pea
PeaNut 497,090
January 2011
Posts: 5,113
Layouts: 0
 | Posted: 1/30/2013 10:32:34 AM
5 grade, and my husband let her dump her seat out at the dump.
She never hit official weigh until she was in 7th grade, but what middle schooler shows up sitting in a carseat/booster. | |
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snugglebutter
dedicated chocoholic
PeaNut 55,649
November 2002
Posts: 7,093
Layouts: 3
Loc: TX
| Posted: 1/30/2013 10:33:44 AM
We moved DD at 6.5 as my youngest child's carseat was expiring. I also thought it made more sense to go ahead and move her into a high back booster rather than buy another convertible carseat. She was getting close to the maximum height anyway. (for the Radian seats) |
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BudgetMama
StuckOnPeas
PeaNut 138,670
March 2004
Posts: 2,193
Layouts: 2
Loc: Oregon
 | Posted: 1/30/2013 10:35:47 AM
I don't know what "DC" stands for?
Anyways, the longer you can keep them rear facing , in a 5 point harness, with latch and tether - each of those increases the safety factor. The law ALLOWS kids about the age of 8 to use a booster and a regular seat belt, but that's not necessarily what's best during an accident. kwim?
I read recently about an accident that happened and the strap buckling the car seat into the car had split on impact. If the parents had used both latch AND tether, the outcome would have been different for them.
yes, I'm a bubble wrap mom. But with car seats, it's so easy to protect our kids. Why NOT do the most we can do for them? (and ignore their friends moms who don't!) | |
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BudgetMama
StuckOnPeas
PeaNut 138,670
March 2004
Posts: 2,193
Layouts: 2
Loc: Oregon
| Posted: 1/30/2013 10:37:55 AM
I don't know what "DC" stands for?
Anyways, the longer you can keep them rear facing , in a 5 point harness, with latch and tether - each of those increases the safety factor. The law ALLOWS kids about the age of 8 to use a booster and a regular seat belt, but that's not necessarily what's best during an accident. kwim?
I read recently about an accident that happened and the strap buckling the car seat into the car had split on impact. If the parents had used both latch AND tether, the outcome would have been different for them.
yes, I'm a bubble wrap mom. But with car seats, it's so easy to protect our kids. Why NOT do the most we can do for them? (and ignore their friends moms who don't!) | |
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MrsScrapDiva
PeaFixture
PeaNut 101,638
August 2003
Posts: 3,071
Layouts: 2
Loc: New Hampshire
| Posted: 1/30/2013 10:52:15 AM
I find the whole thing so confusing. The best rule of thumb I guess is to find out exactly what your state requires in combination with what your individual seat specs say. Some of the convertible carseats say when you switch them from the 5 point harness to the lapbelt, you are not supposed to use the tether. All the seats are different by manufacturer, so I would say pull out that paperwork.
The 8 year old should be in a booster. Most of the weight limits say "up to". I have not used any seats if my children are over the weight limit. They do sell 5 point harness boosters but most are up to 85lbs then after that the lapbelt needs to be used [with the booster]
I am always surprised at the number of 1st and 2nd graders that are just using the seatbelt (no boosters).
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myshelly
Ancient Ancestor of Pea
PeaNut 471,001
June 2010
Posts: 7,489
Layouts: 0
 | Posted: 1/30/2013 10:55:10 AM
Dc=darling child. Same way we say DH, DS, DD, etc.
My oldest is 6 and still in a 5 pt. We don't plan to stop using it anytime soon.
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Newbie2
Jeepers PEApers
PeaNut 178,513
November 2004
Posts: 2,203
Layouts: 0
Loc: New England
 | Posted: 1/30/2013 10:57:57 AM
I think it would be fine, at 7.5 to use your Frontier for your younger DD. ETA - and buy a high back (?) booster for your oldest DD.
My DD just turned 6 and is still in the 5pt harness, but probably won't be for much longer (maybe 6 mos) as her shoulders will be at the max height, so we will convert to the high back booster.
BudgetMama, I believe both of the OP's DD's are too big for the latch system anyway (there are weight restrictions). And are too old to be rear-facing! |
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Sharna_G
PeaFixture
PeaNut 314,157
May 2007
Posts: 3,999
Layouts: 8
Loc: Delaware
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mswiat
BucketHead
PeaNut 370,099
April 2008
Posts: 697
Layouts: 188
Loc: Michigan
 | Posted: 1/30/2013 11:25:54 AM
As a CPST-I, I always tell parents that the choice will always be yours.
I do not know how tall or how much your oldest weighs, that will make a difference in which type of seat you move her to. If the harnessed seats do not have a big enough height limit, your only choice may be a booster. It really depends on her height the most, there are a great number of car seats that go to 85, 100,or even 120 pounds with harness - but what is the maximum shoulder height for each? that should be one of the first things you look at.
