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

[RandomCatGenerator]

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

DD is 8 and she reached 135cm in July. Although she had the occassional journey without a car seat we more often than not keep her in the booster becauae she can see out of the window better

For information, the 12 year old limit is about bone maturation. By 12 (= puberty), the skeleton is a lot more adult like, and as a result, a lot more sturdy in case of impact. Before that, there's a much higher risk of damage to internal organs, in particular because the bottom part of a seat belt sits on your hip bones, and relies on these bones being fully fused to work properly.

The size thing is in fact less relevant. It's about seat-belt positioning, so still important (it needs to go across the chest and just over the shoulder; with shorter kids, it would reach their neck/chin => not safe!)
But without a sturdy skeleton, it's much safer to seat kids (even the tall ones) in a booster seat (ideally with full back), as the seat will absorb most of the damage in case of impact (especially lateral impact, which isn't uncommon)

My daughter stopped using hers when she was 11.

This is slightly off topic but Which didn't recommend seats with large age ranges as they didn't work well for each stage.
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My nine year old is huge. Way over the minimum height and has outgrown his HBB. We decided this week that he’s in a normal seat belt from here on in. He is the 99th centile though so unusual.

I unnecessarily bought a booster that adjusted up to 150cm instead of a cheaper 135cm one. A few years later I found I couldn't use it on the highest setting as the side hit where the car roof curved (the middle seat only had a lap belt), so DS was out of it at 9 1/2 and 135cm anyway. Luckily he passed the 5 point test in my car. If you get a big seat check it actually fits!

On MN, DC sit backward facing until at least 13.

From a practical perspective, I would recommend (like others said) swapping the baby seat for a child seat when the time is right. Child booster seats are much cheaper and much lighter, so easier to move from one car to another.

For baby seats, pick a rear facing one if you can. And isofix is great. Much more stable than seat belt straps and the like, in my experience.

My Dc is 10 and has been tall enough not to need a seat for the last two years, but still prefers to use it as it makes the part of the belt that goes across the lap "more comfortable" apparently.

I imagine it will quickly get dropped at the start of secondary school though!

On MN, DC sit backward facing until at least 13.

From a pure safety perspective, everyone (except the driver, obviously) should in fact face backward. Too bad it makes most people feel sick (I wouldn't last 5 minutes...)

still prefers to use it as it makes the part of the belt that goes across the lap "more comfortable" apparently.

Yes, that would be the bit about hip bones I was referring to. The pressure would be uncomfortable on immature bones. Childrens aren't adults, it can be easy to forget how much more fragile their bodies are.

I my experience, no. My dc are 12 and 14 now and neither they nor any of their friends were in car seats past 8/9. My 12 year old is 5ft 3!

@RobotValkyrie

For information, the 12 year old limit is about bone maturation. By 12 (= puberty), the skeleton is a lot more adult like, and as a result, a lot more sturdy in case of impact. Before that, there's a much higher risk of damage to internal organs, in particular because the bottom part of a seat belt sits on your hip bones, and relies on these bones being fully fused to work properly.

The size thing is in fact less relevant. It's about seat-belt positioning, so still important (it needs to go across the chest and just over the shoulder; with shorter kids, it would reach their neck/chin => not safe!)
But without a sturdy skeleton, it's much safer to seat kids (even the tall ones) in a booster seat (ideally with full back), as the seat will absorb most of the damage in case of impact (especially lateral impact, which isn't uncommon)

Thanks @RobotValkyrie I was about to say all this! We have cybex seats with head and side impact protection. I imagine my 10 year old at 143cm will fit in hers for a while so I’ll continue to use it - I can raise the head and it widens as it lifts - super car seats. These are suitable when kids can use seatbelts

Ds (8 next month) is in a high back booster in my car (he has a harness aswell due to his special needs) he goes to school 30 mins each way in a taxi and doesn’t have a booster seat at all, just sits on the normal seat with seatbelt and harness. I was a bit when they said he didn’t need one in a taxi.

I once gave my friends son a lift to school when her car broke, I asked her to put his booster in my car, she laughed and said don’t be ridiculous she said he was too old, he was about 7 at the time.

Reading this thread, I thought ds was tall, he looks it but I’ve just checked his last medical report from September and it says 123cm. Maybe he’s not as tall as I thought.

He’s ok in his booster for now but he is starting to look a bit large in it.

Nearly-12yo DS has just only just grown too tall for his HBB but is skinny so will still squash into it for longer journeys. Many of his friends grew out of them 2-3 years ago (as in wouldn't fit).

There are 2 things I'd be wary of if looking at a one size fits all seat:

1. Plastics generally only have a few years before they start to become brittle. Car seats are exposed to extremely hot and freezing cold temperatures. Car seat manufacturers may say that the seat can be used for children aged 1-12 but they also say they should be replaced every 5 years for this reason.

