Carseat laws

[pixiewings71]

In our minivan the seat belts in the back adjust as well, so we have 6 belts that adjust in our van. Both of my girls are now out of boosters, DD9 stopped using hers when she turned 8. They are both tall enough and combined with the adjustable seat belts the belts fit them exactly as needed. The headrests also adjust and yes, they are both seated correctly too. I did the 8/80 rule for both of them and they were the last of their friends to be using boosters....

 

[princessmom29]

8 years old is not too old for a booster. And 4 years old is way too young for a booster and your 4 year old should still be harnessed, for at least another year... but probably 2 years.

This is a blanket statement that is just NOT true for every 4 year old, and quite frankly I find it annoying and judgemental. Not everyone's 4 year old needs a 5 point harness, and not everyone is so obsessive about car seats. My 5 year old is in a booster. Has been for a year, and GASP is still alive and unharmed. And no I am NOT going to make her sit in a booster until she is 12 no matter what anyone else has to say about it. When she is no longer comfortable in the booster it will go, sorry.
My best friend is 32, and if you go by the weight/height rules she should be in a booster. Guess what??? She drives like a grownup and is fine!!! I don't pass the supposed magic 5 part test, but I am not dead yet!! Come on, what we really need are not more rules, but someone capable of using common sense in these situations.

 

[ZanyToes]

I really try not to be a car-seat nazi.. so I'll just post the links to the videos

with a 5 point harness
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NMFPSStXfqE&NR=1

in a HIGH-BACKED booster (which is safer than a booster w/ no back)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V2kO8AxKbrM&feature=related

and leave it at that.

 

[princessmom29]

There is a difference between children and adults. Our bodies and bones are different. And in a lot of vehicles you can adjust the height of the shoulder belt in the driver's seat, but not the passengers' seats. OR you can adjust the height of the driver's seat (even my 97 Pontiac has this option) which allows the shoulder belt to fit properly. And yes, it is an issue if you don't sit in your seat properly because if you are out of position the seat belt is not going to do it's job the way it's supposed to.... child or adult.

Of course, you could always sit in a booster...

no matter how much adjustment I do I still do not fit. The shoulder belt is still too high. It is simply not designed to fit people less than 5 feet tall, but I am NOT nor should I use a child's booster seat. For that matter, what about adult PASSENGERS??? Should I require everyone in my car who doesn't pass the 5 part test to sit in a booster???? SOOOOOO not happening. This argument is just silly!!! As I said before just use some common sense and everyone will be fine. A 12 year old doesn't need a booster, but a 4 year old probably does. How hard is that????

 

[waltskids]

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 ).

 

[CdnCarrie]

Car seat laws are determined by state/ province. I wouldn't depend on what strangers tell you on a Disney board. Google your state's website and find out what pertains to your specific state.

As well check out the instructions for your particular car seat. Even if your state says they can move to a booster seat at 40 lbs the car seat you use may say they also need to meet a certain height requirement if its a carseat with a back.

Better to get the correct facts and be safe then read stuff from a chat board.

 

[CdnCarrie]

If you give your state then maybe others can help you find that link to that state's info.

And if the ad had Disney princesses in it I'm sure it wasn't coming from the official source.

 

[mjkacmom]

no matter how much adjustment I do I still do not fit. The shoulder belt is still too high. It is simply not designed to fit people less than 5 feet tall, but I am NOT nor should I use a child's booster seat. For that matter, what about adult PASSENGERS??? Should I require everyone in my car who doesn't pass the 5 part test to sit in a booster???? SOOOOOO not happening. This argument is just silly!!! As I said before just use some common sense and everyone will be fine. A 12 year old doesn't need a booster, but a 4 year old probably does. How hard is that????

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.

My children will not dictate to me when they're done with the booster - I've never even been in a minor car accident, but I can't imagine having them not use the booster, when they're clearly too small not to use one, just because they tell me they don't want to use them.

 

[bumbershoot]

I'm all about car seat safety. (I do practice ERF to maximums). But just wanted to comment about the 5 step test....I find it amusing that I don't even pass it I can't in good conscience answer "yes" to #3 & #5.

