At what age did you give up the high back booster?

[LillyBugg]

My son is 8.5 and 133cm. I know I CAN move to a backless booster from a high back. But I just can't seem to commit to a choice.

We are using a joie bold and he does still fit in it comfortably but my new car means the seat belt is difficult to fasten as the isofix points are causing the seat to push on the seat belt clip.

Do I just give it up at this point? I would keep him on a booster, but a backless one.

When did you give up the high back booster?

DS is 9 and about 140cm I think, we have just this week taken the back off his seat as he was starting to find it uncomfortable on longer journeys. I think you’ll probably just know… they start to look a bit too big in the shoulders for the high back!

About 11 for DS1 - he then had a backless booster for about 6 months before not requiring anything.
DS2 was 10. Backless booster for about 3 weeks before he complained how uncomfortable it was, and about another 3 months before he was big enough to not need it.

DD is 7.5 and 133 cm and we've just stopped using it.

There’s a good guide someone (probably Bertie ) shared I’ll see if I can find it. Has the points to check to know if it’s right to move them. Different for every child and for different cars.

This is interesting my ds is 4 but hugely tall (size 13 feet) and his heads at the top on the rest. 2hat the height n woeght limits?

Here you go.
from a website trying to flog some kind of dodgy belt positioning device, but the points to check are sound:

1. Does the shoulder portion of the seat belt lay mid chest, mid shoulder?
2. Is the child able to sit with his bottom all the way to the seat back
3. Does the child’s knees bend at the edge of the seat with their feet on the floor?
4. Is the lap portion of the seat belt across the child’s upper thighs and hips?
5. Can the child stay in this position for the whole trip?

@Pleaseaddcaffine what is the model and brand of seat ? A high back booster should adjust to fit him till he is 135-150cm tall. Which is usually at 8-12 years.

@Pleaseaddcaffine the backless boosters are minimum height of 125cm. That is a top of the chart 6 year old. I think you probably need to be looking at adjusting the high backed booster you have, or buying a different one, as he is likely miles off not needing one.

Thank you everyone!

Have to say that he absolutely fits his seat and he has room to spare. But we are REALLY struggling to clip the belt in, due to the car, not the seat.

So is it crazy at 8.5 to be trying out lots of high backed boosters to try and get one that fits in the car comfortably? I suspect a narrower one would work but he's 8.5 and 133cm, I can't really go down a size in terms of a HBB.

I think I'm just looking for someone to tell me it's okay to go backless. Which I'm not sure anyone will.

Look at a seat belt extender instead of ditching the high back?

something that plugs into the plug and makes it easier to get the buckle in?

Like this… friends of ours have one and it’s a lifesaver in their back row of 3!

You can't use a seatbelt extender with any car seat.

You don't need to use the Isofix in high back mode, so I would just unclip it from that and use it without, that should solve your problem.

There's no need to change to a backless booster ever, you can stay in a high back until he can sit properly without a booster seat. Backless ones are good for travel or spares or if you have a short ceiling in your car and can't extend it any higher up, but other than this you shouldn't ever need one as a main seat.

The legal age he can change to just a seatbelt no booster at all is 135cm or 12 years, but between 135-150cm you'll find that they fit in some cars fine with just a seatbelt and some cars it still looks too big so they would benefit from the booster seat.

I don't agree with the feet on the floor recommendation for no booster, I don't think that's necessary, but the other points are good :)

Goldpendant unfortunately not recommended, as it will cause incorrect belt fit.

@BertieBotts thank you this is really interesting that I could use the seat without the isofix points? I can't see anywhere in the manual that it says that? My understanding was that you have to use both 'isosafe' system and the top tether in both modes?

Oh shame, seemed such a good idea!

DS moved to a backless booster as soon as he hit 125cm, just before he turned 6. But he gets school transport, so it needs to go in and out of the taxi twice a day and be stored at home/school in-between.

@goldpendant totally agree that would have been perfect!

As an aside, my son left the seatbelt buckled and did the 'ninja', where he cloned 8n and out of the buckled seatbelt each time. He is a nimble whippersnapper and would just hop in and out. Its much safer than a seatbelt extender which are not recommended.

Climbed in and out. Nobody was cloning anything.

@Darkdiamond interesting. That's a potential solution.

I had to get a different car seat for my car (mazda) . The maxi cosi rodi fix or something. I didn't pay for either of them as picked up second hand. I did buy the seat belt extension first, then realised the error of my ways.

My two were around 9, then kept a backless booster till about 11. But they have always been tall - now at 18 and 16 they are 6' 4" and 6' 2"

My DD is 7.5 and 134cm and has been on a backless booster for a while now. She keeps asking when she can get rid of it as none of her (shorter) schoolfriends use one...

@Cheeseandabsolutelycrackers really?! Goodness I plan to keep my boy in a booster for a while yet, the seatbelt won't fit properly even at 135cm 😔 I don't think I know of anyone a similar age to completely go without, but I suppose once one starts it then spreads!

@Cheeseandabsolutelycrackers sorry I meant in reference to no booster at all! I'm sure the belt fits your daughter fine with the backless booster.