# car seat question



## hayz_baby

Hey, ds1 is currently in a high rise booster (kiddicare) and is still currently in his 5 point harness.
The chair has the option to remove to straps so it's a high rise on a seatbelt and eventually just a booster. At which point (height or age) do you start taking them out of the straps and onto the booster. Its not something I'm looking at straight away but we need a bigger car so it's always handy to know.
Thanks


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## minties

It should say somewhere on the seat, but it's 15kg here. Thomas has the seatbelt since 18kg and was in a convertible seat before then. He went into tget booster around 2 months ago I think. He is about 104cm tall and is really too short still but weighs too much for his old seat.


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## OmarsMum

18 kgs here, Omar has been in a booster using the car seat beltfor a year now, he's around 19-20 kgs, 112 cms

He turned 5 in November


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## hattiehippo

In the UK you can use the seat belt with a high backed booster seat from 15kgs so if he's over that then you can take the harness off although the harness is ok to use up to 18kgs.

My DS went into a HBB with seat belt at 3yrs 10 months when he was just over 15kgs and he has always sat well in it and never undone the seat belt.


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## xxsteffyxx

Harvey is 3 in February and well over 15kg

Do I take the harness off now or leave it?? I don't know either lol


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## tommyg

Tbh I'd leave him in the harness as long as possible. DS will be 4 in Feb I've no plans to change his seat anytime soon.


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## xxsteffyxx

He HATES his straps! He always shouts at me, 'no straps mummy'. But at the same time I don't want him to be unsafe xx


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## tommyg

xxsteffyxx said:


> He HATES his straps! He always shouts at me, 'no straps mummy'. But at the same time I don't want him to be unsafe xx

Although my boy is a year older they are probably about the same size (DS is about 93cm). I'd prefer to keep him in straps however if he was crying and disturbing me while I was driving I would reconsider and move him into a high back booster with seatbelt. 
Do his straps need adjusting to make him more comfy?


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## Tasha

My DH was a car seat specialist for Kiddicare and the harnesses aren't safe to use past 18kg. Keep them in the harness up until you hit the 18kg mark as it's safer to use them than a seatbelt x


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## hattiehippo

xxsteffyxx said:


> Harvey is 3 in February and well over 15kg
> 
> Do I take the harness off now or leave it?? I don't know either lol

If he's under 18kgs keep him in the harness until he is as he needs to be able to sit properly with just the seatbelt.

If he's over 18kgs then then harness isn't safe anymore and you would need to use the seatbelt or get a different seat that goes to 25kg with a harness but these are expensive.


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## tommyg

Tasha said:


> My DH was a car seat specialist for Kiddicare and the harnesses aren't safe to use past 18kg. Keep them in the harness up until you hit the 18kg mark as it's safer to use them than a seatbelt x

Does age make any difference to this? 
I think DS (almost 4) is a little over 13 kg so it could be a couple of years before he hits 18 kg. I was thinking he'll end up like his baby seat outgrew it in length long before weight.


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## hayz_baby

Thank you, I will weigh him soon so I know where he is and go from there.
Silly question but when he hits 18kgs do I use the highrise still or just detach for the bumper? If high rise is OK how long for?
Thanks again! X


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## Tasha

No Tommy, age doesn't make a difference. My daughter just came out of her harnesses earlier this year and she is six. Height does though as they will eventually hurt him so obviously move him out of the harnesses then.

Hayz, keep the high back for as long as possible, again it's safer. They're actually trying to outlaw boosters as they're not seen as safe.


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## hayz_baby

Thanks so much! Harnesses till 18kg then seat belt with high rise from then on. The head rest is adjustable on our one so i don't think height *should* be an issue.
Thanks again!


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## Tasha

Yeah DH said that height wise your one is suitable for up to 150cm so LO would be out of a car seat by then, my ten year old is 1.5cm away from being able to legally out of car seats and he is desperate to grow :haha:


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## tommyg

Tasha thank you very much really appreciate your help. I was checking his Red book assuming he stays on the 9th centile for weight he'll be just under 6 when he hits 18 kg.


