For those with 4+ year olds

When your child(ren) turned 4, did you put them in belt-positioning boosters? If so, what ones do you like?

I swear, until I started looking more today, that in the state of Ohio, a child had to be 4 AND 40 lbs. to be in a 5 pt harness. So, I was freaking out that I need to get 3 seats in the back of my van (to transport my twins and my daycare girl to preschool in the fall) and that my twins (and the other girl) are only like 32-34 lbs. So, I did some further research and found this:

So what`s a safety-conscious parent to do? Car seat safety advocates recommend that Ohioans follow one of the following guidelines:

* The National Highway Safety Administration (NHSA) recommends that children over 40 pounds use a belt-positioning booster seat until they are 8 years old, unless they are 4`9" or taller.
* The American Academy of Pediatricians goes a bit further and advocates for booster seat use until the child reaches 4`9" in height and is between 8 and 12 years of age.


I guess they've been constrained in a 5-pt harness for SO long that it's weird to think I will be using a seat-belt on them. Did anyone else feel this way? THey seem so small to me, but they are very tall.

What did you do (in regards to carseats) when they hit that age of 4.

 

Mine have been in their High Back Graco Turbo boosters since they were 3. They were over 30 lbs., which is the recommendation for the High Back boosters. I didn't take the backs off until this past summer when they turned 6.

 

My dd has been in a highback graco booster for atleast 2 years. She weighs 38 lbs and is 5 and 1/2.

 

After much consideration (this has been a hot topic at our house lately!) we have decided to go with the Graco Nautilus seats. They allow you to keep them harnessed up to 65 pounds and then later convert to belt positioning boosters up to 100 pounds. BRU has some coupons out right now that take 10% off making them $162 each, but I have seen them as low as $135 at Walmart (less patterns to choose from though).

 

My twins aren't 4 but I have two older boys that are 6 and 8 years old. I kept both of them in a high back belt positioning booster until 40 lbs, then switched them to a backless (belt positioning) booster. It a graco seat. Something to keep in mind, my 8 year old only weighs 52.5 lbs. It will be some time before he hits that 80lb mark. My 6 yr old is 45 lbs. They will probably be in a booster for quite some time. I tried measuring Ben (Oldest) in a regular seat, but his upper leg isn't long enough yet, which makes him hunch in the seat. He's just not big enough to sit in a seat properly and definitely not safely.

My sister has another issue. Her 8 yr old is almost 100 lbs and isn't yet 4'9. But she's too big for any booster. Her hips are too wide for any booster. So she has to sit without one. Something to consider when buying a booster, it's width. My guys are just skinny.

 

Mine are still in 5pt and will be for a long time. It is much safer & I am in no rush.

 

We are not switching soon. The twins will be 4 on Sunday and Meghan weighs about 30 lbs and Nolan maybe 32. I am going to wait.

 

My son just turned 5 and he is in a high back booster w/ 5pt harness. I just did some research myself to see if I should put him in a regular booster, but the info I found said they are safer in the 5 pt harness until their shoulders are higher than the top slot for the shoulder restraint. His are right under/at that highest slot... and the more I thought about it, I actually dont think Im ready to have him in a regular booster w/ a seat belt. It would be nice to have more space in the van, but the kids safety is more important to me.

My DD is turning 4 next week and she is also in a high back booster w/ 5pt harness, and I dont plan on moving her for a whle either.

 

My oldest went to a booster when she was a few months from 5. She just hit 40 pounds then, and that is the recommendation of her seat: use as a high back booster at 40 pounds. She WILL stay in the booster, as per MI law, until she is either 8 or 4'9". At the rate she's growing (slowly) I've told her she'll be using a booster until she's taller than me--I'm 4'8".

Jo will be 4 in less than a month. I'm not sure what she weighs, but she's taller than Annie was at that age. I have no plans to pull out her straps and use a booster until at least November or December.

It will be so nice when they are all in boosters!! That's far away though, because Ellie is a peanut. She'll be 3 next week and probably isn't 25 pounds.

 

QUOTE(Callen @ Feb 11 2009, 01:57 PM) [snapback]1185647[/snapback]
Mine are still in 5pt and will be for a long time. It is much safer & I am in no rush.



