Car seat in Florida for 6 year old?

[SandraC]

Hi All ~ My 6 year old ds uses a booster seat at home. Should I take it to Florida? What is the law for children and car seats? Thanks! Sandra

 

[laceemouse]

No, legally you do not have to have one. In most states, a booster seat is recommended but if you look at the laws it is rarely required. You can google car seat laws to check and make sure, but we used to live in Florida and still have family there so I am pretty sure the law has not changed.

 

[Schucraig]

We just got back with our 6 year old and we did not bring his booster, although we use it at home. We rented a car and the strap hit him in the right spot. I suggest if the strap hits him too high, just put it behind him and just use the lap belt. As far as I know there is no law regarding booster seats. Good Luck!

 

[tjmw2727]

Florida law only requires a carseat until age 4, children age 4 and can use either a carseat or seatbelt so your dd is not required by FL law to use a carseat.

If you are using mostly ME and WDW transportation you don't need to bring the booster seat since you can't use it one the aircraft or the buses.

OTOH, If your renting a car and doing alot of driving you may want to consider brining it especially if she is used to it at home. We use a lowback booster by Cosco that cost about $12.00 on sale at for traveling. Fits in a duffle bag and checks though just fine.

I suggest if the strap hits him too high, just put it behind him and just use the lap belt. As far as I know there is no law regarding booster seats. Good Luck!

Please don't do this, it is more dangerous than having the belt fit wrong. If you can't use a booster to correctly position the child or let him/her be a bit uncomfortable, at least the belt will work properly if needed.

According to the NHTSA on the website for carseat safety:
"Never put a shoulder belt under a child's arm or behind a child's back. Doing this could cause serious internal injury in a crash. The lap belt of a lap and shoulder belt combination is not designed to work alone."

Here is the link for more information:
http://www.aap.org/family/carseatguide.htm
Also the AAP has an 06 website on carseat safety:
http://www.nhtsa.dot.gov/CPS/promote/know.htm

Oops I switched the links but you get the idea, sorry!

Have a great trip.
TJ

 

[mamacatnv]

We use it at home, so it went with us for the rental car in FL. My DD7 is 60#'s and 48" on the nose, NV law says she can now use just the regular safety belt, however the experts recommend that kids be in boosters until approx 8-12 yrs of age and over 4' 9". Since she is nowhere near all of these requirements she is still in a booster and will be for a few more years regardless of what the State law is.

This is just my opinion, I am very anal when it comes to car seats. We took the back off her booster, added a name tag at the airport and they sent it along as luggage, it was no issue since it doesn't require any installation. My Dd likes her booster, she can see out the windows with ease. It is a Britax and has the cowmooflage pattern that she picked out.

If we were only using ME, disney park busses and airplanes with no rental cars involved, I would not have brought it.

Also, please do not ever put the shoulder belt behind their backs, it totally defeats the purpose of having the seat belt.

MamaCatNV

 

[rparmfamily]

If you are renting a car, just bring a booster. The $15 booster could end up really worth it, there are lots of accidents in Florida and lots of crazy drivers.

 

[hollyb]

State to state laws are not my main concern about DD booster seat. Her life is my main concern. I say bring it and use it.

 

[GatorGal]

State to state laws are not my main concern about DD booster seat. Her life is my main concern. I say bring it and use it.

I agree. The law of physics is the same no matter where you are. Bring the Booster.

Actually, Florida is one of only 16 states that DON'T have laws requiring older kids (up to age 8) to be in a booster, so most states DO have laws requiring booster seat use.

 

[laceemouse]

She asked about the law, but I agree boosters are a good idea, and are recommended, for older kids. My older 3 didn't do booster back in the day when nobody did. Come to think of it, most of US did not even ride in car seats, but better safe than sorry. My 8 year old is still in a booster, 52#, and I am sick of it. She may be tall enough to get out of it though, I need to check her height. Disney buses and such don't even have seatbelts though, like school buses. Kinda strange.

 

[jodifla]

We use it at home, so it went with us for the rental car in FL. My DD7 is 60#'s and 48" on the nose, NV law says she can now use just the regular safety belt, however the experts recommend that kids be in boosters until approx 8-12 yrs of age and over 4' 9". Since she is nowhere near all of these requirements she is still in a booster and will be for a few more years regardless of what the State law is.

This is just my opinion, I am very anal when it comes to car seats. We took the back off her booster, added a name tag at the airport and they sent it along as luggage, it was no issue since it doesn't require any installation. My Dd likes her booster, she can see out the windows with ease. It is a Britax and has the cowmooflage pattern that she picked out.

If we were only using ME, disney park busses and airplanes with no rental cars involved, I would not have brought it.

Also, please do not ever put the shoulder belt behind their backs, it totally defeats the purpose of having the seat belt.

MamaCatNV

12 YEARS OLD in a booster seat!!!

That's insane.

When we ride in friend's cars, I just put my 4 year old in with the safety belt. It's perfectly legal in Florida. In my car, I use a booster, but I think having them in booster seats until they're practically in high school is just going off the deep end.

Buy you can see where the car seat lobby will head next...after they get all the states to 8 years old, they'll start pushing for 12 years old. 15 or 16 anyone?

