Carseat laws

[Swimalie]

I know everybody wants their kids to be happy, and yes, DD is sometimes annoyed that other kids her age are out of carseats completely. But the fact is, you can't go back after an accident and make your child safer. You can only use appropriate guidelines to make a judgement as to what is safest for your child beforehand. I certainly hope no one on this board is involved in an accident with a child, but I would much rather know my child is as safe as possible than wish I had done more to protect them.

Yes, very well put. We just moved our son (4.5 yo) from a Boulevard in to a Frontier. He was almost too tall for the Boulevard. Last week, though I had ankle surgery and I can't drive. So he's been getting rides my my wonderful friends. But one has her kids in high back boosters (she did this when they turned 3 which is not my choice) and I worried that my son would love the freedom. But so far (fingers crossed) he hasn't said anything after about not liking being put back in his Frontier. By law, yes he can be in a high back booster but not by "Mommy Law"

 

[sritter78]

My DD is 4 (40" and 40 lbs.) and she is in a Regent. She loves it and I plan on keeping her in it until she outgrows it.

What I don't understand are the uneducated parents that allow their children to ride in the front seat @ 5 with no seat belt. I am a teacher and see this during car rider pick up daily. It is so sad to think that they are putting their child's life at jeopardy every day.

It would be so much easier if states would just make the car seat rules stricter.

 

[Colleen27]

Anyone know a website that spells your the law specifically? I have been googling but all I find is ages, not weights or heights.
There are a couple of kids in DS preschool that are longer in any type of seat, they are 5.
I remember a Disney commercial with a princess, saying so and so is the magic number? Just dont remember that number.
Thanks in advance!

The thing is, laws are often written based on age while safety recommendations are based on height and weight, so you're likely to find more ages than sizes when Googling laws. The law here was only until 4 for a long time, and I remember seeing those "magic number" billboards that promoted going by size rather than age/law, but I don't think I've seen any since the law was changed to 8.

 

[Colleen27]

I don't recall anyone mentioning a 12 year old in a booster. I do think that a 4 year old can be (and needs to be) in a booster, provided the child sits correctly. If the 4 year old is 80 pounds and 4'9", I guess that child could go without, but I don't know of any 4 year olds that big.

Well, the 80lbs/4'9" recommendation or the 5 point test would have a LOT of 12yos in a booster, since those numbers are about the 25th percentile for girls. I'm sure my DD8 won't meet those standards by 12. I didn't retire her booster just because the law says we can, but I don't see using it past elementary school either.

 

[torinsmom]

When DS was 4, the LAW in NC was 4 years or 40 lbs, but I kept DS in a 5 pt booster until the weight limit at 65lbs and then in the booster until he was 7 0r 8. Laws are sometimes way below guidelines, and I trust the guidelines. How is a 40 lb child who is required by law in NC to stay in a carseat until 80 lbs, suddenly safe to come out of the carseat when he visits Florida?

I am a teacher and when the law was 4/40, we would have kids come in on their 4th birthday, proud to be out of their seat. Some of them were 25 or 30 lbs! When we went on field trips, I refused to have those kids in my car. Any child riding in my car had to be in a car seat.

Marsha

 

[Swimalie]

What I don't understand are the uneducated parents that allow their children to ride in the front seat @ 5 with no seat belt. I am a teacher and see this during car rider pick up daily. It is so sad to think that they are putting their child's life at jeopardy every day.

It would be so much easier if states would just make the car seat rules stricter.

I've been at my son's pre-school parking lot to drop him off (I do walk-in) and watched parents driving their kids in the car pool lane, going about 5 mph, with the kids walking freely in the car. These kids are all 5 and younger. No car seat. I guess the parent unbuckled them as they got in to the parking lot and thought that since they were in a parking lot, they would be safe running around the car. Even if I drive my son in my driveway, he's strapped in to his 5pt harness. So dangerous!!

I wish states would get tougher, too.

 

[PrincessMom4]

Canadian laws are fairly strict. Rear facing car seat until 20lbs and 1 years old (MOST not all kids now a days are already that by 6months). Forward facing until they are 40lbs in a car seat. Then once they hit that 40lb mark they can go into a booster seat until they are 8 years old or 80lbs or 4'9" tall. My 4.5 year old is the same same as his soon-to-be 3 year old brother. If it wasn't for laws like that my kids would have been hurt or woken up after a deer decided to jump out in front of my van a few years ago. Only reason i mention the sleeping is because they were tired after the birthday party we went to and they were asleep when the deer jumped out. When I am in Florida we keep our booster and car seats laws from home, we can't get punished in Florida for being extra safe, can we??

 

[Mom23Disneybelievers]

Foranyone living in New York State.....our school district just notified us a couple of days ago that the law just changed....the age for booster seat went up to 8...regardless of the child's weight.

 

[drcbpearce]

The law is usually the BARE MINIMUM, and many children need to be in a booster seat until 10-12 years old. 8 years and 4'9" (57 inches) is a good minimum to start with. Then they need to look at the 5 step test and see if their child passes it in EVERY SINGLE VEHICLE they ever ride in. ALL of them. If they can't pass it, then they need to be in a booster. My 10 year old nephew is only 50 inches and still requires a booster. ALL 5 year olds need to be in a high back booster... AT THE VERY LEAST. Some 5 year olds still need to be harnessed, because they could lack the maturity it takes to sit properly 100% of the time. If the child leans over, touches the seat belt, tries moving the seat belt, etc., then they're not sitting properly and should be in a harness. The harness will keep them in the proper position 100% of the time.

If your child isn’t using a booster, try the simple test below the next time you ride together in the car. You may find that your child is not yet ready to use a safety belt without a booster.

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?

If you answered "no" to any of these questions, your child needs a booster seat to make both the shoulder belt and the lap belt fit right for the best crash protection. Your child will be more comfortable, too!

Your post is brilliant. It lays out specifically how to evaluate your child's position in the seat. Yes all state laws are different, but as far as I"m concerned my child's safety is not related to a state law, well it is sort of, but the state guidelines are normally minimums. I am a health care practitioner and I have had conversations with my own family about children being too small and riding in the car w/o booster seats. The issue is the location of the lap belt and when it is not across the hips, it is across the lower abdomen. A child who is too small with the lap belt in the this location can be seriously injured in a car accident, or possibly even killed due to the injuries inflicted by the seatbelt. There is a fracture that is only seen in children called the 'Seatbelt fracture' caused by this very thing. Please, everyone, take a look at this diagram and judge for yourselves. My DS is 9 and begs me all the time to be out of his booster, but he knows the reason, I tell him I want him to be safe and that booster keeps him in a safe position in the car. When he hits 4'9", we'll re-evaluate and go from there. He will remain in the backseat until he's at least 11 or 12. That's my two cents, FWIW. Be safe!

 

[LisaNJ25]

In NJ, it's 8 or 80 lbs. DS who just turned 3 is big for his age, but he will remain in a 5 pt. harness until he grows out of his Graco Nautilus, which is believe is 65 lbs and 52 inches. The law in my opinion, is simply a miminum, like the 1 year and 20 lbs to face forward (I know that debate is for another time ).

Same here... I am keeping my 4yo and 5yo in the 5pt until they outgrow it.. I am not a car seat nut but I will not put them in a backless booster at this point. NJ here also and we have 2 of the Graco Nautilus car seats.


Its bad enough when 4 and 5yo's pull up to my kids schools with no car seats at all.