booster seats

[1of6]

That site was very interesting. Especially since we live outside of the Motor City, I was surprised to see how behind Michigan is when it comes to the safety of our children in a car. I hope our law gets changed soon.

I think the minimum weight was added to many states because of the nations obesity problem. It allows children that do not fit in a seat because of weight ride with a belt even though they have not yet reached the age. It is a godsend to those parents of bigger kids that do not fit in a booster after age 5 or 6 because of their weight. I'm glad they have the weight limit to help children that don't fit in a booster but many children will not be anywhere near the limit when they hit the age.

We joke that my DN will never be big enough to get out of his seat. He is 8yo but no where near the right height or weight. At least he can look at his cousin (my ds) who is still in his booster at 9yo and in 4th grade. He still has 4 more inches until he is tall enough.

 

[Beth76]

They need the seatbelts to adjust more in the front seat too. They all hit me at the neck and I am 5'3"

My car has adjustable seat belts. I bet you could buy something to clip on the shoulder part to make it more comfortable. My son's booster came with a little clip that does just that. I would think they would have one for adults too.

 

[cepmom]

pretty much all a booster seat does is "boost" your child up so that the seat belt will fit them the right way (across the chest and low across the hips instead of the abdomen). If your child can sit in your car without the booster seat and still have the car's seat belt fit correctly, and their knees can bend at the edge of the seat, then they do not need to sit in a booster. I got my information from DH's friend who is a police officer and a certified car seat installer for his police department.

All this weight /height limit stuff can vary greatly from child to child. One child that is the correct weight may be very short and still need the booster to get the seat belts to fit correctly or may be tall enough but just have really long legs and a short torso so the seatbelt does not fit correctly then either. Every child is built differently...there is no magic age/weight/height limit that works for everyone.

If you ever need a professional to check your childs seats for you, check out out www.seatcheck.gov to find a certified safety seat professional near you.

 

[kristen821]

My car has adjustable seat belts. I bet you could buy something to clip on the shoulder part to make it more comfortable. My son's booster came with a little clip that does just that. I would think they would have one for adults too.

Our cars have adjustable seatbelts too, but they don't adjust low enough for me. I'll have to look into clips for adults, because I hate the seatbelt at the neck. Has anyone heard of these clips?