Should I buy a booster cushion for a 9 yo?

[DillieDoily]

My DS (age 9.5 years) is 146cm tall and is now too tall for his Cybex HBB - he has a long torso and can't fit his shoulders under the head rest at his highest setting.

I know that legally he doesn't need any type of car seat (once taller than 135cm I believe) but would he still be safer with a backless booster cushion? Or is there a certain height/weight that they become useless (or even more dangerous than not using one)?

I've tried googling but can't find much info for this older age group- just lots of articles saying HBB are much better than the booster cushions for younger children (which I totally agree with!)

Someone has passed on one of those flimsy polystyrene booster cushions but it doesn't seem very robust so was going to investigate buying something a bit sturdier if he'd still be safer with one.

Doesn't the booster cushion off the cybex come apart for long backed children?

The one we had didn't come apart (I hoped it would!) and I've now given it away

my mum is 151cm tall, she doesn't use a booster seat, my cousin isn't quite 150cm! At 146 he is safe strapped into the car seat

We've just bought a booster cushion as a spare for DH's car, she still has a Cybex HBB as her main seat. DD is 9 and about 12cm off being tall enough to not need one.
I was disappointed with some of the cheap, flimsy boosters and we've ended up with one from Heyner. They are a German brand and are safety tested. We've been impressed with it as it feels sturdy and was about £30.

At 146cm just short of 5ft he doesn't need a booster cushion. As long as the seat belt isn't rubbing on his neck I'd leave it.

He's the same height as lots of adult women.

Do the 5 step test:

1. can he sit with his back against the vehicle backrest
2. do his knees bend over the edge of the vehicle seat
3. are his feet flat on the floor
4. is the lap belt on his hips (not tummy)
5. is the chest belt across his shoulder/collar bone (not neck)

If he is a “yes” to the above, at his height he will no longer need to use a car seat.

If he’s a “no” to any of the questions, then use the booster cushion for a bit until he is 150cm.

The law is 135cm or 12 years old in uk - be aware most of Europe (inc Ireland) are 150cm. We only have 135cm here as some cars limit the extension of a booster to 135cm due to roof height 🙄

Seatbelts are only tested from 150cm with a male crash test dummy.

I was just talking about this yesterday. My DTs are only 7.5 but they are 135cm tall which is the cut off for needing a car seat. But they seem so young to not be in one. After a long journey yesterday they actually looked uncomfortable falling asleep in the car last night for the first time. Is there a stage when being in an uncomfortable seat is worse than just being belted in?

@Flappityflippers1

Do the 5 step test:

1. can he sit with his back against the vehicle backrest
2. do his knees bend over the edge of the vehicle seat
3. are his feet flat on the floor
4. is the lap belt on his hips (not tummy)
5. is the chest belt across his shoulder/collar bone (not neck)

If he is a “yes” to the above, at his height he will no longer need to use a car seat.

If he’s a “no” to any of the questions, then use the booster cushion for a bit until he is 150cm.

The law is 135cm or 12 years old in uk - be aware most of Europe (inc Ireland) are 150cm. We only have 135cm here as some cars limit the extension of a booster to 135cm due to roof height 🙄

Seatbelts are only tested from 150cm with a male crash test dummy.

Your comment is really helpful, thank you. I'm in the same position as OP. My 9yo daughter is just over the height and looks soo squished in her hbb. I will try your test and I can imagine I'll be buying a booster seat.

I'm surprised Ireland is also 150cm. I assumed the UK was 135cm because many adults don't hit 150cm.
The UK has a lower average height than some other parts of Europe, Dutch are on average the tallest.

Cars in the UK are no different to cars in Europe.

Mine is over 135cm. In our small car he touches the floor well and seat belt is in the right position. In our bigger car the seat belt sits across him in a better position with a booster cushion so we've done that.

@JPduck hugely helpful thank you, will be doing this test tonight!

A kids pelvis is not at full atrength till aged 12years. A booster cushion aligns the seat belt to take the pressure of the pelvis in the event of an accident

My 12yo has only just passed the tests JPduck set out (she is small), and my 9yo is nowwhere near passing them, though she can no longer fit safely in her HBB. So I suspect we’ll be using the booster cushion for another couple of years, though as a pp says, it does partly depend on the car.