I recently moved my 6.5 year old to a booster - only because the seat expired. My 9 year old is in a backless booster. |
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*HuskerFaninIL*
Mommy of TWO LMM-O-Peas
PeaNut 51,325
October 2002
Posts: 14,605
Layouts: 310
Loc: Husker fan in the Illini State
| Posted: 1/30/2013 11:38:53 AM
My oldest DD moved at 7. She moved out of her Britax Marathon and to the Britax Highbacked booster with submarine strap. She is now 8.5, just over 40lbs and will be in a booster a long, long time.
My little sis just moved at 6. She is almost 3 inches taller than her sister at the same age. She too left a marathon and moved to the high-backed booster. |
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aprilfay21
Mommy to Maximus!
PeaNut 270,034
July 2006
Posts: 12,309
Layouts: 98
Loc: Houston
| Posted: 1/30/2013 11:43:31 AM
I read recently about an accident that happened and the strap buckling the car seat into the car had split on impact. If the parents had used both latch AND tether, the outcome would have been different for them.
I don't know if it's car seat specific but ours says NOT to use the strap AND latch system at the same time. |
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14U14ME
PeaAddict
PeaNut 223,678
September 2005
Posts: 1,155
Layouts: 10
| Posted: 1/30/2013 12:13:01 PM
My 33lbs almost five year old DD is gonna be in her 5 point harness britax forever...her brother and sister joke with her that she is gonna go to prom in her car seat....  | |
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peapermint
Ancient Ancestor of Pea
PeaNut 9,321
January 2001
Posts: 8,646
Layouts: 0
Loc: all up in your business
 | Posted: 1/30/2013 12:17:40 PM
My DS is 8 1/2 and still in a 5-point harness without a single complaint. I see no reason to stop. It's a Britax that goes to 85 lbs. and he's only 50 lbs. Height is fine, too.
They're safer, and that's the end of the story for me.
On school field trips, we suck it up and send a backless booster. I have noticed that some of his classmates complain when we want them to use the backless booster in our car. If they're within legal limits and their parents don't care, we don't insist. | |
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TREZmom
Lost and Found in Pea-land
PeaNut 138,098
March 2004
Posts: 5,844
Layouts: 2
Loc: NC but wishing I was somewhere else
| Posted: 1/30/2013 12:21:01 PM
All my kids were in a booster around 5 years old. | |
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knit.pea
. cheeky cousin .
PeaNut 158,945
July 2004
Posts: 7,142
Layouts: 112
 | Posted: 1/30/2013 1:00:27 PM
Check to see what the actual limits are on the 5 point.
It will be based on height and weight.
Not sure about Canada, but the general height thinking here
is the tops of the ears can't be above the physical top edge
of the car seat. There has to be enough car seat (or vehicle seat)
for their head to come into contact with.
Follow the height and weight limits.
Then the next thing here is whether the child passes the 5 Step Test
to fit just in a vehicle seat alone.
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moveablefeast
do justice, love mercy
PeaNut 265,707
June 2006
Posts: 11,231
Layouts: 0
Loc: Northern Virginia
| Posted: 1/30/2013 1:34:45 PM
I moved mine to a high back booster when she outgrew the 5 point harness. She was 4 and a bit, and was very tall. My options were to buy a high back booster or to buy another 5 point harness seat with an increased height capacity and my choice was to go with the booster. She is 5 and off the chart tall, and 85th percentile for weight, and I feel quite confident that she is fine in her booster.
I work in a school full or 2.5-6 year olds, and i load kids in cars every afternoon. almost none of the 4, 5, and 6 year olds are in 5 point harnesses. Some of the threes still are and all of the 2.5s are. | |
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*sprout*
The Jolly Green Giant's Favorite Pea
PeaNut 45,764
August 2002
Posts: 5,080
Layouts: 0
Loc: West Michigan
| Posted: 1/30/2013 1:43:09 PM
My dd is 4, almost 5, and is still in a 5-point convertable seat. She's edging closer to the weight limit for her seat, and when that happens she will go into a convertable high-back booster that has a 5-point harness. |
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gavinsmom
AncestralPea
PeaNut 9,019
January 2001
Posts: 4,644
Layouts: 22
Loc: michigan
| Posted: 1/30/2013 1:44:43 PM
High back booster until age 8 then regular booster until 12. Very small for his age and never minded the booster. Front seat at age 12 |
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lblair
PeaNut
PeaNut 555,199
May 2012
Posts: 84
Layouts: 0
Loc: Michigan
 | Posted: 1/30/2013 1:57:31 PM
We moved ours to a high back booster when she was 5. I had to buy a new car seat because she out grew the harness and the seat belt did not sit right across her lap And shoulder. Two years later we are still using the high back booster and she will stay in it as long as possible.
