Booster seat until age 8 only or older? A little long...

[thomas998]

Laws vary quite a bit depending on state... I think the most strict is Wisconsin where they have to be 8 years old and weight at least 80lbs and be at least 57 inches tall before they can ride without a booster seat...

Frankly I would probalby be more concerend with the height than the age or weight. Where the shoulder strap makes contact with the child will have more bearing on how safe it is.... I can still remember an old drivers ed film where the shoulder strap lopped the head off a crash test dummy.

 

[marcyinPA]

What is the exact law in PA now?

My DD is 8 and very tall. I took her out of the booster seat in January because I thought the age limit was under the age of 8.

I have seen billboards in the Lehigh Valley that say 4'9" is the magic number (the billboards actually have a picture of Cinderella's coach!). I'm not sure of the actual law, but I'm sticking with the new recommendations. My DS's pediatrician supports this recommendation too. She asked me if he was still in his booster, and told me that he should still be in one.

 

[T. Lynn]

I have seen billboards in the Lehigh Valley that say 4'9" is the magic number (the billboards actually have a picture of Cinderella's coach!). I'm not sure of the actual law, but I'm sticking with the new recommendations. My DS's pediatrician supports this recommendation too. She asked me if he was still in his booster, and told me that he should still be in one.

Thanks. I did manage to find this online then...

WHAT IS THE LAW CONCERNING BOOSTER SEATS?


Pa Code, Title 67, Section 102

According to Pennsylvania law, any child who rides in a motor vehicle from the age of 4 to 8 years old is required to ride in a booster seat. There are certain exceptions to this rule, listed below.

A child between 4 and under 8 years of age who weighs more than 80 lbs. or who is 4 foot 9 inches or taller may be fastened in a vehicle seat belt system with out the use of a booster seat.

It is a recommendation that any child under the age of 13 be seated in one of the rear seats of the vehicle and not in the front seat.

 

[marcyinPA]

Thanks. I did manage to find this online then...

WHAT IS THE LAW CONCERNING BOOSTER SEATS?


Pa Code, Title 67, Section 102

According to Pennsylvania law, any child who rides in a motor vehicle from the age of 4 to 8 years old is required to ride in a booster seat. There are certain exceptions to this rule, listed below.

It is a recommendation that any child under the age of 13 be seated in one of the rear seats of the vehicle and not in the front seat.

A child between 4 and under 8 years of age who weighs more than 80 lbs. or who is 4 foot 9 inches or taller may be fastened in a vehicle seat belt system with out the use of a booster seat.

Hmmm...my DS is 9, but is not close to 80 pounds OR 4'9". I'd venture to say that height and weight are more important than age. He'll be in the booster for a while!!

 

[kathi29]

Hmmm...my DS is 9, but is not close to 80 pounds OR 4'9". I'd venture to say that height and weight are more important than age. He'll be in the booster for a while!!

Age is important as it relates to bone structure. Younger children do not have the pelvic bone structure - in a crash the seat belt is going to tighten while it looks for something to "grab" onto. In an adult, that something is the pelvic bones. In a child, that something is the spine, unless the child is in a booster seat in which case the seat takes the place of the adult pelvic bones.

Height is important for making sure the seat belt fits properly across the shoulder and hips, and for making sure the child can sit properly in the seat without slouching so they are not at risk of submarining under the seat belt.

 

[kristilew]

My pediatrician told me that age is a factor as much as height/weight due to the density of their bones. As they get older, less likely to snap with pressure or something like that.

As for pp talking about pedal extenders: I'm just 5 feet tall and had this issue as well. My Pacifica has pedals that adjust with no extenders needed, as well as a driver's seat that adjusts in all directions so that I can sit a safe distance from the airbag. I believe a lot of the newer cars have this. In the back seat, the seat belts are pretty adjustable as well, so that dd10 can sit without a booster and the belt goes right across her chest where it should.

She is not 4'9" yet, which is the height I had always been told was safe for the front seat. But her legs had gotten so long that sitting in a booster cut off her circulation where it hit the backs of her thighs. She can now sit in the regular seat with her feet on the floor. We did keep her in the booster past 8, though. Safety first.

 

[jas_mom1]

My DS is 9. He's just about 60 pounds and less than 54". He rides in a high-back booster most of the time. Occasionally he rides in a low-back booster. When his friends ride in my truck, they also sit in a booster. Most of them tell me that they don't need them or their parents don't make them use a booster. Well, in my truck, they use one!

When my son goes out with his friends' parents, I send along a booster. He hates that! But I'm not compromising his safety. Use a booster or don't go.

Massachusetts law has just changed. My DS, by law, isn't required to use a booster. But I agree with a pp that each change in car seats is a step down in safety. I just had a "discussion" with a friend who switched his 10 month old son's seat to forward facing. I had encouraged them to buy a seat that rear-faces to at least 30 pounds, which they did. But the mother switched him because he's over 20 pounds. I don't know if I can convince her to change him back. That's my goal when they visit us this weekend.

