What to do with a tall 9 year old on a long journey?

[RaisinHell]

DS is 9 and tall, about 146cm and also I would guess on the 36kg weight limit for car seats. On a day to day basis now he either sits in the front or if we are all in the car he sits in his HBB which is still in the car.

We have a long journey coming up (14 hours or so)and I am wondering what to do for the best in terms of comfort and safety.

The last couple of times we have done this journey I don't think he has been comfy in the HBB and has been wriggling and leaning forward, and I think he feels hemmed in. But that said he does like that he can rest his head on the wings and he also likes to be a bit higher.

I think the seat is now too shallow and narrow and he would be better off sitting back into the normal car seat.

But I am thinking about the side impact protection offered by the HBB and the support for a lolling head. But then that's no good if I catch him leaning forward out of it for long periods anyway.

Any advice as to what to do? I am thinking that the time has come maybe for him to just sit in the seat and maybe have a pillow at the side of him against the door for lolling on.

Be grateful if anyone has any ideas, thank you

[maillotjaune]

My 9 and 10 year olds have been without car seats for a while - both over the height limit. They are fine on long journeys: although we have small pillows they haven't actually fallen asleep in a car for years so don't think they've used them.

[RaisinHell]

maillotjaune, thanks so much. That's what I'm thinking. Just a pillow, or maybe a neck shaped one. And mine doesn't really fall asleep in the car now either, wish he would!

[ihearttc]

My DS is 9 (well he will be next week) and is the same height...and probably about the same weight as well!

He has been out of a HBB for about 9 months now. We do fairly long journeys (4 hours each way in a day) every month or so and we got him one of those neck pillows which he has found very comfy.

He actually looks much comfier not in the HBB as he was looking a bit squeezed into it but I wanted to keep him in it as long as possible.

[AliceMum09]

As long as the seatbelt is across his chest and not his neck then I'd say he'd be fine without a high backed booster.

You could use a backless booster if he wants to be a bit higher up. I once read (I'll try and find a link) some research that said after a certain age there is no benefit to using a HBB over just a backless one, for exactly the reason you said - the older children tended to slouch and lean out of the seat for long periods, so they were not getting the protection of the backrest and head rest 'wings' anyway.

My son is 8, and 133cm tall. He has just started to use a Trunki in the middle of our back seat, but if DD1 is not in the car (or I've given other children a lift and put the HBB back in the car for them) then he uses a HBB still.

[RaisinHell]

Thanks again all, much appreciated! We have a backless booster so we can bring that but it is really just a hard plastic block with a bit of a cover, not sure I'd want to sit on that for any length of time!! We also have one of those seat belt adjuster things to lower the belt to make it fit better, and I think we have a neck cushion too somewhere. I am going to look at a Bubblebum this morning to see if it will be comfier. Otherwise he's getting a cushion under his botty

[princessalbert]

He sounds too tall to me to be comfortable in any sort of booster.

Ds was out of booster seats long before then (before the law changed though). He was a tall child.

DSS was still trying to use the booster seat at age 10 when his head was virtually touching the roof of the car - which is surely more dangerous.

The little padded seatbelt protectors are nice to loll against. And a couple of pillows for long journeys.

[KatAndKit]

He is over the height and weight for car seats so just sitting on the seat with the adult seat belt is surely better than wedging him into a child seat that he is too big for. Get one of those round the neck travel pillows for napping or just keep a couple of cushions in the back. He could sit on the cushions if he likes to be higher up.