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Original poster

When do you remove the back/top bit of a car seat to leave just the booster seat?

16 replies

Snowstorm · 29/04/2007 10:04

We have a Maxi-cosi Rodi XP for DD1 (4.5). At some point you remove the back board bit, leaving just the booster seat bit ... but I can't find anything anywhere saying at what age/weight/size it's okay to do this? Does anyone know?

TIA

OP posts:
Pixiefish · 29/04/2007 10:15

One point of the back bit is to keep their head safe and stop it from lolling to the side if they fell asleep and also to stop them being garroted by the seat belt in the event of an accident.

I should imagine it depends how tall they are and where the seat belt goes across them. Personally I'd leave it intact until they're 5'4" or 11

mustrunmore · 29/04/2007 10:17

Funnily enough, I was wondering this the other day.
Very suprised at Pixiefish's answer though, as a friend had just put her son on a booster aged 4

Twiglett · 29/04/2007 10:20

never imo

DS is 6 and still uses his and will until he's big enough to not need one at all

Dior · 29/04/2007 10:21

Message withdrawn

LIZS · 29/04/2007 10:30

Recommendation is not before 22kg weight. ds is 9 but only 22.5 kg and still uses his highback , says it is comfier so see no need to change.

NannyL · 29/04/2007 10:36

why remove it?

its far safer to be there!

the absolute minimum weight is 22kg, idealy up to 25kg, but many car seats now can eramin as full seats up until 36kg.

also children under 6 years regardless of weight (unless over 36kh presumably) are supposed to be in a full seat and not just the cushion

seems a bit odd to remove a safety feature that could protect them in a crash.

NannyL · 29/04/2007 10:37

just read your post pixefish!

I personally have yet to reach 5ft 4! lol

misdee · 29/04/2007 10:38

remove the back part once they have outgrown it only.

dd1 still using the back part of hers at7.

Original poster
Snowstorm · 29/04/2007 11:52

Thanks everyone. We have two daughters so I was wondering whether there was a weight/height/age when the back bit ceased to work as a safety feature* and therefore I was hoping that if this was the case then it would co-incide with DD2 needing the booster 'chair', in which case I would have swapped DD2 to DD1's booster 'chair' and then just bought a booster seat (minus back bit etc.) for DD1. It would be much cheaper to do things that way but, in saying that, obviously safety comes before money when it comes to car seats and therefore if the back bit continues to make my daughter even safter then I shall happily keep her in it.

  • If the back bit is needed under children are at least over 22kg, then why do you see so many younger, smaller children just using the booster seat bit? That's what made me wonder how long you need the whole back bit for and it can't be that people don't care about their children, it must be that people think it's just as safe to have just the bottom seat bit ...

... So that's what was going round my head in the early hours of the morning!

OP posts:
mustrunmore · 29/04/2007 12:15

When is it that you can use the seatbelt only with a highback booster, ie not theintegral harness any more?

LIZS · 29/04/2007 12:25

mustrunmore, 15kg weight minimum for a highback booster although it is recommended to use a harness until 18kg especially for younger children. There were , possibly still are, some seats for younger children which use the adult belt (Britax Supercruiser and Ranger for example) - these are from 10 .5 kg but Which? don't rate them safetywise at all.

mustrunmore · 29/04/2007 12:47

I've just reread the car seat website again. I did see the mention of under 6's supposed to be in a full seat of some sort, which is interesting re my friend, esp as she's a very safety conscious kind of Mum. But that site; I just cant get my head round it all for some reason, and I'm not daft! Is it just me> What I do read, I understand. But there's alot of my questions that it doesnt seem to cover

TwoToTango · 29/04/2007 13:02

my DS is 6.5 and I'll leave the back until he outgrows it. He prefers it with the back on as he very often goes to sleep on long journeys so there is somewhere to rest his head. A lot of kids his age and smaller than him just have the booster seat.

Pixiefish · 29/04/2007 20:16

Nannyl- your neck muscles are stronger than a childs so the risk isn't the same

NannyL · 30/04/2007 10:30

agh! thats ok then.... i would look funny driving in a high backed booster.... and anyway, my bottom doesnt fit in it anymore

(often i do wish i had something to keep my seat belt from cutting into my neck though!)

Original poster
Snowstorm · 30/04/2007 20:15

Know what you mean NannyL ... why don't all seat belts have a foot's length of padding on them (which the wearer can slide up and down the seat belt until it's in place to stop the strap cutting into the neck)- similar to children's??!

Is that a really dumb idea ... or something worth of a shot at Dragon's Den do you think?!!

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