Neither do I and I'm 5'3"! If I were ever in an accident I would have a severe cut on my neck (hopefully not horridly severe) from the seatbelt. And that's with the seat up and the seatbelt part down...

And I'd be HAPPY to be in a 5 point harness (though since I wear skirts most of the time that would be interesting) or some sort of booster that my behind could fit into.

I really don't care about looking silly or being made fun of, and I don't care if DS is made fun of at some point (kids will make fun of ANYTHING, it doesn't matter what). I care about him (and me, and hubby but he is 5'10" no worries) not dying in an accident. Call me crazy....

 

[kohlby]

I'm 5'1" and really wish they made boosters for adults. (But then I wouldn't be able to reach the pedals when driving). Though I'm past 4'9", I have a short torso so the seatbelt cuts into my neck - even adjusted in the drivers seat. My oldest has a super long torso - outgrowing the Britax Regent right before 6 so I had to move him to a booster then. I would not move a child to a booster unless I absolutely had to since safety does go down every time you go a step up in type of seats. My daughter will likely move out of her 5-pt harness at 8 years old at this rate - and that's okay! She's pretty average in size.

My van isn't too bad but it was bad when I had a Corolla. I had a very low impact crash and the airbags came out. Air bags can be EVIL!!

I should have been in a booster at 12 but they didn't have them back then. I don't know my height but I do know I hit exactly 4 feet tall at 11 and was 4'6" at 14 years old entering high school. If I have a child that short - she/he WILL be in a booster even at 14.

 

[DisneyNutMic]

My 7 year old has outgrown his booster seat. Based on the rules of the booster, it is no longer safe for him. Our state however doesn't go by height 8 years or 80 lbs. He is a skinny little thing weighing in at 69 lbs but is 51" tall. Our minister is a Highway Patrolman and he said that he COULD give us a ticket for not having him buckled in but that it was actually safer to take him out. I will take my chances with a ticket until February when he will be 8. I'm sorry but his safety is my only concern.

 

[Swimalie]

My 7 year old has outgrown his booster seat. Based on the rules of the booster, it is no longer safe for him. Our state however doesn't go by height 8 years or 80 lbs. He is a skinny little thing weighing in at 69 lbs but is 51" tall. Our minister is a Highway Patrolman and he said that he COULD give us a ticket for not having him buckled in but that it was actually safer to take him out. I will take my chances with a ticket until February when he will be 8. I'm sorry but his safety is my only concern.

I'm curious about something. Mine is 4 and is still in a 5-pt harness and will be for as long as I can keep him there. But eventually he will be in a booster (ours converts to a high back booster and then a no-back booster). Our state also has the law of 8 years in a child safety seat of some sort. So... with that said, how does one outgrow a no-back booster?

 

[princessmom29]

I'm curious about something. Mine is 4 and is still in a 5-pt harness and will be for as long as I can keep him there. But eventually he will be in a booster (ours converts to a high back booster and then a no-back booster). Our state also has the law of 8 years in a child safety seat of some sort. So... with that said, how does one outgrow a no-back booster?

You are simply too tall for it, and it is no longer safe as the seat belt is in the wrong position, or you exceed the weight limit for the booster.

 

[Swimalie]

You are simply too tall for it, and it is no longer safe as the seat belt is in the wrong position, or you exceed the weight limit for the booster.

Oh, okay. I didn't know you could get "too tall" for the backless boosters. Our seat belts adjust in height. Our booster goes to 100 lbs. So I guess we'll be safe until age 8 since my 4 year old isn't even 40 lbs now.

 

[Cedarmom]

My 7 year old has outgrown his booster seat. Based on the rules of the booster, it is no longer safe for him. Our state however doesn't go by height 8 years or 80 lbs. He is a skinny little thing weighing in at 69 lbs but is 51" tall. Our minister is a Highway Patrolman and he said that he COULD give us a ticket for not having him buckled in but that it was actually safer to take him out. I will take my chances with a ticket until February when he will be 8. I'm sorry but his safety is my only concern.