I don't like the backless booster for my van because she basically falls out of the seat belt when she falls asleep. However the backless works well in the truck and grandma's car.
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obsidian
StuckOnPeas
PeaNut 300,909
March 2007
Posts: 2,154
Layouts: 1
Loc: Waikato
| Posted: 1/30/2013 2:42:05 PM
When they no longer fit. Age 5 with DD.
I haven't seen DC used for DD in years.
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camanddanismom
Manic Mom of 2
PeaNut 274,243
August 2006
Posts: 9,975
Layouts: 424
Loc: Northeast
| Posted: 1/30/2013 2:45:55 PM
I have big kids! My 8yo dd is just shy of 100 lbs and is 46 inches tall! At her 8yo well child visit her pedi said as long as the belts fell properly we could stop using the booster. She was in her backless booster from about 6.5 on. Every child is different and age is less important than size. |
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knittingpea
PeaNut
PeaNut 292,535
January 2007
Posts: 476
Layouts: 0
Loc: Northern California
| Posted: 1/30/2013 2:56:31 PM
My daughter is 6.5 and still in her Britax Marathon. She is 34 pounds and a tiny peanut. She begs for a regular booster to use with the car's seatbelt. She desperately wants to get rid of the 5 point harness. I have told her over and over that she still fits in her Marathon (she isn't close to meeting the weight and height requirements) and she will be in that seat for a while. We will probably get her a five point booster this summer when turns 7. She isn't crazy about that idea, but I am the Mama and I get to say what you ride in. Her three year old brother is the same size, but weighs 38 pounds and he still fine in his Marathon. I think that he will meet the guidelines for moving up before she will.
I am probably in the market for two Britax boosters with the 5 point harness this summer. My delima is two Britax Frontier or the Recarro ProBooster?
Claire | |
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KristinL16
Ancient Ancestor of Pea
PeaNut 142,870
April 2004
Posts: 12,360
Layouts: 102
Loc: MN
| Posted: 1/30/2013 3:25:07 PM
I was just going to ask this. My 4 year old hate being in his seat (graco my ride 65) and wants to be in a booster. I often look back and he has unbuckled himself. I don't know if that would happen more or less often if he would be in a booster. He weighs about 40 lbs and is 41 inches tall. |
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Mrs_Tyler
Sorting Laundry
PeaNut 197,836
March 2005
Posts: 24,214
Layouts: 246
Loc: Enjoying the humid continental climate zone.
| Posted: 1/30/2013 5:19:58 PM
My 5 and 6 year olds are in boosters without the harness. They fit the age and weight/height requirements for our state laws. | |
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tamhugh
Ancient Ancestor of Pea
PeaNut 12,875
March 2001
Posts: 7,948
Layouts: 11
| Posted: 1/30/2013 5:52:24 PM
On school field trips, we suck it up and send a backless booster. I have noticed that some of his classmates complain when we want them to use the backless booster in our car. If they're within legal limits and their parents don't care, we don't insist.
This caught my eye... how do they transport kids to field trips in your district? Our district uses buses and there are no seatbelts, so they wouldn't be able to use boosters or car seats. Are school buses exempt from the laws? My kids are older and the laws were a lot different than they are now. | |
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mswiat
BucketHead
PeaNut 370,099
April 2008
Posts: 697
Layouts: 188
Loc: Michigan
| Posted: 1/30/2013 6:12:06 PM
This caught my eye... how do they transport kids to field trips in your district? Our district uses buses and there are no seatbelts, so they wouldn't be able to use boosters or car seats. Are school buses exempt from the laws? My kids are older and the laws were a lot different than they are now.
our district just uses the regular (yellow) buses. Yes, school buses are exempt from the laws. They have specific regulations for construction/strength (roof strength/side reinforcement, etc). School bus seats are based on "compartmentalization." High padded seat backs, small spacing between seats, keeps children with in their compartment during a crash. It works AMAZINGLY well. I was skeptical for a long time. Then I saw a crash test video in a training - they took a school bus, loaded it with crash test dummies, including a driver and ran it into a brick wall at 35 mph. (the energy was equivalent to a car hitting a tree at 70 mph!)
The only fatality was the driver. No crash test dummy (student) registered any injuries other than bruises and sprains.
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paigepea
I'm PEAchy Keen!
PeaNut 74,479
March 2003
Posts: 17,034
Layouts: 116
| Posted: 1/30/2013 11:58:06 PM
Hi. Thx for the replies!
Older dd still fits her frontier fine. It is harnessed to 60 lbs and a booster to 100 lbs, she is 48 lbs.
