Car seat

[DobbyLovesSocks]

I measured my DS (8.5yr) last night and he is now 135cm. According to Gov.uk, he no longer needs a car seat. AIBU to think that as he is still only 8.5 he is too young to travel in a car without some sort of restraint other than the seat belt? The car seat I have can be taken apart to become a backless booster seat but I'm nervous at the thought of just this.
Please tell me others have 8 year olds who don't travel in car seats and I am being silly.

My dd is 8.8 and still in a car seat but she’s not as tall as your son.

Both of mine were using booster seats by 8 and got rid of them by 10 but they both take after there dad (6'3)

Well there are lots of boosters that will accommodate taller than that so at this height I guess it just becomes your choice.

@stressedout10 ok. My DN who is nearly 6 uses just a booster seat so maybe I am just being silly. No idea where DS gets his height from as I am 5'6 and his dad is 5'9

If he still fits the seat as it is, then you can keep him in it if you want to. I'm not sure if it becomes a safety issue to be keeping them in a seat or not, from a particular height or weight.

DD is 8.5 and has outgrown her high back booster. She’s 136cm. Still have her on a booster as it gives her a better view.

A lot depends on the build of the child and the particular car. One of mine is all leg so while she'd reached the height guidelines for not needing the booster any more, the reality was that to get the seat belt to fit she still needed it for a couple more years.

thecarseatlady.com/car-seats/boosters/5steptest/

The high back booster is mostly about making sure the seat belt is in the right position, this picture gives you an idea of whether a child still needs a booster

Also, YANBU, just because it's legal doesn't mean its the saftest thing for your child, it will be different for each child x

As long as the seat belt is still fitting properly then the hbb is much safer

Ds is 9 and 133cm and won’t be out of his hbb any time soon. Many other countries have 150cm as the minimum

DD7 is 135 or just over. She definitely needs some sort of car seat, otherwise the belt is around her neck. HBB most of the time (bought on the Continent so suitable up to 150cm) or booster cushion in taxis/when I have an extra child as she's often the tallest. She finds the HBB more comfy.

I've had children up to ten years old using hbb in my car. As other posters have said, 152cm is the minimum in many other European countries, so as long as they fit comfortably into a hbb, they sit in one (obviously bearing in mind that children vary widely in size and some 8/9 year olds would be seriously squished in a hbb whereas some 11yr olds would still fit comfortably)

Angeldust thanks, that's a very helpful image
The head part of DS's HBB only just sits on his shoulders so that part won't fit him for much longer. I think i will give it a try this weekend with out the back and see how he sits in the car with the seatbelt.