I'd be curious to know what kind of seat he was in? Was it a seat that had harnesses and then you took them out to use the seat as a booster (often called a combination seat)? I ask because I don't know any 7 year old that, at 51 inches and 69 lbs, would fit safely in a seat belt only. I'm not doubting that he outgrew his other seat, I'm just wondering what it was.

If safety is your concern, you might consider getting him a low-backed turbo booster. They are relatively cheap (usually $25 or less) and will keep the seat belt in the correct position on him. I'm guessing the seat belt crosses his belly rather than his hips now? In an accident, that seat belt will cut into those sensitive abdominal organs and cause way more damage than necessary. If the seat belt crosses his hip bones, the bones protect the organs by taking the brunt of the impact.

 

[mjkacmom]

I'd be curious to know what kind of seat he was in? Was it a seat that had harnesses and then you took them out to use the seat as a booster (often called a combination seat)? I ask because I don't know any 7 year old that, at 51 inches and 69 lbs, would fit safely in a seat belt only. I'm not doubting that he outgrew his other seat, I'm just wondering what it was.

If safety is your concern, you might consider getting him a low-backed turbo booster. They are relatively cheap (usually $25 or less) and will keep the seat belt in the correct position on him. I'm guessing the seat belt crosses his belly rather than his hips now? In an accident, that seat belt will cut into those sensitive abdominal organs and cause way more damage than necessary. If the seat belt crosses his hip bones, the bones protect the organs by taking the brunt of the impact.

I'm also confused - dd8 is 51" tall, and is no way too tall for her backless booster - her older siblings were in them until 57", which is the height the experts cite as being tall enough. Edited to say, he doesn't sound like a skinny thing to me - dd is 52 pounds!

 

[Erica09M]

I'm also confused - dd8 is 51" tall, and is no way too tall for her backless booster - her older siblings were in them until 57", which is the height the experts cite as being tall enough. Edited to say, he doesn't sound like a skinny thing to me - dd is 52 pounds!

Me too. My 10 year old nephew is only 49-50 inches, and is only like 55 pounds, and he's still in a high back booster with lots of room to grow height wise. Not to mention the 100 pound weight limit would allow almost 2 of him to sit in it.

 

[here757]

here is the link for the highway instute for highway safety..
they do not sell car seats so they are not biased.

each child is different. even though my son is 7 and is not required.. he prefers the booster. cuz he can see better
http://www.iihs.org/laws/ChildRestraint.aspx

 

[ireland_nicole]

My kids are both in Britax regents, so they are still in 5 point harnesses. My DD will be 10 next month, but in TX it's 8 and 80lbs. DD is 48 1/2 inches and 52 lbs. Honestly, I don't understand the age requirements, I think requirements should be height/weight based, since that is what will determine safety in a crash.

FWIW, my DD and I were hit by a truck when she was 6. If we had had her in just a booster, the police said she probably would have died. At the time she wasn't even close to 4 feet tall, but the law wouldn't have required her to be in a five point harness, in fact, the law where we lived at the time only required her to be in a seatbelt.

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.

 

[HeatherSue]

My kids are both in Britax regents, so they are still in 5 point harnesses. My DD will be 10 next month, but in TX it's 8 and 80lbs. DD is 48 1/2 inches and 52 lbs. Honestly, I don't understand the age requirements, I think requirements should be height/weight based, since that is what will determine safety in a crash.

FWIW, my DD and I were hit by a truck when she was 6. If we had had her in just a booster, the police said she probably would have died. At the time she wasn't even close to 4 feet tall, but the law wouldn't have required her to be in a five point harness, in fact, the law where we lived at the time only required her to be in a seatbelt.

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.

Well put, Nicole! My 6 year old DD is 49" tall and 48lbs and she's in a 5 pt harness (Britax Regent). She'll stay in it until she outgrows it and then I'll look around to see if there's a new seat that will allow a taller child in a 5 pt harness! My niece is 11 and she just outgrew her Regent. She's now in a booster.

This might sound crazy to some people. But, knowing what I know about carseat safety- if I got in an accident and I didn't have my child as protected as possible, I couldn't live with the guilt. It's so simple to just have her sit in a carseat.