2. One size fits all may = one size doesn't fit any age particularly comfortably. Particularly because toddler seats are bulky and weigh a tonne, which makes them tricky to swap between cars.

I’m dying of laughter at the 16/17 year old comment. I hope that’s a troll & not serious. ‘Oh hi driving instructor, just brought my booster cos my mum says it’s safer’ 🤣🤣

I wouldn’t have been seen dead in a booster seater as a teenager. To be fair, I mostly got the bus & train everywhere .. not even a seatbelt on those so 🤷🏼‍♀️

Most children hit the required height before they turn 12y, so most children aren't using them until they're 12 in my experience.

I know lots of 8/9 year olds with car seats, but no secondary school age.

It’s not just about height. I went by this. DD is 9 and based on this we recently replaced the high backed booster seat with a booster cushion. Without anything she was too low on the back seat and her legs not quite long enough to bend at the right place. Loads of parents just take the booster seat away though because they only go on height

Everyone I know has used a big carseat with 5 point harness until about 4 year olds.
Then they ditch the car seat and get a high backed booster seat with isofix (safer than boosters which just rest on the car seat). These are much easier to take in and out of the car than the 0-4yrs car seats and use the standard car seatbelt.
My 10 year old stopped using a high back booster at about 8 1/2 when she was 135cm. My younger daughter who is 7 isn't quite 135cm, but is now complaining that she is uncomfortable in the booster seat because her shoulders rub on the top. They definitely have a shelf life. I'm going to put her in a no-back booster for another year or so.

So no, personally I wouldn't get one seat for 0-12. I think they lack flexibility as your child grows.

And if you are looking at something like the Joie everystage, it's a great budget seat, BUT if you don't need such as small budget or can spread it over the 2 remaining stages of seat you'd be best doing that. The Joie seats are fab BUT depending on the car can leave little leg room for an older rear facing child and take up a lot of cabin space.

Generally no, most children meet the minimum height to go without before they are twelve.

But you should be using a high backed booster until that point. I think DS1 was about 10 and he is tall. We went with the slightly higher height point of 150cm as we live in Germany.

However, don't bother with the all stages seats. They are a total con, false economy. Even if your DC takes until 12 to get to the correct height to ditch it, you're using it as a harness seat until 4 and then a booster for the next eight years, twice as long. The whole brilliant part of moving to a high backed booster is getting to dump the awkward, heavy, bulky seat! So why would you opt for one that's heavy, bulky and awkward (due to having the harness stage built in) for the majority of the time you're using the seat?

They don't save money. You can get a basic high back booster seat for about £30 or a decent one starting at about £60. Do that in 4 years time and benefit from 4 extra years' research and development and a seat that hasn't been battered by living through the toddler stage.

They tend to be massive for babies and the babies rattle around in them which isn't great from a crash protection standpoint. Or you're having to obtain a degree in which combination of bamboozling inserts to use.

If your child is bigger than average they will outgrow the harness before you want them in a booster and you'll need to buy another seat anyway.

If you rear face with them they tend to be of the kind that can only be fully reclined so they take up a giant amount of space in the car.

In general, start out with an infant carrier, use it for as long as possible, then measure your child and work out if they are big for their age or not. Then buy the best seat for the harnessed stage you can afford. 25kg limit if they are big, 18kg limit is fine if not.

Or start out with a 0-18kg seat and assess when your DC is 18kg or you have DC2 whether to buy a 25kg harness seat or move them to a booster seat or 18kg 123 seat.

Don't buy seats that do more than one job. They tend to do both poorly. There are exceptions, but as a rule of thumb.

Stick to brands with a good quality reputation. Beware the super cheap seems to do everything models online. Ideally get the seat fitted in your car so you can see what it's like. Read the manual.

My 12 year old is the same height as me, so no.

My titchy 10 year old still uses a cheap high backed one we’ve used since he was about 4 (good for napping on long journeys), a very expensive bulky one would be a pain when moving it between cars etc.

The Joie every stage isn't a budget seat, it's £200. You can get way better seats for £200, and if you are truly on a tight budget, you can go birth to 150cm for about £100-150 depending on the seats purchased, by buying separate seats, without skimping and purchasing something with a poor safety rating.

Oh hello sorry just noticed who this is :o wave! (We are on the same postnatal thread!)

I’m dying of laughter at the 16/17 year old comment. I hope that’s a troll & not serious. ‘Oh hi driving instructor, just brought my booster cos my mum says it’s safer’ 🤣🤣

@Bobholll dd3 is disabled and is the height of a very young child. Why would me wishing to keep her safe be a source of amusement for you?