She fits the booster requirements too, we just haven't moved her over yet. My question was to see how long peas have kept their kids harnessed and if, at almost 7.5, we were nearing our end.
Paige. |
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don92340
PeaNut
PeaNut 201,789
April 2005
Posts: 66
Layouts: 1
Loc: Bothell, WA
| Posted: 1/31/2013 12:05:14 AM
So I guess you can't just toss them into the bed of the pickup? | |
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Epeanymous
StuckOnPeas
PeaNut 15,108
May 2001
Posts: 2,243
Layouts: 1
| Posted: 1/31/2013 12:11:44 AM
I have an almost-seven-year-old who is still in a five-point. He is both short and light. | |
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**Bran**
AncestralPea
PeaNut 257,257
April 2006
Posts: 4,280
Layouts: 24
| Posted: 1/31/2013 1:15:55 AM
My DD is 8.5 and is still in her Frontier. Younger DD is 6.5 and is in her Marathon. Both girls are short and don't weigh a lot. They both use them, and don't complain, although when we have three or more girls in the car we let them use their boosters in the neighborhood.
What is important to remember is that your car's LATCH may not be rated for use if your child is over 40 pounds. Check your manual because a lot of current cars have weight limits that top at 40 or 45 lbs. My car doesn't have a listed weight so we quit using it and moved to strap when older DD hit 40 pounds. Younger DD will be there any day now and we will switch her to the strap, but still in her 5 pt. |
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elphalba
PeaNut
PeaNut 31,845
March 2002
Posts: 461
Layouts: 53
Loc: Poconos PA
 | Posted: 1/31/2013 5:58:48 AM
If your child can not be trusted to sit safely in a 5pt harness, do you think a buckle is a better idea???
There is a test for booster readiness and one of them is compliance with sitting upright in a harness. There's a meme around somewhere.
I had a relative die in an accident just over a year ago. He was 3 days younger than my youngest daughter. At 18 months, he was forward facing in a car and died upon impact. Yes, he was "safe" according to the manufacturer and the law, however he would have possibly survived being refacing. Please, do not use the law as the standard. It's the absolute MINIMUM.  |
Erica
Mom to six kids, two pugs and a cat
2013 Layouts Completed: 131
2012 Layouts Completed: 219
MY BLOG
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elphalba
PeaNut
PeaNut 31,845
March 2002
Posts: 461
Layouts: 53
Loc: Poconos PA
| Posted: 1/31/2013 6:02:54 AM
Some above posted about using latch and tether and someone else said, it's again the manufactures warnings. A tether is a strap that goes behind the seat, it's not the seatbelt. You should use the tether and the seatbelt OR latch at all times. |
Erica
Mom to six kids, two pugs and a cat
2013 Layouts Completed: 131
2012 Layouts Completed: 219
MY BLOG
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knit.pea
. cheeky cousin .
PeaNut 158,945
July 2004
Posts: 7,142
Layouts: 112
| Posted: 1/31/2013 7:40:42 AM
She still fits weight-wise, but how about the height limit?
It is safer for her to continue in the seat until the
weight and/or height limits of the seat.
Actually, now that I think about it, does the seat have
an expiration date printed on the bottom or side? That
detail may come into play as well, and that date might impact
whether you are able to use it again for younger DD.
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aprilfay21
Mommy to Maximus!
PeaNut 270,034
July 2006
Posts: 12,309
Layouts: 98
Loc: Houston
| Posted: 1/31/2013 9:24:20 AM
Some above posted about using latch and tether and someone else said, it's again the manufactures warnings. A tether is a strap that goes behind the seat, it's not the seatbelt. You should use the tether and the seatbelt OR latch at all times.
Ah, I misunderstood. We can't use the tether in our vehicle with him rear facing so it doesn't apply in our situation. Thanks for clarifying. |
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CreativeEngineer
Ancient Ancestor of Pea
PeaNut 134,808
March 2004
Posts: 6,157
Layouts: 4
Loc: East Coast
| Posted: 1/31/2013 9:28:26 AM
We moved our last to a high-back booster when she was 5 because her Decathalon was totalled in a car accident (she wasn't in it, but it was in the car that was totalled). She went to a Britax Parkway. The seatbelt of our new SUV fit her just fine with the booster.
We moved the other kids to boosters at about 4. It was many years ago and franky even boosters weren't required after 4 at the time.  |
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paigepea
I'm PEAchy Keen!
PeaNut 74,479
March 2003
Posts: 17,034
Layouts: 116
| Posted: 1/31/2013 9:34:48 AM
No, dd is fine height wise in the frontier. It's just whether to keep her in it or not.
Maybe I'll start letting younger dd ride in the frontier when older dd isn't in the car. And leave the rest as it is for the next year and see how we do.
Paige. |
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