Is your 10 yr old still in a high-back booster ?

[flutterby1]

My boy is moaning that it's embarrassing, obviously I'm more concerned for safety but are high back boosters still needed/ effective for a 10+ child ? Is your child at this age still in one? Or do I just need the booster cushion ? Thanks

How tall is he? My 9 year old isn't in one but she's tall enough.

My 9 year old isn’t as he’s tall enough.

My about to turn 10yo is. She seems quite happy and finds it comfortable. Shes tall enough not to need it and we occasionally don't bother moving it from car to car if we are only taking her a mile up the road but otherwise she is in it as it is safer. We always use it when going on fast roads.

My 10 year old has just come out of hers as she is now at the height limit.

We transitioned with a booster cushion when DD nearest the height limit as she just needed a slight boost to get the seatbelt in the right place but the seat itself was becoming uncomfortable as she grew. Worked fine.

You'll get a lot of people saying my child is to tall. But I think many parents go off the minimum high level not the max. I know you will get 10 year old who are taller but a lot could still be in a high back booster, and it's safer if they still if.

We had a EU, isofix one so the maximum high was taller 150cm or 12 years of age. So yes I kept DS in it longer and yes he did complain about it but I kept on reminding him it was safer. Actually when he came out of it he said his car seat had been more comfortable especially if he fell asleep.

Mine is 11 and hasn’t even used the booster cushion for ages and ages

DD is 10 and 5ft2" so taller than lots of adult women, she hit the height where legally she no longer needed a car seat at about 7 but we kept her in it till she was 8.

My DD is 5ft 4 and taller than me so she wouldn't fit in one . She hasn't needed one for years . But her friends who are alot smaller don't use one either . It's up to 12 if they're under the height limit isn't it ?

You need to check the seat belt positioning to make sure it is sat properly.

ds was in HBB until he was 11 and just a booster cushion until he was 13 (slightly longer than needed as he felt it was comfier). He is average height (but very slim build) but under 12 there is no way the seat belt would have sat safely

Ah I see it's 135 cm /4 ft 5" to stop using , I'll
Measure him later. I'd say he was average height for age x

No. He hit the "target height" when he was 9.

I have a booster seat that I could put him in, but the one he's using is a high- back booster it possibly looks like a toddler seat which is causing the upset but doesn't have internal straps , just the cars seat belt.

God no. Mine were out the high backs around age 7. Much comfier for them and safer as the backs were sitting on the wrong place for their shoulders potentially causing injuries should a crash occur.

Can't say any of my 8 year olds friends are in one any more as far as I can tell.

But it's mumsnet. Pretty much the majority on here will swear their darlings were in rear facing multi point seats until age 19 or something 🤷‍♂️

No because she's taller than 150cm.
135cm is the legal height in the UK, but lower than other nearby countries.

Look at the 5 point test... its about how the seat belt fits them. It may be different in different cars. DD used one in ourbigger car longer than our small car.

Mine was. The EU uses 150cm rather than the 135cm we use in the UK. Mine was technically tall enough by UK standards but sitting him without the booster the belt did not sit in the right place.

Age 10 he was involved in a car crash where the other car crashed right in to the side of our car where he was sitting. Thanks to the side impact protection he just had a sore shoulder.

135 cm is not the "target height" it's the minimum legal height in the UK. My DS (10 and 144 cm) has been out of a HBB since he was 8 - he found it too uncomfortable - but will stay on a booster cushion till he meets the EU standard of 150 cm.

Mine were at 10. One was 140cm, the other 135cm so just big enough to not need a seat in theory but too short in my opinion for the seatbelt to fit safely.
We compromised with normal boosters for the school run (4 miles on very, very slow country lanes to the next village) but high backed for any other journeys.

Think mine were pretty much 11 before they came out if the hbb. And that was because their shoulders didn't fit.
They still needed a booster cushion for another few months in my car (but not DHs) until they met the 5 step test.

HBB or booster I'm less fussed about, but they absolutely needed to meet all 5 requirements for an adult seatbelt before I let them use that alone.
It was pretty close to 150cm before that was met.

I wouldnt be using anything like past around 9, obviously ensuing weight and height have been met.

Yes still in a high back as she’s a small 10 yo and under 135cm. Occasionally we use a booster seat but not often as it’s less safe.

DS1 was in a HBB until he finished Y6, but then he is shorter than average for his height and very slight. DS2 is tall for his age and his shoulders hulked out of our HBB at about age 8 1/2, so we moved him to a smaller booster, and then he was tall enough to be comfortable and safe in a normal seat (and had overtaken his old Beavers leader in height) by 9.

DD turned 10 in February and still in a HBB, she’s over the 135cm minimum but still fits in it fine so why wouldn’t I use it? It makes her travelling in a car safer as the seat belt fits her properly so she’ll be in it until an adult seat belt fits her fine without it.