Dianne

 

[jas_mom1]

Another thing....when my DS was 5 or 6, his pediatrician said he could just use the seat belt. I respectfully disagreed with him.

BTW, my 6-year-old DD is still in a Marathon. She wants a booster but won't get one until she gets too big for her seat.

Dianne

 

[tlbwriter]

Then again, the cars at that time were all metal tanks, not squishy plastic things.

The metal tanks were actually less safe than today's squishy cars. With a squishy car, the car absorbs the force of the impact. In an older car, the metal stays rigid and transfers the crash forces to the occupants. You want your car to fold up like an accordion in a serious crash. It doesn't mean the car is less safe. It means the car was sacrificed in order to keep you safer.

Age is a helpful guideline, but it's really not the best way to determine whether one needs a booster seat. The five-step test found at http://www.carseat.org is more effective:

The 5-Step Test.

1. Does the child sit all the way back against the auto seat?
2. Do the child's knees bend comfortably at the edge of the auto seat?
3. Does the belt cross the shoulder between the neck and arm?
4. Is the lap belt as low as possible, touching the thighs?
5. Can the child stay seated like this for the whole trip?

Oh, and for anybody who has the princess booster - the covers are reversible; they reverse to solid pink/blue. Just in case your DD outgrows the princesses before she outgrows her need for a booster.

 

[tlbwriter]

And one more thing... many state laws are the absolute bare minimum of safety. Most of us aren't willing to accept the absolute bare minimum for our children. For example, if your state's law says your child is legally able to stop attending school after completing the 10th grade, would you say "since it's legal, it must be okay?"

 

[bumbershoot]

I'm a little baffled too..... my SIL is about 4.5 feet tall,probably 80 pounds soaking wet,do they sell a booster seat for drivers?
I mean, I honestly think we need better seats BUILT into cars for us all if kids THAT big are in that much danger from a seatbelt. I know a few adults that small!
That's just MHO- I do know statistics,but a 12 year old in a booster seat?
I held out for a long time with backless boosters,til the kids were about 7 or so,but NO ONE else did it,and the kids finally rose up and tol me they were not babies. and they were right.
However,if people want to use extra seats for that long,I guess that's their choice.

I went to college with a girl who had what was basically a booster in her Rabbit. She did have a form of dwarfism, so was shorter than just a 4'10" person (but nowhere near how small the mom and dad in Little People Big World are), but she managed to find something to sit on!

I remembered the shoulder belt issue last night. Even at my whopping height of 5'3" (LOL...I'm 2 inches taller than my mom was, she was 2 inches taller than HER mom, so really, I'm a giant) the shoulder belts do NOT fit me. I would have a serious problem if I ever had an accident, b/c the belts in our current car hit the bottom of my neck. I really need to get one of those clip things.

In the VWs I leased there was an adjuster, but even that never quite did it right.

I remember as a kid when I was allowed to sit in front, pulling the shoulder strap off of me b/c it was choking me.

I talk about all of this to say that YES, adults who are even shorter than I am are NOT safe in their cars!!!!! They really need to make alterations and find ways of making themselves safe. Since they MAKE special seats for kids, kids who are small enough to be in them SHOULD be in them!



I wanted to add (so I am) that if we could all have 5 point harnesses I would be happy with it. No, it might not look cute on a first date, but oh well. We were just watching Sky High yesterday, and I love how the harnesses come out and restrain the kids in the school bus when they are about to take off.

I just had a "discussion" with a friend who switched his 10 month old son's seat to forward facing. I had encouraged them to buy a seat that rear-faces to at least 30 pounds, which they did. But the mother switched him because he's over 20 pounds. I don't know if I can convince her to change him back. That's my goal when they visit us this weekend.

Dianne

The key is that it's 1 year AND 20 pounds. And And And. Not OR. As the absolute bare minimum for people who really want to turn their kids forward despite the evidence that shows rear-facing is so much safer.

So explaining the "and" bit to her will probably help quite a bit.

 

[kathi29]

There is always the "Dale Earnhardt" argument. Babies have big, heavy heads. The force of their heads going forward in a crash can cause spinal injuries, internal decapitation, death. Like what happened to Dale.

 

[beckanoah]

Does that just make you shudder now?




Depending on how long she's been in that seat, she might be approaching the expiration date of the seat itself. Watch for that!

thanks.. but the seat is only 2.5 years old. i got it when she outgrew her other one. i know the carseat safety guidelines!

