When did you stop using car seats?

[GreeboIsMySpiritAnimal]

DD is over the minimum height (135cm) to stop using a booster seat, and DH thinks she should be allowed to. However she's only 8 and this feels a bit young to me.

Sorry for the very boring thread - had a bit of a google on the subject but couldn't find any useful information on whether it's actually safe or not - just that yes, at her height she can just use a seatbelt.

When ds was 11 or 12. Dd is 10 and still uses one. The law is different here though. You have to be 150cm.

I’ve wondered the same but keeping DD in one as long as possible - it has to be safer.

Whereabouts are you, @OuiOuiKitty, if you don't mind my asking?

I thought it was 135cm?

Oh just realised kitty is somewhere else

The law at 135cm is very lax. Most seatbelts don’t fit a child properly at 135cm without a high backed booster. I wouldn’t even entertain getting rid of a high backed booster until 140cm +

I'm in Ireland.

I still use one for my 8 year old who’s around 135cm but apparently his dad doesn’t. There’s a point when they’re too big for the car seat and it’s no longer safe but my son doesn’t even have the headrest at the highest setting yet so I’ll be keeping him in it as long as he safely fits.

That's makes sense, @2Kidsinatrenchcoat. She's not even a vey solidly built kid, she's so skinny. She would seem very vulnerable to me just in a seatbelt.

Mine stopped using boosters by the time they were 8, my dc are 20, 19,16 and 12 and i can remember new guidance coming in for younger two and possibly its changed again since, but if guidance says you're dc are tall enough not to use a booster then it should be absolutely fine. however if dc are still happy to use their existing booster seats then just continue for a bit longer if it will give you peace of mind.
Days of traveling in the boot like i did as a child have long since gone🤣

My almost 10 year old now doesn't bother if we're getting a lift or going on a short trip, but is still in a high back seat for long drives.

Should also say ( as a short person!) I think you can get seat belt adjusters to make seat belts sit at correct height, thats normally the real issue with not using a booster

Just over 135 cm the shoulder part on the high backed booster at its highest setting was below DS's shoulder. He was only 7, but we are all very tall.

When children outgrow their HBB some do need a backless booster to get a good seatbelt fit.

DD couldn't fit under the shoulder parts at about 9 and sat on just the cushion bit till about 11.

150cm is about the right indicator but it can depend if all their height is in their legs etc

Until it was uncomfortable for them to sit in due to the shoulder height. DS was about 12, Dd2 9 and Dd1 still fits at almost 13, but we decided to take her out of it as she was uncomfortable due to medical reasons.

About when they went to secondary school, they were both fairly small for their ages

I went by the European height which I think was a bit higher than the U.K. one. Basically he stayed in hbb until it didn't fit - around 10, definitely not before 10. I felt the sides would keep him safer and he often snoozed on it on long journeys - now he looks more uncomfortable if he sleeps but as a teenager I can't really put him in a seat! He wasn't allowed in the front till 12, and I still prefer him in the back to be honest.

My understand is that they have to be

A- Over 135cm in heigh
B- 12 years old or over

Whichever of the two comes first.

If DC is taller than 135 then whether they are 8 or 11 they are tall enough to wear an adult seatbelt normally. You’d get some 11 year olds that a small for their age.

My DC is almost 12 and I’ve just let them stop using a booster seat.tgey are taller than 135cm but not much. My DC sees it as a punishment I think and I tried to explain that it’s safety not because I’m being mean!

She's 137cm. It is all in her legs!

About 12/13. His shoulders were to big for his HBB so we got him an ISOFIX booster seat.

He was a little unsure of it but as he was small for his age child the booster helped with seat belt positioning and he could see ouit the car better

FWIW I think way too many parents move children out of restraints too early

I think the fit of the adult belt is

If it goes across the shoulder without cutting into the neck
Can sit right back in the seat and their legs reach to bend at the knee ie they’re not scooting forward to.
The lap belt is across their pelvis/thigh not their abdomen.

If they can’t do all of these then they are safer in a booster. The law is a bare minimum and most of Europe is 150cm.

DS still fits in his at 9. He has a longer body. Most children grow out by about 10.

Some cars are just horribly designed (by tall men) A lot of seatbelts cut across my neck in the front or back because they're not adjustable to go low enough or because they are set too far back for the back of the seat. I'm 157cm, and my backside while not huge, is certainly not fitting in any kind of booster seat.
I've had some of DH's cars be horrible to drive because the seat depth is too deep for thel length of my thighs, and to reach the pedals, my legs lock up at a very tight angle. I was never convinced that short driver+ pregnant bump practically against the steering wheel + airbag was a safe combination.

Many children get to an awkward stage where they're just not the right proportions between optimum sitting position and the practicalities of booster seats
Unfortunately some of us never grow out of that phase!

My daughter’s 9 and 138cm and still in hbb. She’s long legged and short bodied. Keeping her in it as long as it’s safe to do so. what @Boringnamechanging says is good advice.

Daughter 8 and in hbb at 136. I read other countries say 150 and wed rather she was safe.

Other daughter was a different build so at 140ish moved from hbb to booster seat about then.

Theres links online to photos of points to look at when a child fits a seatbelt on their own and it will vary a bitnon positioning for different cars.

Basically. No hurry.