 

[beattyfamily]

12 YEARS OLD in a booster seat!!!

That's insane.

ITA! I can understand weight and height recommendations so they fit in the seat properly but I'm thinking after age 8 or 9 it's starting to be a bit rediculous! IMHO.

I'm all for safety and my 6 year old is still in a booster seat but 9 year old is not, but vacation is ONE week out of a year of safety. If bringing a booster seat on vacation for a 6 year old will be a big pain and burden (traveling without another adult for example) by all means do what's best for your family. Don't let anyone scare you. Over 4 can be in just a seatbelt in Florida, period, so do what you think is right for you and your family.

I usually pack the no back booster seat in a carseat bag and check it with all my luggage, but I also have left it home when traveling without DH and I'd do it again.

 

[tjmw2727]

12 YEARS OLD in a booster seat!!!

That's insane.

When we ride in friend's cars, I just put my 4 year old in with the safety belt. It's perfectly legal in Florida. In my car, I use a booster, but I think having them in booster seats until they're practically in high school is just going off the deep end.

Buy you can see where the car seat lobby will head next...after they get all the states to 8 years old, they'll start pushing for 12 years old. 15 or 16 anyone?

Relax, its a recommendation from the AAP not a law!

It's just an opinion and recomendation from pediatricians not a law. All they are recommending is that a child stay in a booster until the lap/shoulder belt fits properly. A lap/shoulder belt can acutally do more harm than good if it dosen't fit properly. This usually occurs around 4'9" and somewhere between the ages of 8 and 12, usually closer to 8 or 9.

Nobody is saying a 12yo should or must be in a booster but some parents of very small children may choose to use a booster longer. Personally, I wish they would just make the lap/shoulder belts and air bags safer for older children and smaller adults but that's another thread entirely.

Here is a link from the AAP for the exact context:

:http://www.aap.org/family/carseatguide.htm

TJ

 

[LisaNJ25]

12 YEARS OLD in a booster seat!!!

That's insane.

When we ride in friend's cars, I just put my 4 year old in with the safety belt. It's perfectly legal in Florida. In my car, I use a booster, but I think having them in booster seats until they're practically in high school is just going off the deep end.

Buy you can see where the car seat lobby will head next...after they get all the states to 8 years old, they'll start pushing for 12 years old. 15 or 16 anyone?

I think you should use your judgment when they get this old.. for example NJ is 8yo or 80 pounds. My 11 1/2 yo niece is only 54 pounds and not tall at all. My 6yo weighs more than her.

Personally.. law or no law I would not let my 4yo ride with a regular seat belt.

 

[WantToGoNow]

Regardless of the child's age -- if he/she is not 4'9" or taller the seatbelt will probably not fit correctly. When the belt doesn't fit properly, children are more likely not to wear it incorrectly -- under the arm or behind the back. In a serious accident, that child will have a serious case of whiplash or injury. If the seatbelt fits across the neck and is left that way -- an accident could cause a fatal accident by cutting through a major artery. The booster is designed to raise a child to make them the proper height for the seatbelt. My ds4 has ridden in my older dd's car a couple of times without the booster but the seatbelt on her Dodge Neon fits him properly -- most of the time though she takes the booster along.

 

[GatorGal]

When we ride in friend's cars, I just put my 4 year old in with the safety belt. It's perfectly legal in Florida. In my car, I use a booster, but I think having them in booster seats until they're practically in high school is just going off the deep end.

Buy you can see where the car seat lobby will head next...after they get all the states to 8 years old, they'll start pushing for 12 years old. 15 or 16 anyone?

U.S. Transportation Secretary Norman Mineta recently announced a new federal initiative that will provide $25 million over the next four years to states that pass and enforce new or tougher booster seat laws. The use of a belt positioning booster reduces a child's risk of injury by 59% over a seat belt alone. In 2002 62% of 4 to 8 year olds were inappropriately restrained in only a seat belt. According to Peter Kissinger, president and CEO of the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety "Car crashes are the leading cause of death for children and booster seats save lives when properly used in conjunction with lap and shoulder belts...Unfortunately, many children are put at risk when they are improperly restrained by a seat belt intended for an adult or older child and the booster seat phase is skipped."

Each year more than 400 children aged four to eight are killed in traffic crashes and another 70,000 are injured, according to the AAA Foundation. Child booster seats are designed for children approximately four to eight years old.


It is a common misconception that it's just the shoulder belt portion of the seat belt that has to fit the child properly, when actually the lap belt portion is just as important. The lap belt portion of the seat belt should ride on the upper thighs of the child, not the abdomen. If the lap belt is positioned on the abdomen, serious internal injuries could occur. Think of where the belt is on the child's body, what is behind it? Internal organs and the spine. The belt should be postioned to restrain where the pelvis bones are. When a child is not tall enough for his knees to bend over the edge of the seat while his back is all the way against that back of seat, they tend to scoot forward so their legs will bend over the seat edge, causing the lap belt to ride too high up onto the abdomen. When the shoulder belt portion of the seat belt is placed behind the childs back, the upper body is not restrained and the force of the crash is spread over a smaller area creating a much greater risk of injury to head, spine, and internal organs.