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## Odd Socks

both my girls are in the harness. we had to get them new car seats when we were in america as we were in a car accident & bought ones that have a harness up until 65lb / 50 inches. DD1 is 33lb, 34 at a push, & 42 inches, DD2 is a lot smaller, so they'll be in the harness for a long time yet.


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## EcoMama

I found with my son that it was more whether he was mature enough for the seatbelt as they can pull them and climb out x


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## RachA

So that means that my 5 year old should legally still have the 5 point harness? She's 104cm and weighs just under 15kg. In her current weight gain it's going to be 6 or 7 before she reaches 18kg!


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## RachA

Tasha said:


> Yeah DH said that height wise your one is suitable for up to 150cm so LO would be out of a car seat by then, my ten year old is 1.5cm away from being able to legally out of car seats and he is desperate to grow :haha:

My 7 year old is around 1.5cm away from being out of a car seat. However he loves his high backed booster :haha:


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## minties

I'm not even 150cm eek! Lucky I weigh more than 18kg so I don't need a harness 

Is it ok to put something under a 4 year olds bottom to raise them up a tad in their seat? Thomas is over 18kg but the seatbelt guide on his chair makes the belt way too high. He's about 104cm.


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## tommyg

minties said:


> I'm not even 150cm eek! Lucky I weigh more than 18kg so I don't need a harness
> 
> Is it ok to put something under a 4 year olds bottom to raise them up a tad in their seat? Thomas is over 18kg but the seatbelt guide on his chair makes the belt way too high. He's about 104cm.

I'm not sure but I'd fear something potentally sliding about under him could be unsafe. If finances allow I'd maybe try a different seat for him.

Is he tall for age? My boy is about 3 mths younger but just 92 cm.


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## Bingo

I don't know how car seats work now in the UK but the new seats go by height and not weight in Australia. I've just purchased a new seat with harness for my four year old that should still be suitable for the average eight year old. Going by my daughter's height at the moment she'll probably still fit into it when she's twelve! As long as your child still meets the height (and weight if applicable) requirements for a car seat, they are safer in a harness. I am dying to move my youngest to forward facing because she'd be so much happier in the car but she's still under the height marker so I'll just have to suck it up for now. At least I know she's safer that way.


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## tommyg

Some seats are changing to a new standard isize but many are still based on weight. But although they are based on weight kids can out grow them in height before they reach the weight limit.
DS outgrew his baby seat in height at 18 months but it was 18 mths later before he hit the 13 kg limit for it.


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## xprincessx

Callum is almost 20kg and has just the seatbelt, no 5 point harness anymore. His seat is from 15kg but I think he was about 18kg when we did it


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## minties

tommyg said:


> minties said:
> 
> 
> I'm not even 150cm eek! Lucky I weigh more than 18kg so I don't need a harness
> 
> Is it ok to put something under a 4 year olds bottom to raise them up a tad in their seat? Thomas is over 18kg but the seatbelt guide on his chair makes the belt way too high. He's about 104cm.
> 
> I'm not sure but I'd fear something potentally sliding about under him could be unsafe. If finances allow I'd maybe try a different seat for him.
> 
> Is he tall for age? My boy is about 3 mths younger but just 92 cm.Click to expand...

I think he's on the 50th for height at the moment after a growth spurt but is usually 25th centile. Your son looks to be between the 0.4th and 3rd centiles? 

I did buy a new seat which arrived this morning and is much better. It has lots of adjustable parts so the seatbelt will now sit properly. It also has isofix and a tether and some metal framework in the body so it's quite sturdy. I wish I could use the harness as it's so much safer. Stupid 18kg rule :-(. This one should do him until age 10/11 if he tollerates being in a seat for that long.

I bet the harness would work fine in a crash above 18kg so I wish they would test and approve them. Thomas still fits fine into the convertable seat he had as a newborn and I could still be using it instead of buying all these other seats, if they would test them above 18kg. He's 18.1kg.

As a side note, how do you stop head droop when they fall asleep? The big kid car seats are so upright!


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## Neko

> As a side note, how do you stop head droop when they fall asleep? The big kid car seats are so upright!