@Flappityflippers1

Do the 5 step test:

1. can he sit with his back against the vehicle backrest
2. do his knees bend over the edge of the vehicle seat
3. are his feet flat on the floor
4. is the lap belt on his hips (not tummy)
5. is the chest belt across his shoulder/collar bone (not neck)

If he is a “yes” to the above, at his height he will no longer need to use a car seat.

If he’s a “no” to any of the questions, then use the booster cushion for a bit until he is 150cm.

The law is 135cm or 12 years old in uk - be aware most of Europe (inc Ireland) are 150cm. We only have 135cm here as some cars limit the extension of a booster to 135cm due to roof height 🙄

Seatbelts are only tested from 150cm with a male crash test dummy.

Thanks so much for this - it's really helpful. I felt like I was going round in circles when I tried Googling it. All of the advice is for younger (or shorter) children.

Does any old booster cushion do? After years of buying (and researching) expensive car seats it seems weird spending a tenner on a bit of polystyrene!

@MissRainbowBrite

We've just bought a booster cushion as a spare for DH's car, she still has a Cybex HBB as her main seat. DD is 9 and about 12cm off being tall enough to not need one. I was disappointed with some of the cheap, flimsy boosters and we've ended up with one from Heyner. They are a German brand and are safety tested. We've been impressed with it as it feels sturdy and was about £30.

Thanks for that. Could you please share the link to the one you've bought?

heyner.co.uk/products/child-car-seats/1775-2/
This is the one we have, they have a UK base so shipping is free, delivered in a couple of days by RM.

Ds is 11 and 146cm, he has recently moved to just using a booster cushion as he felt comfier with that than just sitting in the car and the belt certainly sits better when he is on the HBB

How much do we need to worry about the weight limit of basic booster cushions? That one linked suggests 36kg, which doesn't seem realistic for 150cm to me.

@DillieDoily it doesn’t matter massively, but I would recommend looking for one that has “arm rests” that you hook the lap belt under (usually also both parts of belt on buckle side) - this holds the booster in place and keeps it routed safely in the hips

@Keiki

How much do we need to worry about the weight limit of basic booster cushions? That one linked suggests 36kg, which doesn't seem realistic for 150cm to me.

Boosters are the only time you can exceed the weight limit - if a child wasn’t a safe height for going without a booster, but over the weight limit, it is safer for that child to continue booster use (say a 40kg 130cm child for example, they should continue booster use)

The 36kg is because that’s what the P10 test dummy weighs - however a booster doesn’t restrain a child, it only positions the belt - the seat belt does the restraining and that is tested to higher loads, hence why you can exceed weight limit safely (and on new iSize boosters, there is no longer a maximum weight limit)

To stress, on any other stage car seat that is an integral restraint (so uses a harness or shield to restrain child), the weight limit should never ever be exceeded.

@Flappityflippers1 this is so useful, thank you! The weight limit was going to be my next question

My dd is 12yo and still sits on a booster because she doesn’t pass the checklist yet. She is admittedly on the smaller side.

The most important bit is whether the seatbelt is on their tummy or across their hips or thighs. If it's too high on their tummy it can cause abdominal issues if you crash, that's why you need the booster. Sometimes when they're slightly too short to bend their knees over the edge they'll move to the edge of the seat to let their knees band which causes them to slouch and then the belt is too high. So I would use one until they can sit comfortably with their bum all the way back.

It doesn't matter which one you use as it's literally just a belt positioner :)

@claracluck1978

Is there a stage when being in an uncomfortable seat is worse than just being belted in?

Yes. If the booster seat is causing the belt to route incorrectly because it's too small to adjust any more then it would be worse than just being seatbelted in, if the seatbelt fits them properly without a booster. Their shoulders need to fit under the headrest. Most high backed boosters you can move the headrest up and down.

I know that this is an old thread, but wondering if anyone know of a high backed booster that covers the 135-160ish cm range.

I understand the rationale for not using the high backed at this stage, but really would prefer to. Child is 7 years, still sleeps in the car at times (rather like his mother!) and both parents are doctors, so massively risk averse!

Struggling to find a specific brand that advertises the height range.

DD has Cybex Solution Q2 fix which has an extendable headrest and side wings. Cybex website says it goes upto 150cm, would that work?
160cm is 5ft and most adults of that size don't use seats.