Car seat for an 8 year old...

[user2929]

Dd is nearly 8. She weighs 3st10lb but is tall around 128cm. She's currently in a rodiofix or something - a highback booster basically.

I'm reading conflicting things about the legalities of highback v backless (obviously I totally agree with the safety aspect).

Just wondering what other parents use for kids this age?

My son is almost 8 and still in a high back booster as I believe it provides side impact protection.

Mine are 11, 9 and 6. High back booster all the way for us. We have a couple of backless boosters for very very occasional use when someone else takes then out if they don't have a seat at all. As high back are safer, I don't see why you would take them out of a safer seat and put them on a less safe backless booster.

The 11 yr old is well above the 135cm but as long as she still fits in the hbb, she can keep using it. We have agreed we will take her hbb out of the family car in the summer holidays as she starts secondary school in Sept.

Mine has a Recaro Monza Nova (high back).

My DD is a v tall 8 yr old and still in a high backed booster. However most of her friends and cousins of the same age seem to either use a backless booster, or no car seat at all - and moan when I make them sit in a proper car seat in my car!

DD is about at the height limit of her seat though so not sure if it's safer to have her continue to sit in it - or switch to a backless booster?

Same here the height issue for my 8yo is the crux of my op.

Likewise for my talk 4yo, can I move her into a highback now?

My 133cm 9 yr old is still in a high back booster.
I've just told him the rules are 150cm or 12yrs old to be seatless in the uk, and it's been accepted. We're not in the UK, and I've said we will follow the toughest rules of country we are in or UK standard. Currently that's UK rules, but since you see toddlers sitting on Mums knee in the front seat, or hanging out of the sunroof here, I think they understand that this country rules aren't particularly safe!

Definitely use hbbs for as long as a child can physically fit in one.

Nb some hbb seats can be quite narrow so if your 4yo is nearly ready to start using a hbb consider buying a wider one for your 8yo.

(The 4yo should stay in their current seat for as long as they fit in it safely especially watching out for getting too tall for proper head support)

The legal confusion is because there was some incorrect publicity about backless boosters. They are not banned and they are legal. The change in law is that no carseat manufacturers will be given licence/safety certification for new designs of backless boosters any more. They can still make and sell their existing designs.

Balloonflowers in the uk it is 135cm or age 12. Perhaps you are confusing it with Germany where it is 150cm or 12 or Italy is 150cm or18. Your child is safer in a car seat but once they are 135cm they can legally go without one.

135 is legal minimum, but the recomendation is up to 150cm.

I thought backless boosters were still going to be approved, but not for 4+years old ish kids. So new backless boosters will only be approved for kids over 22kg, rather than the 15kg minimum the old ones are aporoved for?

The change in law is that no carseat manufacturers will be given licence/safety certification for new designs of backless boosters any more

That's not true. Manufacturers aren't allowed to introduce new models of backless booster seats for children shorter than 125cm or weighing less than 22kg. They can still design them for children taller than 125cm or weighing more than 22kg.

www.gov.uk/government/news/new-child-car-seat-rules-no-change-for-existing-booster-seats

We had DD into the high back booster until she was 10.5.

We found that she was just more comfortable in the high back one compared to the booster seat we sometimes used for rental cars or when she was with a friend. I also think they are a lot safer.

She was over the required height since she is 8 but I went with some of the other European country regulations like Spain and Germany who have a 1.50m height level.

I've just moved ds (10) from his high backed to a backless as his shoulders are getting broad and he was leaning out of the high backed to prevent getting squashed. Feel a bit insecure but I know a lot of his class aren't even in a car seat at all...