How does your 5 year old ride in the car?

mommy12

Thu, Sep 05 2019, 5:31 pm

Mine were in 5 point harnesses at that age. My 8 year old is still in a high back booster. The buckle cuts across his face when he uses a backless booster.

Sewsew_mom

Thu, Sep 05 2019, 5:39 pm

Soon you'll see teenagers in 5 point harness facing backwards as well. The law keeps changing.

amother

Blue

Thu, Sep 05 2019, 9:02 pm

My 4 yr old will be in a 5 point harness until his ADHD is under control.

HonesttoGod

Thu, Sep 05 2019, 9:04 pm

5 point harness.
On the rare ocassion that his car seat is unavailable (eg a younger kid is getting a lift in our car), I have a booster seat for him. Or when we travel, I have a special blow up booster for all my kids. Booster isn't ideal for him and he doesn't sit so well in it - he will be in a 5 point for as long as I can push it.

amother

Pumpkin

Thu, Sep 05 2019, 9:08 pm

My small 8 year old is in a 5 point harness as well. I don't plan on moving her until she outgrows it. Most kids are not mature enough to sit properly in a booster at 3/4/5 besides for the fact that according to most laws they need to still be in a 5 point harness. Better safe than sorry.

amother

Blue

Thu, Sep 05 2019, 9:09 pm

MnM1130 wrote:

Soon you'll see teenagers in 5 point harness facing backwards as well. The law keeps changing.

If that would save even one life, than by all means, make it a law.

amother

Seafoam

Thu, Sep 05 2019, 10:11 pm

amother [ Emerald ] wrote:

For a while that was the recommendation by all the safety sites, now they upped the age to 5!

(They also upped some other ages. Rear facing until at least two. Sitting in the front seat only at 13 etc.)

These are recommendations but not legal requirements, as far as I can tell. At least not in NY.

amother

Seafoam

Thu, Sep 05 2019, 10:13 pm

amother [ Blue ] wrote:

If that would save even one life, than by all means, make it a law.

I would have thrown a full-blown temper tantrum if someone had made me sit in a 5-point harness at age 8.

(Can you imagine the debates about tznius...? LOL

)

amother

Oak

Thu, Sep 05 2019, 10:18 pm

Oh wow. I'm considered the safe one, and I put my 5 year old in a backless booster. My kids sit in a high back until 5, backless until 8. My friends don't even do that. Where can I find the laws by state? There are so many sites that come up, hard to tell what is accurate.

unexpected

Thu, Sep 05 2019, 11:07 pm

my 5 year old sits in a seatbelt.

amother

Pumpkin

Thu, Sep 05 2019, 11:22 pm

Why would you throw a tantrum? My kids know exactly why they are in 5 point harnesses they are proud to be safe and are super on top of making sure the buckle is correct and not letting us accidentally start driving before they are fully buckled. It's all about what and how you teach your kids.

gamanit

Fri, Sep 06 2019, 2:10 am

Teomima wrote:

Five point harness until no longer fits, then backed booster until 8 or no longer relevant (once the upper portion of the chest strap is naturally at shoulder height). Even then they stay in a regular booster for another year or two (again until it makes no difference height-wise). I would never consider putting a 5yo in a backless booster.

You may want to reconsider based on crash testing. Consumer reports found that in high speed crashes with heavier dummy the five point harness would sometimes detach from the seat. For older kids their testing found that the booster seat is safer since you're using a belt that's permanently affixed to the car.

https://www.consumerreports.or.....ests/

JoyInTheMorning

Fri, Sep 06 2019, 4:43 am

unexpected wrote:

my 5 year old sits in a seatbelt.

Please rethink this. Kids aren't ready to move into a regular seatbelt until they're 4 feet 9 inches tall. Please check the safety test that I've quoted below. NOTHING is more important than the safety of your child.

From https://www.babycenter.com/404.....28.bc

Quote:

Laws aside, kids aren't ready to make the switch from a booster seat to seat belts until they're at least 4 feet 9 inches tall and can pass the five-step test below — typically between ages 8 and 10.

Why the wait? Because a booster seat protects a child better than seat belts alone, and, in the event of a collision, an ill-fitting adult seat belt can actually cause injury instead of preventing it. If the lap belt rests on your child's tummy (which it's likely to do without a booster), for instance, he could suffer stomach, liver, or spleen damage. And if the shoulder belt rests against his neck rather than his chest, he may try to move it under his arm (where it could crack his ribs and damage internal organs) or behind his back (where it offers no protection at all against head, neck, or spinal injuries).

To judge whether your child is ready to ride with a seat belt alone, test the fit of your vehicle's belts from time to time. Buckle your child into the back seat without a booster seat, and consider the following:

* Does he sit all the way back against the car's seat?
* Do his knees bend comfortably at the edge of the seat?
* Does the lap belt naturally rest below his belly, touching the top of his thighs?
* Is the shoulder belt centered across his shoulder and chest?
* Can he stay seated like this for the whole trip?

If you answer no to any of these questions, your child still needs to use a booster seat (some are designed for kids weighing up to 100 pounds). Of course, your "big kid" may protest that boosters are for babies, so offer extra encouragement to help him feel better about keeping his booster seat a little longer. If his old booster seat has seen better days, for instance, go shopping together and let him choose a replacement with super-plush padding or a cool-looking cover. Whatever you do, though, make it clear that while certain things are negotiable during car rides (such as which music to listen to and whether the windows are rolled up or down), safety is not.

When your child is ready to move to a seat belt alone, don't buy a belt-positioning device to make the seat belt more comfortable for him; these add-ons actually make seat belts less effective. If he needs something to make the seat belt snug or to keep the shoulder strap off his neck, he should still be in a booster seat.

Teomima

Fri, Sep 06 2019, 6:30 am

gamanit wrote:

To clarify, when I say I'd use it till my kids outgrows it, the weight limit is included in that factor. But personally I have tall and skinny kids so they all outgrow it height-wise long before their weight is an issue. I'm not advocating for putting a short ten year old in a five point harness just because it might fit on them.

amother

Pumpkin

Fri, Sep 06 2019, 7:35 am

gamanit wrote:

This will not happen if you are following the weight limits of your seat that was tested and the car seat is properly installed. And I wouldn't use consumer reports as my source for car seat safety.