Another Booster Seat Question

[mamamac]

I am very paranoid about booster seats, maybe it's because I'm a paramedic and see what happens when children are not properly restrained either with a carseat or not. I encourage everyone who is confused as to what to do or why your child should be in a booster seat to watch this video You can also find information at www.kyledavidmiller.org

 

[MarriedToAPrince]

I am a big believer in extended harnessing and rear facing in car seats. If your kids are under 80lbs then they should be harnessed in a Britax Frontier but since you already have them in booster seats then I would strongly recommend they stay in those especially when traveling such a long distance.

 

[WantToGoNow]

If your kids are under 80lbs then they should be harnessed in a Britax Frontier but since you already have them in booster seats then I would strongly recommend they stay in those especially when traveling such a long distance.

I will look into the mesh boosters - I had an office chair made out of that and it was the most comfortable thing I had ever sat in. As for the 80 lbs., one more round of prednisone and he should be there - every time he has an asthma flare - he jumps up 5-10 lbs. in a week.

He passes the 5-pt. test in the Ford Freestyle which we will be driving to WDW but he does not pass it in the Dodge Neons - heck, neither do I (5'1"), that seatbelt cuts into my neck the entire time.

 

[pilesoflaundry]

Georgia is only up to 5 I think... but something is sticking in my mind that FL is 8 years or 80lbs so you would need them once you get there.

As a previous poster said, if your 7 yo child passes the 5 pt seat check then it's unsafe to continue to use the booster. For the 5 year old I would use one though.

 

[mjkacmom]

Georgia is only up to 5 I think... but something is sticking in my mind that FL is 8 years or 80lbs so you would need them once you get there.

As a previous poster said, if your 7 yo child passes the 5 pt seat check then it's unsafe to continue to use the booster. For the 5 year old I would use one though.

Florida is definitely not 8 or 80 - I think it's something crazy like 4 or 40!

 

[pilesoflaundry]

Florida is definitely not 8 or 80 - I think it's something crazy like 4 or 40!

I stand corrected, you are right. I just looked it up. I am remembering NC. We have family everywhere and I was recalling the wrong last state we visited .

In Fl it's 3!! OMG. They must be in something until 5 but that can be a low back booster or seatbelt just as long as they are restrained in some way. No weight or height restrictions. I can't even imagine a 3 year old not in a harness nevermind a 5 year old in just a seatbelt.

 

[tloveswdw]

My little princess is 7 years old. 47 inches high and 50 pounds. She is still in a 5 point harness carseat and will stay in it as long as she fits and meets the weight limit. It is a safety issue above anything else.

Thank you! My DS is 7+ and in a 5pt, and will be till he maxes it out at 80lbs. It is considerably safer for children to be in 5 pts, and then booster seats.

There is a lot of information out there, on how way to many children are in boosters, when they are not big enough.

Seat belts can hit a small adult in the wrong places, and not restrain them properly... just imagine a child.

 

[tanyaandallie]

I am a big believer in extended harnessing and rear facing in car seats. If your kids are under 80lbs then they should be harnessed in a Britax Frontier but since you already have them in booster seats then I would strongly recommend they stay in those especially when traveling such a long distance.

The Britax Frontier is a $270 seat. Not every family out there can afford a Britax Frontier. It's a great seat. We have one for my 5 year old and love it. However, that does not mean that every child under 80 lbs should be in a Britax Frontier. First of all, there are plenty of other seats out there that will keep a child harnessed to booster age. Second of all, booster seats are not inherently unsafe. They are safe and save lives.

I feel like I sound like a broken record on some of these threads but I will say it again. The Britax Frontier has an 80 lb max weight limit with the harness but MOST kids will not stay in the harness until 80 lbs because they will outgrow it by height long before they get anywhere near 80 lbs. Once the shoulders go over the top harness slots the seat is outgrown by height. My dd is of average size and will likely outgrow the seat by height in the next 2 years. With her current growth pattern she will be 54 lbs at that point. No where near the 80 lb max weight limit.

Booster seats are SAFE!!!! If a child is old enough and mature enough to sit properly in a booster seat 100% of the time, meets the height and weight requirements then it is a safe option. A 7 year old is SAFE in a booster seat. There is actually no good info out there that suggests that at his age a harnessed seat is safer than a booster seat.

And to the OP, if your 7 year old does pass the 5 step test, then he is ok with no booster. It is not, however, dangerous for him to be in a booster after he passes the 5 step test (as someone else suggested). A good hbb will offer him some side impact protection that he just won't get in another seat. I still believe that a booster seat, no matter what booster seat, is more comfortable for a 5 year old than no seat at all. If you are worried about her comfort in the booster, look into one with more padding or check out the Air Booster. My dd rides part time in a Sunshine Kids Monterey. It is VERY comfy!

