Carseats

[Whistledown1005]

Aibu to think a small 5yo should not be sitting on just a carseat booster without a back or have I missed something?

Friend wanted me to drive to park with our DC in back. My DC is 8 and still has a high back carseat. She put in a booster only for her DC. I said I was not comfortable driving with hin like that as it would be my responsibility. I checked online and there are height and weight based car seats. The DC is quite light and my friend thinks that after 15kg they don't need a high back carseat?

She changed over the carseat before we left.

Who's correct?

...

I don't know what the legal requirement is but I agree they need a high back! If they just have the booster surely the seatbelt doesn't go in the right place? The high back has a seatbelt guide so the belt isn't coming too high on the child.

That's what I thought too. I'm worried she's been driving around with him just in a booster

If its an older (non i size) seat then as long as the child is 15 kg, it's legal. It's not the safest, but it is legal.

I dont know about the legalities but my friend is a nurse and told me she once had a little girl come in who ended up paralysed. It was an issue with the booster seat in an accident and it could have almost certainly been avoided in a high back chair.

so my kids are in their high back chairs until they are 35 😂

They’re legal if bought a few years ago before the regulations changed. We do have one that we use for travel as it’s easier to carry about and also occasionally when we need to get 3 across the back of the car because we can’t get 3 bigger seats in but I put it in the middle to mitigate the lack of side impact protection. Does your friend have much older siblings? She might not be aware regulations changed since she had her eldest. My SIL has teens as was a bit confused that we had our 6YO still in a ‘big seat’ and she’s good on safety stuff normally, it just wasn’t the done thing when her kids were smaller.

He is her oldest and he was born in 2019 so after the regulations so the new rules would apply

YANBU in your knowledge. I'd argue at 5 they should still be rear facing too, but i'm one of those weirdo ERF people.

YABU to mention it like that though. Ultimately i find people are defensive of their parenting choices. Even when they come from a place of ignorance. I'd have asked more subtly and dropped some information in about hard back boosters in a oh i heard way...or i wasnt sure so looked it up. Lecturing will get you nowhere.

Yes it’s legal. Lots of pre-I-size boosters state that they are ‘from 15kg’ and you can still buy them. There is no specific law about car seat suitability per se as long as the manufacturer has stated it is appropriate.

The ones sold today say 6+ approx but it's by height and weight not age and older ones said 3+. They definitely aren't as safe for smaller children as a high backed booster or belted seat but not illegal plus the law allows short unexpected trips without seats if required. I can see why a booster may be used to save space or as it's portable, better than nothing.

Mine were in high backed until 10/11 but I was pretty unusual

Definitely high back, my eldest was in hers until secondary, my 8 Yr old still in hers and for a real giggle we strapped my nanna in my eldests once so she could see out the window 🤣🤣

After 15kg? My not quite 2yo is 15kg. That can't be right!

Yeah that's legal, it's not when the seat was purchased. The legalities are to do with any new seats coming into the market have to follow the new rules when being manufactured but any of the seats made before the rules came into force are perfectly legal and parents can still use and purchase these now. Lots are still available from retailers.

We have a booster cushion for DS10 who no longer fits his HBB but needs something so seatbelt lies properly. It states must be 125cm.