 

[Mean Queen]

I went to a safety seat check with the fire department for my 2 year old. My almost 9 year old was in a booster seat at the time. The firefighters and car safety seat experts couldn't stop gushing at her for being in a booster. They said they wish it was law because of how much safer a child is in a booster than without. They told her when she could sit with her back against the seat and her knees reaching the edge of the seat, she could get out of it. Otherwise, they said kids scoot down to get comfortable which puts the lap belt over their stomach (very dangerous) rather than over their lap (where bones prevent internal damage.) While she has had friends tease her, she now knows she's (and we) made the safe choice. Plus, she likes having two cup holders of her very own. She'll probably not need it by the end of the summer, but I don't think you can ever go wrong spending money to keep your child safer.

 

[kathi29]

I went to a safety seat check with the fire department for my 2 year old. My almost 9 year old was in a booster seat at the time. The firefighters and car safety seat experts couldn't stop gushing at her for being in a booster. They said they wish it was law because of how much safer a child is in a booster than without. They told her when she could sit with her back against the seat and her knees reaching the edge of the seat, she could get out of it. Otherwise, they said kids scoot down to get comfortable which puts the lap belt over their stomach (very dangerous) rather than over their lap (where bones prevent internal damage.) While she has had friends tease her, she now knows she's (and we) made the safe choice. Plus, she likes having two cup holders of her very own. She'll probably not need it by the end of the summer, but I don't think you can ever go wrong spending money to keep your child safer.

We do tend to gush when we see that. Especially with our pathetic car seat laws; people believe the law is all they *need* to do so they don't do any more than that. (And then our half-baked government once again tables the booster seat legislation so they can concentrate on more important things like changing the state song and allowing people to bring guns to work.)

 

[marcyinPA]

Age is important as it relates to bone structure. Younger children do not have the pelvic bone structure - in a crash the seat belt is going to tighten while it looks for something to "grab" onto. In an adult, that something is the pelvic bones. In a child, that something is the spine, unless the child is in a booster seat in which case the seat takes the place of the adult pelvic bones.

Height is important for making sure the seat belt fits properly across the shoulder and hips, and for making sure the child can sit properly in the seat without slouching so they are not at risk of submarining under the seat belt.

I agree with you. What I meant to convey by my post was that my DS may be old enough in PA to go without a booster seat (he's 9, and according to the PA law, as long as he's over the age of 8, he can go without one), but because he is neither tall enough or heavy enough (according to PA law, for kids ages 4-8), he will be riding in that booster seat until he meets the recommended guidelines for height and weight. So, in my case, height and weight trump age as far as I'm concerned!

 

[kathi29]

You and I are definitely on the same page.
Seatbelts designed to fit a 250-lb male, just do not properly fit a child. It makes me sad (used to make me angry, but I can't save the world) that people put their little kids in just a seatbelt because "he's not a baby" anymore. The only ones that make me sadder are the ones that come to a car seat check *without* a car seat just to get a free one.

 

[Crazy4Disney72]

Why did you have no choice? Dd12 was in a booster seat until she was 10 - they did have them, and they went up to 80 pounds, not 20.

I was wondering the same thing when I read that, as my DS is older than that poster's child (DS is 15) and he when he reached the limits of his seat and had to move from his toddler car seat, he moved to a belt positioning booster, the Century Breverra, or something like that. He was in that for a couple years and when he was getting too tall for that (not height adjustable) he went to a backless booster where he stayed until he was 10. It's definitely true, there were not nearly as many choices in boosters back in the mid-90s, but there were definitely seats to accomodate kids past 40lbs!

Luckily, my DS was a smaller child, so even though the seat we had, I believe most seats back in the mid-90s, only harnessed to 40lbs, he was in that seat until he was almost 5. He actually outgrew it in height before he outgrew it in weight. My other two kids had seats that harnessed to higher weight limits, so they were both in harnessed seats until they were 6. My other DS, who will be 11 next week, just got out of his booster and my DD 8 will still be in hers for a couple more years.

 

[poutytink]

My DS is 10 and still in a backless booster seat. He doesn't mind it so I will leave him it in as long as I can. It puts the seat belt in the best position for him.

 

[christa112]

I live in MA too. My kids are going to be booster seats forever my DS who is 9 just broke 49 inches and my other DS who is 7 just hit 48 inches and forget about my DD. I understand that laws are laws and my family will abide by the laws. I am thinking 57 inches is a bit much what about children who are smaller or even small adults. My mom is only 4"11, I keep teasing her that when she gets older and starts shrinking she is going to have sit in a booster seat. LOL!!!

Here in MA they just passed a new law:

From the mass.gov website:

Its says that “no child under the age of eight and measuring less than
fifty-seven inches (4ft 9 in) shall ride as a passenger in a motor vehicle on any way unless such child is properly fastened and secured, according to
the manufacturers’ instructions, by a child passenger restraint”.​

​

The previous law only required children under 5 years of age and
under 40 pounds to ride in a child safety seat.

I couldn't find anything about a new weight limit.​