 

[WantToGoNow]

The Britax Frontier is a $270 seat. Not every family out there can afford a Britax Frontier. It's a great seat. We have one for my 5 year old and love it. However, that does not mean that every child under 80 lbs should be in a Britax Frontier. First of all, there are plenty of other seats out there that will keep a child harnessed to booster age. Second of all, booster seats are not inherently unsafe. They are safe and save lives.

I feel like I sound like a broken record on some of these threads but I will say it again. The Britax Frontier has an 80 lb max weight limit with the harness but MOST kids will not stay in the harness until 80 lbs because they will outgrow it by height long before they get anywhere near 80 lbs. Once the shoulders go over the top harness slots the seat is outgrown by height. My dd is of average size and will likely outgrow the seat by height in the next 2 years. With her current growth pattern she will be 54 lbs at that point. No where near the 80 lb max weight limit.

Booster seats are SAFE!!!! If a child is old enough and mature enough to sit properly in a booster seat 100% of the time, meets the height and weight requirements then it is a safe option. A 7 year old is SAFE in a booster seat. There is actually no good info out there that suggests that at his age a harnessed seat is safer than a booster seat.

And to the OP, if your 7 year old does pass the 5 step test, then he is ok with no booster. It is not, however, dangerous for him to be in a booster after he passes the 5 step test (as someone else suggested). A good hbb will offer him some side impact protection that he just won't get in another seat. I still believe that a booster seat, no matter what booster seat, is more comfortable for a 5 year old than no seat at all. If you are worried about her comfort in the booster, look into one with more padding or check out the Air Booster. My dd rides part time in a Sunshine Kids Monterey. It is VERY comfy!

I want to say thank you to this poster. She says what she feels is important but in a nice way. Some posters can be really rude - I have no idea if it's their intent or not but just because we can't pay for $300 carseats doesn't mean my children are anymore unsafe than yours.

Just so everyone knows, I did harness past 4 years old with my dd - I didn't know any better with my ds and my dd25 didn't even have a carseat. My dd turned 40 pounds just after her 3rd birthday. We have 2 Apex 65 seats sitting in the garage - they are now outgrown by height even though dd would still fit by weight. One of them will be used for the child I babysit as soon as she reaches the 30 lbs minimum. And I learned that they make lousy boosters - a child would have to have very long arms to fasten the seatbelt and once you removed the toddler pad they might as well be sitting on a cement flank.

 

[bumbershoot]

As I said in my original post, the seatbelt fits my ds7 exactly where it is supposed to fit -- across his lap and across his shoulder - his feet are flat on the floor while sitting back in the seat. My children both know that the seatbelt is never to be put behind their backs or under their arms.

I want your car! I'm 5'3" and there is no such thing as a car that I've driven or ridden in where the seatbelt wouldn't try to decapitate me in a bad crash. None. The back seat of our current car is even worse, so I rarely ride back there. What kind of car is it?

In Fl it's 3!! OMG. They must be in something until 5 but that can be a low back booster or seatbelt just as long as they are restrained in some way. No weight or height restrictions. I can't even imagine a 3 year old not in a harness nevermind a 5 year old in just a seatbelt.

I'm terrified for my cousins' children, who live in FL, whenever I think about it. And it's going to be interesting, if my cousins follow the law and nothing else, when we visit, b/c we'll be bringing our Nautilus for any driving around...

 

[WantToGoNow]

I want your car! I'm 5'3" and there is no such thing as a car that I've driven or ridden in where the seatbelt wouldn't try to decapitate me in a bad crash. None. The back seat of our current car is even worse, so I rarely ride back there. What kind of car is it?QUOTE]

It is a 2008 Ford Freestyle - one of the crossover vehicles between an SUV and a van - 3 seater that holds 6. The belts are adjustable on the side and goes low enough that it is comfortable on me.

 

[nessz79]

I'm terrified for my cousins' children, who live in FL, whenever I think about it. And it's going to be interesting, if my cousins follow the law and nothing else, when we visit, b/c we'll be bringing our Nautilus for any driving around...

We live in Florida and it's true that a lot of people only follow the law. Honestly, it wasn't until my oldest was around 3/4 that I began to educate myself on what happened after the car seat that Florida only requires you to have until 3. The child restraint laws are extremely outdated here. It tends to be the more educated that have their kids in boosters/car seats for longer times. Just generalizing- not all are alike, of course.