They make little neck pillows, they are u shaped. Would he be willing to try that?

My DD is still in a standard car seat, it's not so upright. They make them huge in the US. Hers is for 65 pounds (29.4 K) and 48 inches (122 cm). She's 41 pounds (18.5 K) and 43 inches (109.2 cm) so I'm hoping the seat lasts until she starts kindergarten, she'll be about 5 1/2. I think pickup/drop off at school will be easier with a booster. In my state they are required to be in a seat until 8 or 80 pounds whichever comes first.


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## minties

So she will be harnessed until then also? There are seats that harness here to a high weight but the usual is 18kg.


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## tommyg

minties said:


> tommyg said:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> minties said:
> 
> 
> I'm not even 150cm eek! Lucky I weigh more than 18kg so I don't need a harness
> 
> Is it ok to put something under a 4 year olds bottom to raise them up a tad in their seat? Thomas is over 18kg but the seatbelt guide on his chair makes the belt way too high. He's about 104cm.
> 
> I'm not sure but I'd fear something potentally sliding about under him could be unsafe. If finances allow I'd maybe try a different seat for him.
> 
> Is he tall for age? My boy is about 3 mths younger but just 92 cm.Click to expand...
> 
> I think he's on the 50th for height at the moment after a growth spurt but is usually 25th centile. Your son looks to be between the 0.4th and 3rd centiles?
> 
> I did buy a new seat which arrived this morning and is much better. It has lots of adjustable parts so the seatbelt will now sit properly. It also has isofix and a tether and some metal framework in the body so it's quite sturdy. I wish I could use the harness as it's so much safer. Stupid 18kg rule :-(. This one should do him until age 10/11 if he tollerates being in a seat for that long.
> 
> I bet the harness would work fine in a crash above 18kg so I wish they would test and approve them. Thomas still fits fine into the convertable seat he had as a newborn and I could still be using it instead of buying all these other seats, if they would test them above 18kg. He's 18.1kg.
> 
> As a side note, how do you stop head droop when they fall asleep? The big kid car seats are so upright!Click to expand...

Yip he's loitering about the bottom of the charts. I measured him last week and he's stretched a little now about 94cm. So still on the 2nd line.
You probably are right about the harness but I do wonder if it is something to do with the buckles giving way above the 18kg, yes their will be a margin of error built in, so it might be double the 18kg before they give way but also many 4/5 year olds esp those with older siblings will be complaining about having to use a harness.


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## Neko

minties said:


> So she will be harnessed until then also? There are seats that harness here to a high weight but the usual is 18kg.

Yes. I like her harnessed. When my son was younger there were no car seats that harnessed over 40 pounds. He needed a booster seat from the time he turned 3. But I was constantly finding him playing with the strap, taking it off his shoulder and trying to turn around. He was too young at 3, but I had no choice. I'm keeping my DD harnessed until she doesn't fit. She's quite tall, but I think it will last until she starts public school in a year and a half.

Most seats in the US are now ERF to 40 pounds and harness to 65. You can even get seats that go higher, I think to 85 pounds. But I doubt that's necessary for most people. Those are only a few higher end Britax seats and rather expensive.


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## minties

That is great! There are seats like that here also but are way out of our price range. We also have a very tiny car. The kids convertable seats they had aa infants only rear faced to 12kg (sorry not sure in pounds) which isn't very high.

This is what I wish I had! My OH would flip his lid if I suggested buying two of these. Especially seeing as the kids and I walk everywhere anyway.

https://m.babyuniverse.co.nz/product/13908695/diono--rainier-convertible--booster-car-seat/


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## Neko

Ok. I converted that to Us dollars and got 381. I looked it up on the US amazon site and it's 287.99. Americans have bigger cars generally (I drive a minivan) and drive on the highways more. I think that's why we have more and cheaper carseat selection.

https://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss_2?url=search-alias=aps&field-keywords=diono+carseat

I must stop looking on amazon, now I have the desire to buy Avery a purple carseat. Which obviously she doesn't need. But it's only $160 and hasn't been puked on. lol


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