Booster Seats - Backless or high back for 4 year olds?

I'm looking at possibly changing the kids car seats. The twins are 38 and 40 lbs and my youngest is 35 lbs. At 4 years old would you feel comfortable with a backless booster seat? I remember my oldest being SUCH a pain with the booster because he would unbuckle himself every few miles. I'm a little nervous about the transition. LOL I found the Evenflo Chase and Maestro that have the 5 point harness and then convert to use a seatbelt and then a backless booster seat. The Chase is $57 on Amazon and the Maestro is $72. Since I have to buy 3 of the darn things I'm leaning towards the Chase. LOL On the other hand I'm like do I just hold off a little and buy the super cheap backless booster seat for the twins in a few months when both of them are 40 lbs and keep Ryder in the old one till he can be in backless? I just kind of like the idea of the 5 point harness for as long as I can. LOL When did you make the switch and what are your opinions?

 

Neither. Most 4yo are not mature enough to be in a booster, honestly. They have to know not to ever play with the seat belt or shift in the seat (and not slump over when sleeping). And in most cases they need to be over 40 lbs. Plus you know that a 5pt harness will always perform correctly. Seat belts... not so much.

The graco nautilus or britax frontier are both good options for extended harness use, and turn into a booster as well.

 

Mine were in a high back booster at 3 when they were 40 lbs. Yes, it took them one or two times of stopping the car before they would stop playing with it, but that was about it. By 5 they were in backless boosters--and maybe a bit before that, as I honestly can't remember!

 

I stuck with the back on the boosters until around 6 yrs old with my older two. My twins are 4 and are in high back boosters now. They have the graco nautilus's, I probably won't switch them to backless until at least 6 yrs old. It really depends on how the seatbelt hits them. At 4 they likely aren't tall enough for backless yet, the seatbelt will be rubbing their neck. The backless is more about height than weight.

 

Neither! You really should consider a harnessed seat until they're totally maxed out the weight/height. If they are about to max their current ones, look into another harnessed seat (maybe one that converts to a high back booster). A 4 year old isn't mature enough for a booster

 

Story

5 point harness is safest even at age 4 and way beyond until they outgrow the weight limit. So I would not bother with a backless booster or anything less than a 5 pt harness for some time. And use the tether.

 

We have had the kids in backed booster seats in DH's truck since about 3 1/2 years old (my kids are tall and had outgrown their other convertible car seats and we had to get new). We purchased Graco Nautilus seats for my car and we kept them in the 5 point harness on those until just recently. I just moved them to backed boosters in my car and backless boosters in DH's at 6 years old.

 

The Graco Nautilus and Argos are 5-point harness booster seats that have a back to them. The harnesses can be removed and the backs can be removed when the time comes. They are rated well and my boys feel comfortable in them. I'd recommend either model. I have the Argos. The Nautilus has a difference with the pull of the harness (tightening the harness) that is easier than the Argos model, but adjusting the height of the harness and the head rest is easier on the Argos. It depends on which you prefer. The harness is good up to 65 lbs on the Nautilus, and 70 lbs on the Argos. I'm not sure anyone's kid will last that long in either model to require the harness for that long, but it's nice to know they can hold the weight if ever needed.

 

I agree with this. My almost 8 year olds are still buckled in a 5-point harness. I actually have to switch them to boosters now because they have reached the maximum weight. I will continue to use the high back booster vs taking the back off because it is safer. My 5 year old is in a 5 point harness and will be switching over to one of his siblings chairs so that he can go to 65 lbs. I am guessing he isn't going to be almost 8 though when he outgrows it. It's just plain safer! Everyone is different though.

 

Thanks ladies I'm glad I asked on here. I think we'll just stick with what we have for now and wait until they are big/mature enough to get the high back booster seats.

 

Add us to the list that still uses 5-pt harness. We have the Graco Nautilus and love them. We do have high back booster w/o harness that we use for my in-laws vehicle on the rare occasion that they have to pick the kids up or take them somewhere. They do okay with them, but I'm just not comfortable to use them all the time. (Mine are both over 40lbs too.) They never complain about their harness or their seats and we taught them how to buckle themselves in, so that's not an issue for us.

 

Ditto the others on the 5pt harness.
I know the Maestro is recommended over the Chase by car seat techs and others who are knowledgeable but I don't honestly remember why. (It's not outgrown as soon, maybe?) We just had to buy new seats for DH's car and ordered the Harmony Defenders. I was torn between those and the Maestro (they both go from 5pt harness to high-back boosters to backless boosters) but the Defenders won me over because they are narrower, they have higher weight limits for harnessing, and I think they are easier to adjust.