To keep using a high back booster seat for my 8 year old?

[Ifcatshadthumbs]

He thinks I am (obviously) and a few people have commented questioned why he still has it and not a booster cushion. Most of his friends use a booster cushion and few don't use anything.

My main reason is it gives added protection plus he does fall asleep on long journeys so more comfortable for him.

Am I an over protective meaner though?

dd is 12 and occasionally uses one although she is now over the height but well within weight, especially in longer trips

My dd is 9 and only 136cm but she was too tall for hers and the headrest could not be raised. It probably depends what seat they have. Op any chance you could use a non backed cushion for school runs as it is normally a short, slow speed journey and save the high back one for long journeys. This would cut out the friends comments.

I was told by our council's road safety officer that the booster cushion alone just gives the child extra height but no extra safety.

My DSs both have HBB (maxi cosi rodi, with extendable backs) and find them comfy and secure. When we were in an accident, they were both 'pinned' into their seats by the seat belt tensioner and their heads were protected by the big side wings of the seats.

Some EU (Germany and Eire for example) say 150cm or 12yrs as the legal minimum for ditching boosters. I think this is a far safer law than the UK's. So my kids know that they will have them long past their friends having to use them. And they don't argue because they know you cant argue with safety

My DS2 is 10 and DS1 has just turned 12 (and coincidentally just hit 150cm). I said we can take the seat out now. He said "can I have it back for long journeys because its nice to sleep in"!

I'm not mean, I'm sensible and want to protect my kids from the idiot drivers and unforeseen things that go on out there. Car seats is a way to do that; they also wear helmets and hi-viz stuff when they cycle to school.

We stay in until 150cms here and the children just accept it. It is a non negotiable.

Ds1 stopped using his around 10, he is tall for his age and totally outgrew it. He then used a booster seat for a while and now (11y 4m) doesn't use anything.
Ds2 is 8 in 2 weeks. He has a high back, and will until he be using it until he outgrows it.

I don't understand stopping using them before they outgrow them, you already have the seat it isn't like you have to spend more money.
But you see so many kids being picked up from school and not using seats.

I was surprised when I went to buy a booster seat in Argos that a lot of them said in the description "suitable for ages 4 and up" because I was sure that the official rules were different.

I agree that they are adequate in times of necessity, such as if they are in a taxi and the driver has one, but advertising them as 4 and up seems misleading to me.

My dd is a tall 8 and about the height she legally doesn't need it. However, I am a fairly small adult and seatbelts don't sit right on me - she certainly won't be going without it until she's quite a bit taller (her's is adjustable so you can adjust the level of the seatbelt and she certainly hasn't outgrown it).

still using the high back here for an 8 yr old. Sorry, I may have missed this but what is the legal height/weight before can move to booster only? Not that I have any immediate plans to but would help my argument.

I kept mine in high back boosters until they outgrew them - once the top hits at base of skull height, they need to go. But I have freakishly tall children, my not quite 13yo is 166 cm. YANBU, OP.

My dd is average height and weight, she's just reached 18kg so is moving into a HBB. She's almost 5, most of the children around here have been in HBB's since they were around 2 and are on backless boosters now. Dd is oblivious to others just now but I will not give in when the time comes. She will be in the HBB as long as she fits in it.

10-yo DD1 just moved out of her high-back booster a few weeks ago - she's 150cm. She misses it for long journeys, as she liked having the side wings to rest her head on when she fell asleep. However, I noticed that she was getting too broad for it - her shoulders were 'rolling' forward to fit into it, so I actually wasn't keen on her staying in it for long periods of time. She has a booster cushion now as our car seatbelts are quite high and the strap wasn't resting on quite the right spot yet, but I anticipate it'll only be a few months before she's out of that too especially if she keeps eating like she hasn't seen food for months.

The other two DDs will stay in their HBBs until they reach a similar height/weight, regardless of age.

As long as he's still below the minimum height, yanbu to keep him in it at all.

We moved DS out of his HBB as soon as hit the minimum, I wasn't happy about it really but in hindsight it was the right thing for him. DD will stay in hers until she outgrows it.

but what is the law in the UK re HBB please?

My dd 7 uses a Greco booster seat, her brother 2 has the other one. Really she is hardly in the car, and the longest journey she does is 5 min to the local church or shopping centre. Last time we went on the motorway was 2 years ago. It depends really!

Yanbu. All the best parents do it. Safe, safer, safest. I know which one i choose for my children.

I've just had a quick Google and can't see anything about high back boosters being compulsory...can anyone confirm?

My 6 year old is still in a high back but needs to come out if it really. She's about 123cm but her shoulders are just too broad for it.

they are not compulsory but they are safer than booster cushions. Dd was fine in her maxi cosi rodi xr hbb until she was nearly 10 and she is above average height/weight. They need to be in a suitable car seat until 135cm or age 12 (I think that's the age) whichever comes first. Dd was tall enough to go without but the seatbelt sat in the wrong place without the seat.

britax have also stopped making booster cushions and only make hbb now

Isn't there meant to be a change coming in the law to make HBB boosters compulsory until a later point? (or did I dream it, DS is only 4 is its a long way off for us anyway)

The seat Ilove mentions is perfect for most children up until around 10 or so years. I recall it is quite expensive though, around £100, I think. Plus you can't hand it down to younger sibs given that unless you have a massive age gap your children will all need it at the same time. It is definitely worth investing though, if you are able to.

My DD is coming up for 5 and is still in a 5 point harness as she's so tiny. She asks why she can't have a big girl's seat like her friends but doesn't actually complain (yet!)

My DS is 8, quite broad and 131cm and there is still loads of room- and seat can still be adjusted to be longer iyswim. We have Britax isofix Hbb- not sure of the name.