to ask what age/weight your child went into a booster seat?

[cjt110]

My son is 2y 5m. He's 3ft2 and weighs 3st 2/45lbs/21kgs. We have a Maxi Cosi Priori XP in my car. I have just moved the harness to it's highest setting. The harness was below his shoulder prior to this and is now level with it. My husband works for a national retailer who sell car seats and is trained by the manufacturers himself. I asked what happens when we next would need to move the harness up as there is no further room for them to move upwards. My husband said he would go into a high backed booster seat.

I cant recall exactly when but it doesnt seem all that long since we moved it to the setting we have just graduated from. I'd say 6 months perhaps? At that rate, it means my son will be in a high backed booster seat, with seatbelt before he turns 3 and I'm a little uncomfortable at that thought.

So, when did your LO's move into a booster? I know that right now he is weighty enough to be in a booster seat (and that shit scares me!) and it goes on weight rather than age....

Mine was 3.5 & 33lb which was the minimum for the weight of the seat. She was only moved because her wee sister needed her pearl seat or she would have still been in it but only because she was so light.

I think if he fits the criteria then move him

We have a Britax Evolva 123 which is suitable from 9kg up to 36kg or 9 months to 12 years old. DD is 4.3 and we removed the 5 point harness when she reached 17kg which was last Autumn. She uses the seatbelt across the seat so it's the same as high backed booster. But they are quite chunky seats and appear to provide more cushioning/ protection than a basic high backed booster seat.

The strap should be below the shoulder, not above or exactly level with it. And bulky coats should never be worn in a car seat.

My son will go into high back booster seat when he passes 36kg. Around age 6-7 at his current trajectory. Until then he'll stay rear facing in his axkid minikid.

SpringerS Previously it was below his shoulder height - perhaps around the shoulderblade height. Now it is almost level. As I say, my husband has checked it and is happy with it.

I would prefer not to buy a new seat as they are so costly anyway.

It's more my own fear factor about them just having a seatbelt rather than a harness.

My 4 year -old twins are in extended rear facing seats which will last until they're 25kg, so at least she 6 based on their current weights. However we might move them into HBB when they are 4.5 as we have another on the way and I'm not sure we will fit all the seats in the car.

It was almost impossible to find seats which used a harness past 18kg when mine were smaller. There seem to be a few more options now.

We had the Britax evolva which while the same weight seemed to have more space than some, I think we took the harness out not long after they started school, so 4 & 5. Finally stopped using it last year when DS was 9.

You can buy these

BeltUpp www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00CXV8Q6O/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_BgnIybJXYAREM?tag=mumsnetforum-21

Oooooh Paddington! I like this idea! He's so long and gangly it worries me because I don't want him in an ill fitting - too small carseat but then again, I don't want him in a HBB that means he could wriggle out of the belt!

Are you sure that is the right weight for him. 21kg seems very heavy for a child that age and 96cm tall?

DS2 is 4.1 and weighs 17kg. He's still in his five point harness but we'll have to move him soon as the weight limit is 18kg

DD1 just went into one at 3y11m, I wanted to keep her in the harnesses for as long as possible but there's a weight limit for harnesses to be effective, can't remember what it is off the top of my head but they told me in Halfords.

My almost 7 year old is 23 kg. Is that the right weight? My DS is medium size not skinny.

It's 18kg

BiBi8 Thats where my DH works. I will get him to check. Thank you all.

Oops.... no 2 stone 3 - 15.5kgs!

Yep, I'm sure it's 18kg like PP have said but didn't want to give out a false number. We just got the Joie Trillo which has an isofix type system and a bit to tighten the belt fully and prevent them from pulling the belt out and having it incorrectly if you were worried about those factors. I didn't want DD rolling around in a massive seat either, I'd have been happier with her having a harness but this seems like a good medium.

www.smythstoys.com/uk/en-gb/baby/car-seats-booster/c-591/groups-2-3-4-11-years-approx-/p-9855/joie-trillo-group-2-3/

I was going to say surely at 22kg he's already too heavy for his current seat as it has an 18kg weight limit. My son moved into a HBB at 3.5 when he reached 18kg.

That Belt Upp is a great recommendation. We've been in the same boat (super tall DS but still very light so managing to scrape by for now) and the only option we had found was £130! This is definitely more budget friendly. Thanks very much for posting!

A harness should be used until 18kg even if high backed boosters are ok from 15kg, especially as he is still so young. My ds was 18kg at age 3 and went to a hbb as at that time you didn't really get seats that had a harness that was suitable over that weight

High back booster seats are really meant for age 4+. A heavy two year old still has the skeleton of a two year old, not a four year old - there is a difference in the pelvis which means that the lap belt may not sit correctly even if the child is the correct weight. If your child outgrows their group 1 seat much before the age of 4, the safest thing to do is to buy a seat that harnesses up to 25kg. The belt up thing might work as an anti-escape device, but does nothing to change the fact that the seat and belt themselves are not appropriate for two year olds (or three year olds, ideally)

Anyway, since yours is only 15kg, you have a while to go in the current seat. You could by a high back booster with harness where you take the harness out at 18kg if you feel that he is too tall for the current seat

We have a 1 2 3 seat for DS1. He's 6yrs 8m and 40lbs. He's maintained 40lbs for a few weeks now so we've taken the 5 point harness off the seat and are using it as a high backed booster with the seatbelt. Personally I would prefer it if he continued to stay in a 5 point harness for longer as I feel they are safer, but the harness straps aren't tested to work for any weight above 18kg. Yes, I could have moved him up at 15kg but that is the absolute minimum weight and not something to be rushed into. We went to the In Car Safety Centre for advice and were told that as DS has a slight frame we should hold out for as long as possible with the 5 point harness.

The DTs were 4 in September and still have plenty of room in their Maxi Cosi stage 1 seats. Both weigh about 34lbs

My dd is 8 abd has a booster seat. No idea what she weighs!