17 Year old in a car seat

[Maverick0592]

I love the britax frontier 85. And im a math person. so the height an weight max on it is 5' 5" and 120 lbs. looking at a growth chart the average girl would be able to ride in it till between 17 and 18. is there anyway to justify that. or should you let you child out of the booster before that. everyone claims they want to keep the child in a booster or rf or in a 5 point as long as posiable. but when is enough enough. I was one of those people but after looking at this I just can't see a 17 year old in a booster.

[whatsnextmom]

I can't imagine anyone considering keeping their child in a booster so long. I can say that no, I wouldn't put my teen in a booster seat. My kids stayed in a booster until the seat belts in our cars were an appropriate fit. Our state law is to age 6. My DD stayed in one until close to 10 because she was short wasted (all leg) and while tall, the seat belt was still lying wrong on her body (digging into her neck and lying across her belly.) My DS was proportioned in a way that he could be out of the booster just after his 8th birthday.

Boosters are always going to market their entire range whether they expect you to use it that long or not. It's a mental thing... if you are looking to buy and you see one with an 80 pound cut-off and one with a 120 pound cut-off, you'll think the 120 is a better value even if you aren't going to NEED it past 60 pounds. It doesn't mean the seat is MADE for a child 5'5" and 120 pounds. It just means it could accomodate that high.

[AllyRae]

HAHAHA, no.  I would have been able to ride in a booster seat like that through college, and there is no.fricken.way I would have. ;-)  My DS won't even hit the 80 lb limit on his Radian until 11-12 or more (he's 7 right now, and is 41 lbs).  I really doubt I'll be keeping him in a booster seat through middle school.  He'll be in it until his weight, trunk strength, height, behavior, and seatbelt placement are all appropriate enough to be safe, but I'm sure he'll be out long before he's doing advanced algebra classes. ;)

[ollyoxenfree]

Maverick, thanks for the chuckle I had when I read your post!! 

[chickabiddy]

Hi, I'm a certified Child Passenger Safety Technician and usually hang out in Family Safety, but saw this title and thought I'd pop in.  (I do realize that this is was a funny post and I'm being un-funny; sorry!).

The Frontier85 can indeed accommodate small- to average-sized women in booster mode.  Some parents do indeed put teens in it if there is not adequate head support in the vehicle -- if the backseat does not have headrests or a high seatback, that leaves the passenger's head completely unprotected, and a $200 booster is cheaper than a new car.  Otherwise, there is no reason to keep a teen who can pass the 5-step test* in a booster seat.

Unfortunately, there is an obesity epidemic in this country.  I've worked with 5- and 6-year-old children who needed the 120# weight limit on the booster :( .  No, a 110# 17yo does not need to be in a booster, but a 110# 5yo does.

* 5-step test:

~ shoulder belt crossing between neck and arm

~ lap belt crossing low on hips and thighs

~ back and buttocks against seat crease

~ knees bending at edge of seat

~ able to maintain position for the entire drive

[sharon71]

my oldest dd is 15 weighs 130 and is 5ft 7 in so she'd not fit in the booster. my middle dd is 5 ft 3 in and 95 lbs.

[JayGee]

I could still ride in that booster at 42 !!!

[sapphire_chan]

I've ridden in cars where I wished for a booster for me. If I was unfortunate enough to actually own one of those cars, and was far lighter than I am now, I'd buy one of those boosters in a heartbeat.

[sapphire_chan]

As for your question, after a child can pass the five step test for using a seatbelt, there is no benefit to using a belt-positioning booster.

[onlyzombiecat]

I'm  5'4" and weighed less than 120 lbs until I got out of college. I would have passed the 5 step test in any car I've ridden in. I've never felt I needed a booster seat.

I wouldn't see a need to use a booster seat until that age unless the the person truly could not be safely restrained in the car without one.

[chickabiddy]

Originally Posted by sapphire_chan 

As for your question, after a child can pass the five step test for using a seatbelt, there is no benefit to using a belt-positioning booster.

Unless there are no headrests in the backseat.  There is a benefit to using a high-backed booster to provide head support, regardless of age or size.

[sapphire_chan]

Originally Posted by chickabiddy 

Originally Posted by sapphire_chan 

As for your question, after a child can pass the five step test for using a seatbelt, there is no benefit to using a belt-positioning booster.

Unless there are no headrests in the backseat.  There is a benefit to using a high-backed booster to provide head support, regardless of age or size.

I'd think a belt-positioning booster would exacerbate the no-headrests problem. A high-backed booster is going to be useful for longer for more reasons.

Hang on, regardless of age or size, does that mean it's ever safe to sit on something to get up a bit higher when seatbelts are digging into the side of your neck? I mean when you are not a light weight adult?

[dakotablue]

Also, these car seats are fantastic for children with special needs who need to be strapped in for more than just carseat accident safety.

[chickabiddy]

Originally Posted by sapphire_chan 

Originally Posted by chickabiddy 

Originally Posted by sapphire_chan 

As for your question, after a child can pass the five step test for using a seatbelt, there is no benefit to using a belt-positioning booster.

Unless there are no headrests in the backseat.  There is a benefit to using a high-backed booster to provide head support, regardless of age or size.

I'd think a belt-positioning booster would exacerbate the no-headrests problem. A high-backed booster is going to be useful for longer for more reasons.

Hang on, regardless of age or size, does that mean it's ever safe to sit on something to get up a bit higher when seatbelts are digging into the side of your neck? I mean when you are not a light weight adult?

I think we're arguing the same thing here:  any booster (without a harness) is a belt-positioning booster.  There are high-backed belt-positioning boosters and backless belt-positioning boosters.  A highbacked BPB is recommended when there are no headrests.  You are correct that a backless BPB would make the situation worse.

It's generally not recommended to improvise a booster to improve seatbelt fit, but adults have fully mature skeletons and can generally get away with a bit more than kids can (but again, that doesn't make it safe, just less unsafe).

[Teensy]

My very short grandmother has a cushion in her car that she sat on to be able to see over the steering wheel better.    So I guess she was still using a booster seat in her 70s.

[angelpie545]

Um, a 17 year old drive legally.  So, kind of nullifies a booster seat. 

[ElliesMomma]

not to mention that the seat materials would probably be too old by age 17, if you first bought the seat for, say, your 4 year old. right?? 

Edited by ElliesMomma - 5/28/11 at 11:33pm

[Llyra]

I once had a job where I had to drive this Chevy Lumina. I used to ride with the county phone directory under me, because otherwise the seat belt rode up my belly and crossed over right on my jaw, rather than at my shoulder. Obviously, the phone book wasn't the safest choice, but neither was having a seat belt that would decapitate me. If I knew about backless boosters then (this was 14 years ago-- I was only 22) I sure as heck would have bought one. That phone book was terribly uncomfortable.

[plantnerd]

Oh fudge, I better get one for my mom.  To think of the danger she's been in!!!!  I wonder if she should be RF or FF?

[Llyra]

Originally Posted by plantnerd 

Oh fudge, I better get one for my mom.  To think of the danger she's been in!!!!  I wonder if she should be RF or FF?