Car seats - do kids really use them til they’re 12?

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Hello all

I’m looking at buying a car seat for my four month old and have seen some that promise longevity - up to 12 years old.

Do kids up to the start of secondary school actually use car seats? Is this actually a useful feature?

Thanks

I think the law states they have to use them into aged 12 or a certain height. Certainly for my DC's they were around 8 years old once they were the required height to no longer use one.

Also presumably the one you're looking at has a removable harness to become a high back booster that the older child uses the car seat belt with.

12 years old or when they reach 135cm is the law and yes, everyone I know sticks with it. Once they reach 7/8 ish though it’s just the booster seat, which is much easier. Good to have spares for giving friends a lift as well.

Yup to 135cm.or 12 years. My 10 year old boy has just grown out of his

I got stopped by police as my 10 yr old wasnt in one. Back to booster now.

The 12 year thing is almost never relevant - they reach 135cm long before that. I remember fixating on my car seat that promised to work up until my DC were 4.... I didn't read the part where it was actually based on their weight and height. Both of them were out of that particular seat by the time they were about 2.5. At least with 2 kids I got good use out of it.

Most dc are tall enough by year 6 so it’s quite unusual for a secondary school dc to be in one. My twins are 10 (in year 6) and only came out of their seats in November. They are the shortest but one in their class.

My eldest Granddaughter is 10 1/2 and just uses a seatbelt. She's 4ft 8 tall. The 7 year old GD uses a booster seat

No most of them stop aged 8/9 when they reach 135 cm. Have you looked at extended rear facing seats? Ours could be used after a carry baby seat so from around 9 months until 25 kg. My kids are small so were in their little baby seat for longer than most, which was convenient for us as twins. They last in rear facers until about 7, then into boosters for a year or so.
We had the britax romer max way plus (Swedish pass plus). One of my kids was very unhappy to forward face as could no longer rest their book on their crossed legs!

In mainland Europe it’s to 150cm, so most 11/12 year olds are just outgrowing.

I don’t think the 0-12 year old seats got very good reviews when i looked as they kind of did every day ok, but none great.

We have a 0-4 swivel seat though, which is to 18kg ( says average 4 year old but some younger I guess)

I bought one that should last till then. Slightly off topic but have a look at how easy it is to take apart to clean. After lockdown my then 2 year old vomited on every car journey for a year. The vomit inevitably leaked into the seat and its not possible to fully take it apart. It still smells. It's also really heavy to move between cars. My children are both long but as youngest is a baby I'm stuck with it for years yet.

It's to do with height. Mine used high backed boosters until 8 that converted to just a cushion until 11, they were short. I personally would look for extended rear facing and not worry about older because you will want to replace by the time they need just a booster ( between car sick, snacks, drinks, etc they get grimy )

Depends on height. My eldest was 9 (just) when he grew out of his

My daughter stopped using hers at 8. With a booster her head touched the roof!

My 9 year old has used one for at least a year. She is way over the height.

My son stopped using one when he was nearly 9

Dc is 12 and 5'2. That's like asking a small woman to sit in one!

It's generally not a great idea to get a seat that goes from birth-12y. A seat that is catering for the four different group stages doesn't tend to perform well in safety tests as they have to compromise to straddle the various stages.

Much much safer to get a seat that rear faces to at least 4y at this point and then change to a high back booster after 4y.

Most kids won't need them - they hit the height requirement way before 12. DD is only 7 and is 1cm off!

Do you have an infant seat already? Are you looking to get a second seat now? As a general rule I would suggest waiting until baby has nearly outgrown the infant seat, then getting a 25kg ERF seat like the Britax Max Way Plus, Axkid Minikid or Axkid Move. That should last until the child is 6-7 and then you can get a high back booster to last until they don't need a seat any more.

The multi stage seats aren't usually the best, they're ok as spares, for travel, grandparents etc.

It is the height that is relevant. Ds is 8 and a half, pretty much bang in average height and 2cm too short to come out of a seat. I suspect less than a year and he’ll be tall enough. (Although with dd we kept her in a seat for a bit longer.)

My DD is 9 and quite petite so is still in hers. As are most of her friends. Only one is tall enough to not use it. We will use it as long as possible. DP is a paramedic and is rightly very safety conscious. He's been to some awful RTCs with children involved.

@Thickasmincepie

Dc is 12 and 5'2. That's like asking a small woman to sit in one!

At 12, my Ds was taller than me!

My 10yo has just stopped using a booster cushion as the seat belt fits properly now. 147cm tall.
My 8yo doesn't legally have to use one, being 135cm... but the seatbelt doesn't fit properly without.

@NameChange30

Do you have an infant seat already? Are you looking to get a second seat now? As a general rule I would suggest waiting until baby has nearly outgrown the infant seat, then getting a 25kg ERF seat like the Britax Max Way Plus, Axkid Minikid or Axkid Move. That should last until the child is 6-7 and then you can get a high back booster to last until they don't need a seat any more.

The multi stage seats aren't usually the best, they're ok as spares, for travel, grandparents etc.

This is very very helpful, thank you.

And thank you everyone - such helpful comments. I very much appreciate it. 🙏