to think you can actually be too big for a high back booster?

[FleurDelacoeur]

Disagreement with friend. My DS is almost 10. Hers is almost 9. (My DS is average sized, average weight, no additional needs, no disabilities - and hers is just the same for a 9 year old).

We share lifts between us and another child who is between the two in ages for football clubs at the weekends. She has a high-booster in the back of her car. She doesn't make her child sit in it (because he doesn't want to, and she is too indulgent to make him) and as my child is the last to be picked up on the run, the car arrives with two boys sitting in the back (one on just a booster cushion, one on the back seat) and mine, who is the biggest and tallest, is expected to squeeze himself into the high-back booster. In our own car, he has a booster cushion but hasn't used a high-back one for at least 2 years. Probably more.

My point to her was that this isn't safe - he's in a seat which is very uncomfortable. Yes it's a short journey but my rule of thumb is always to allocate seats strictly by size - smallest child gets the high back booster, no argument.

But I genuinely don't know if AIBU as the rules on booster seats have changed about 10 times since I had my first child.

I don't let mine stop using the hbb just because they hit 135cm, but DS1 grew out of his at around 10. His shoulders wouldn't fit under the head rest any more.

I think if they are over 150 cm it's safer not to sit in it

Why can't she take it out? They high back boosters are usually easy to remove.

I think the small difference in height is probably a red herring as they can't be far apart. I'm not sure her ds should be forced to sit in the booster in his own car becuase your ds doesn't want to.

I don't go strictly by height in my car with things like sitting in the front. I'll more likely want the oldest child or whoever I think is most sensible rather than just the tallest.

DD is 140 and can sit safely with just the seat belt I.e. it's at the right height.

I thought once they got past 135cm tall, which an average 10 yr old would be, they didn’t need a booster at all? So she could just take it out and put in boot while he rides.

I’m no expert but I guess you can be too big for one as the seatbelt wouldn’t sit in the correct place on you. Is it just a bit tight or is the belt too low on him?

Not sure what height DS is. We were in the States last year and he was just big enough for the 54 inches rides so that was 4 feet 6 inches last year, so he's maybe about 4 feet 7 inches or 140cm.

The seat is too narrow and restrictive for him - DS has to sort of draw his shoulders forward to squeeze into it.

As for why friend doesn't take it out - well her son is smaller than mine and would fit into it. But there's a whole backstory about friend being chronically disorganised and she very much treats her DS as a bit of a baby. But on the other hand won't lay down the law and tell him just to sit in the fecking seat.

My dd is 140cm and still in a high backed booster. But if you don't want your ds to sit in it she needs to either sit her own son in it or take it out of the car.