Car Booster Seat High Back or Low

Hi Linda,

We have the Graco Nautilus and love it. Not only does it have wonderful safety ratings, and a 5 point harness as the first stage, but my son LOVES it. It's got built in compartments for toys and a cup holder. My son is now 4 and weighs over 40 lbs, but we still have him in the 5-point harness position, and will keep him here as long as possible. The good thing about this chair is that it then converts to 2 other positions as he gets older. It will be the last car seat/booster we'll have to buy. Nice!!

If your car has head support it is not necessary to have a high back booster.

I'd call your local Highway Patrol Carseat Division. They are so helpful. They cannot give you a recomendation but they can tell you the law. I cannot remember for sure but you are supposed to use a high back seat when your car does not have an adjustable head rest. Also the safest place for your child is in a 5 pt harness. So use your seat until your child max's out the wieght and height.

Hi mom, I felt the need to write as I have a 4 year old at the same weight and we just recently went through the same discussions.

Please take a look at the new research regarding moving your child to a booster seat. After doing ours, we have decided to keep our child in a 5 point harness. They have new models on the market that go up to 65 and 80 lbs! Some are the Britax Frontier, Sunshine Kids Radian, Evenflo Discovery, etc.

Typically, mom our 4yo would move to a belt-positioning booster, the one with the high back. This is so the belt is easier to keep in the PROPER place. This is key!! Your child needs to be able to use it correctly, ie, sit up straight and not move the seatbelt. The low boosters do not provide the same sort of protection as helping to keep the belt in the right place. These are typically used for older kids.

I understand that having a booster is much easier as far as getting your child in and out of the car and much more space saving. We had these same back and forth discussions. But safety of our kiddos was #1 and until I know for sure she's ready for a booster... she has grown more, her body is stronger, and she will use the seatbelt properly! ... we have her in a 5 point.

I hope this information helps regardless of your decision. And good luck to you!

http://www.aap.org/family/Carseatguide.htm

http://child-safety.blogspot.com/2007/04/5-point-harness-...
http://www.kyledavidmiller.org/pages/4211/Car_Seat_Safety...

We always used Britax, and I recommend a belt positioner type booster. You can raise the back as your daughter gets taller.

My four and a half year old is 45 pounds. I have had both and prefer the high back - mostly because he can fall asleep in it comfortably (I spend a lot of time driving). They make a booster with a removable back and that is what he has in my mom's car for short distances. He calls it his "big boy car seat".

My mother-in-law bought a backless booster and I have a booster with a back for my son. She called me one day to ask me to drop off my booster for him with her when I dropped him off because he prefers it, it's more comfortable. It's also safer because it keeps the kid up straighter and it is better at keeping the seat belt in the right place. It's a little more but you probably will have a better experience if you get the one with a back.

I would suggest the high back ones as they have a little more support for a child that age.

Most of the high back ones have a detatchable back that allows just the bottom to be used when you feel that's all that's needed. I think they cost a bit more than the ones that are just a seat but then you get the option of choosing what you want.

The high-back booster is recommended because it offers more side-impact protection in addition to being better able to position the shoulder belt properly for better belt fit.
Please note that 4 years/40 lbs. is the *minimum* recommended age/weight for boosters, many children at this age are still too squirrely to sit properly in a booster and would be better off in a higher-weight harnessed seat.
The Graco Nautilus and Britax Frontier are great options for children in this category - both are forward-facing seats that can be used with the 5-pt harness up to 65 lbs (Graco) or 80 lbs (Britax) or whenever the child reaches the height limit of the harness - then it can be used without the harness as a belt-positioning booster, either would last your child until he/she is ready to use the seatbelt without a booster.

Our two kids are 5 and 7 years old, and their booster seats have removable backs. I think the issue with whether the back is needed or not depends on the child's height. On our car seats, the backs have an adjustable belt positioner for the shoulder strap. Once they were tall enough, the belt positioner on the seatback actually placed the shoulder strap in the same spot as it would be even if it wasn't there, so I just took the seatback off.

It turns out, though, that my daughter (5) wanted the back of her seat on again--not because it made the belt fit better, but because it was more comfortable for her. She still occasionally falls asleep in the car, and the headrests on the seatback really help, and I think she just likes the feeling of it too.

The type of carseat we have, by the way, is the Graco TurboBooster. They've been great, and we love the cup holders.

Like everyone else, I recommend getting the booster w/the high back since helps the seatbelt hit your child in just the right place. If you don't use the highback style, some of them come w/these doo-hickies to help ensure the seatbelt is at the right point at the shoulder but they don't work well. I BARTed somewhere once w/our son & knew on the other side, we'd be putting him in a car so wanted to travel lightly w/o the whole seat & used the goofy attachment & found it didn't work. He fell asleep in the car, was flopped uncomfortably forward in the seat & complained of aches & stiffness the next day as a result. I know a lot of parents are keeping their kids in 5 pt harness seats that go up to 80 lbs but the problem w/some of those seat (esp. the Britax ones & I LOVE Britax carseats, have used the Round-A-Bouts w/both our boys & highly recommend them!) is that they're very pricey, heavier, bulkier & don't always fit in all car makes & models. I suggest you call your CHP for help & if you do go w/a traditional booster seat, I recommend going w/one made by Graco....great products & reasonably priced, too. Best of luck!

We have one of each, just in case there is a friend in the car. At first my daughter used the backless one because it was new. After a few days she went back to her high back booster. She tends to sleep in the car on the way home from school and can rest her head. She prefers the high back, which is adjustable.

Stephanie

We took the 5 point harnasses off of our convertible car seats to make them booster seats w/ high backs. Our 4 year old wriggles out of the shoulder belt and unlatches the belt. We are putting the harnasses back in. 4 year olds get on these big kid kicks and think they are indestructible and don't have to follow safety rules. Especially when you're busy driving and seated with your baCK TO THEM - THEY THINK YOU CAN'T SEE WHAT THEY'RE UP TO!
Not that it has ever happend to us! ;) :(
The low back boosters won't work for your kid 'cuz he's too short and they don't have anything to keep the shoulder belt in the proper position. the short seats are for grade-schoolers.