QUOTE(moski @ Feb 11 2009, 02:01 PM) [snapback]1185658[/snapback]
We are not switching soon. The twins will be 4 on Sunday and Meghan weighs about 30 lbs and Nolan maybe 32. I am going to wait.


I wish I had that option, but b/c of preschool and my daycare kids, I have to switch them when they turn 4...I do'nt have room for other seats that will fit in the back of my van.

 

QUOTE(twinzmom2b @ Feb 11 2009, 10:40 AM) [snapback]1185829[/snapback]
I wish I had that option, but b/c of preschool and my daycare kids, I have to switch them when they turn 4...I do'nt have room for other seats that will fit in the back of my van.


I know you had posted about the preschool/daycare kid situation in the last week or so. Will you still have the daycare kids that you have given the preschool situation?

 

Becky,
I'm a little confused on why you have to switch them if they have not outgrown the marathon car seats yet. Can't you work something out with the daycare kids so you get 2 car seats that will fit in the back with one seat that you already own?
Which mini van do you have?

 

Sophie is still in a 5pt harness-she only weighs 35lbs. I feel better with her in a 5pt and will keep her in that for as long as I can.

 

I am sticking with my Marathons for as long as I can. My mom though did get boosters for her car as the kids had outgrown the car seats she had. She got the highback Graco Booster seats and they just use the seatbelt. I personally think my kids are too young to be in those, but she does not drive them that often. If I HAD to go to boosters I would stick with a 5-point harness one and get the Radians.

 

I did because we went to the US and my parents just bought the cheapest ones at Walmart since they were only for our visit. I would have rather had 5 point harnesses, but I think the biggest issue was I put those seat in 3 differnt cars and they fit differently in each car. They worked acceptably in my dad's Hyndai Sonata, they worked well in a Chevy Astro minivan (luckily the car we used most of the time), there were terrible in my cousin's Nissan Murano if we had been in that car more than twice I would have had to buy something else. Maybe you can see if there is someplace that will let you try the seats with your car?

 

QUOTE(moski @ Feb 11 2009, 03:59 PM) [snapback]1185867[/snapback]
I know you had posted about the preschool/daycare kid situation in the last week or so. Will you still have the daycare kids that you have given the preschool situation?


Yes, I will have those kids this fall. They are going to put their dd in the 4 yr old class with my twins.

QUOTE(ljcrochet @ Feb 11 2009, 04:24 PM) [snapback]1185912[/snapback]
Becky,
I'm a little confused on why you have to switch them if they have not outgrown the marathon car seats yet. Can't you work something out with the daycare kids so you get 2 car seats that will fit in the back with one seat that you already own?
Which mini van do you have?


I will have 5 kids that I need to transport numerous times a week (for preschool for the twins and the girl I watch) in my van. We have a Pontiac Montana. I plan on keeping Livi in the middle set of seats, putting Nate (the boy I watch) in the built in 5-pt harness seat next to Livi (there are only 2 seats in the middle row). The 3rd row has to hold my twins and Peyton (the girl I watch). Right now, the twins are in Marathons back there and there is ONLY 6 inches of space between the two seats. There is NO WAY with the Marathons I can fit a 3rd back there. I have to get new seats to make it all work out. There is less than 50 inches across in the back seat, it's not that wide. Our van isn't new, we bought it used...so it's probably 5-7 years old...I think the newer vans are wider across.

 

Well if you wanted to keep them in 5-pt harness, I think the Radian Sunshines are only 18" wide. We have them and are quite happy with them.

 

QUOTE(twinzmom2b @ Feb 11 2009, 04:22 AM) [snapback]1185389[/snapback]
I guess they've been constrained in a 5-pt harness for SO long that it's weird to think I will be using a seat-belt on them. Did anyone else feel this way? THey seem so small to me, but they are very tall.

What did you do (in regards to carseats) when they hit that age of 4.


I just didnt feel right putting my DD in a booster at 4 but her carseat couldnt be used in a 5-point harness any longer at 40 pounds. We could only use the booster part. I couldnt do it.

I went out and bought the Britax Marathon so that she could be in a 5-point harness longer.