7 year old dd, do I need a car seat?

[EsmeWeatherwax]

My 7 year old dd is 136cm tall, not sure of weight but probably about average for her height. Do I still need a hbb for her? Or a car seat at all? I'm pretty safety concious with car seats, all three dcs have been in extended rear facing seats etc, but my very large car is coming to the end of its life and since I hardly use it anymore, I'd like something smaller...much easier with only two car seats to fit! Currently have 2 hbb and a kiddy guardian pro with impact sheild.

it really depends on where the seatbelt sits on her body i.e. if it sits at her neck rather than her shoulders then she should be on some sort of seat so the belt is in a safer position.

DD had to sit on a booster cushion until she was 10, even though legally she was tall enough not to use a seat, as the seatbelt did not sit in a safe position. At that age she would still be safer in some sort of seat despite being 1cm over the legal minimum height.

could you put a narrow booster cushion between the other 2 carseats as she is very young not to be using no seat at all.

Yes, think I'll keep her in a booster for now. I'm not 100% comfortable with nothing at all. She's in the middle atm with occasional ventures into the boot seats. (Ford Galaxy) Hopefully the car will last til end of next winter!

There is some good advice here carseatblog.com/3966/the-5-step-test/ about whether or not your child should sit without a booster in the car. I think it's American, but there is nothing on it that doesn't apply in the UK too.

My DS is 8, and 133cm tall. I can see that with just 2cm more growth there is no way he'll be ok without a booster, especially if it's just his legs that grow! Interestingly, the main thing people seem to look for when deciding whether or not a child needs a booster is the position of the seatbelt on the child's neck or chest. But it's also important to make sure that their legs are long enough so that they bend at the edge of the car's seat and can hang down straight into the footwell. It's mentioned in the link above