Is your 8 yr old in a booster car seat?

[DisneyBamaFan]

My youngest didn't hit 80 lbs until after his 9th birthday, so he rode in a booster seat.

 

[mjkacmom]

My ds just turned 8 last year, and I finally let him get rid of the booster seat. He's only 67 lbs., but I still let him get rid of it. I told him for long car trips he'll have to have it, but not on a day to day basis. I don't know, part of me wonders if it's the right decision, but then I think about when I was a kid and I was out of a carseat by 4, so

I wouldn't base it on what you did - the first time I used a seatbelt was in my 20's!

 

[robinb]

I think that Illinois law requires kids UNDER 8 years old to be in a booster. Kids over 8 years old must use a seat belt. So, if you want to take your DD out of the booster you can do so legally. I took my DD out of her booster in 2nd or 3rd grade (I think) when she could sit back in the seat with her feet on the floor.

There are some parents on the DIS who still have their older school age children (older than 8) in 5-point harness car seats. Some parents took their kids put their kids into boosters at 3-4 and into seat belt as soon as they could legally. I would hate for this thread to turn into one where one group of parents feels they are better than the other group.

 

[cybrkitn]

I'm also 4'11" and thought it was ridiculous that as a 24-year-old adult who drives, I'm just two inches over needing a booster seat.

That's why we were teasing her and she is going to be 64 this month, lol But thankfully it's only for kids and not adults.

DS7 is about 48" tall and is about 72 pounds. He started to gain weight since my father passed away in 2008.

 

[hrh_disney_queen]

Our DD is almost 8 and a half and its starting to be brought up that everyone else in her class isn't in a booster seat. In Illinois where we are, I think its 8 yrs old and 80 lbs. Well, DD is 49 lbs. Seriously, she'll be 16 before she weighs 80 lbs. I'm just curious if everyone else takes them out of the booster at 8?

Heck my DS10 and DS11 are still in the booster seat! They are about 45 and 50 lbs. They are short. I don't care if they are embarrassed, age shouldn't matter-weight and height should. Letting them ride without a carseat at their size can seriously endanger them.

Safety trumps all in our car.

 

[hrh_disney_queen]

My poor children will live, literally.

First of all, my kids really don't care. Second, it is the law here in Illinois. And third, it keeps the seat belt off their necks. That is the whole point. Don't feel sorry for my kids. Feel sorry for the kids who end up hurt by ill-fitting belts or for kids whose parents can't be bother to buckle them up in the first place.

I agree with these responses to the now deleted post.

Why is that confusing? My kids just didn't have to be in their seats as long. If all kids are doing the same thing, it may not be a big deal now, but back then a booster to ride in a car at age 8 would have been weird. We are very big advocates of car safety and never drive without everyone buckled up.

Confusing stuff, all those laws and safety issues? It's very simple. The height and weight make sure that the seat belt/shoulder harness crosses at the correct places. If it doesn't , very serious injuries can occur. Age is not the "magic" number here, size is. If the kid is big enough per guidelines, then of course he can be out of the seat. I'm sure there are a lot "weird" or embarrassing things you require of your kids that don't have an option.

 

[taximomfor4]

This made me laugh. I'm way passed dealing with car/booster seat issues (thank goodness). I do have an 18 year old high school senior.

We used to laugh because your supposed to be over 150 lbs to sit in the front seat of a vehicle equipped with airbags. My son used to complain that he had to sit in the back seat of our SUV.
He is very tall..(now 6'3")..but...he's very thin. He used to complain to me that at the rate he gained weight..he'd be driving from the back seat! (he barely makes the weight recommendation now!).

I have never heard this...only over age 12, so that you've reached a certain level of skeletal maturity. And I know our car manual wants the airbag shut off for anyone under 100 lbs, not 150.

Is there a new guideline for 150 lbs? If so, most of the women I know shouldn't sit in front seats!

 

[mtemm]

my son turns 8 tomorrow and is probably around 50lbs and yes, he is still in a booster. once in a very blue moon if my dh has to run all 3 kids somewhere we have allowed him to ride w/o one, but that is very very rare.

 

[KirstenB]

Why is that confusing? My kids just didn't have to be in their seats as long. If all kids are doing the same thing, it may not be a big deal now, but back then a booster to ride in a car at age 8 would have been weird. We are very big advocates of car safety and never drive without everyone buckled up.

It's confusing, because you said, "your poor kids", like you were being sarcastic. Perhaps you didn't mean it that way.

 

[brockash]

I wouldn't base it on what you did - the first time I used a seatbelt was in my 20's!

The statistics prove that you are more likely to be injured within a certain mile radius of your home- ie, your day to day driving around town and such. Just a thought


My kids are all still in boosters at 5,5 and 8 and they will be in them for the for as long as they need until they fit correctly on the seat and with the buckle. DH and I are considering taking the back off of the oldest's booster and letting her just use the backless portion, but we'll have to see how everything fits when we get our new car this weekend.

We have had some relatives give us a hard time about it but we just point out that it's a- the law and b- the safest thing to do, so why would we not do what was safest for the kids? If it's really a problem then the kids don't need to drive with anyone other than DH and I

I guess I should have been a little clearer. I'm not just basing my decision from what I did (my ds didn't get out of a carseat at age 4.) I based my decision primarily from the law, but I feel more comfortable when I think about the fact that I was out of a carseat at 4 and I'm alive and well.

 

[HM]

I agree with these responses to the now deleted post.


Confusing stuff, all those laws and safety issues? It's very simple. The height and weight make sure that the seat belt/shoulder harness crosses at the correct places. If it doesn't , very serious injuries can occur. Age is not the "magic" number here, size is. If the kid is big enough per guidelines, then of course he can be out of the seat. I'm sure there are a lot "weird" or embarrassing things you require of your kids that don't have an option.

I deleted the post because I was not happy with how I worded it....unfortunatly, not before someone responded to it. I am not happy to have it hashed over, when it was really not what I wanted to say.



Here is the deal. When my kids were out of their seats....they were legally at the right weight or height. We are a tall family. At that time it would have been very unusual (weird was not the right word to use and I apologize) to see kids in 3rd grade in a booster seat. That's all I'm saying.

I TOTALLY get the fact that all of you bringing up toddlers to elementary school age kids now have different laws to deal with and that it is not unusual to be in the position anymore (as evidenced by the posts in this thread).

 

[HM]

It's confusing, because you said, "your poor kids", like you were being sarcastic. Perhaps you didn't mean it that way.

No sarcasm intended. As you can see from my above post, I never intended my original post to be visible....but didn't delete it before someone responded to it, leaving my bad wording to live in infamy.

 

[peacefulmama]

My 12yo was in a booster until he was 10 1/2. He still rides in the back. My 6yo and 7yo will likely be in a booster until around that age too. It's not the norm here. Most kids (60-70% ?) at our school stopped sitting in boosters when they started 1st grade. We also keep our kids rear facing much longer than is the norm here too....but that's not for this thread

 

[tuckerkeys]

my son is 7 weighs 89 lbs and is 54" tall. He's out of his booster, has been for a while. He is growing like a weed!!

.// The belt in my car fits him fine, it is adjustable for taller - shorter people. He can also firmly plant his BIG size 5 mens feet on the ground. I do think smaller and littler kids should still be in the seats if it has been proven to help in an accident!

 

[cybrkitn]

when I was a kid and I was out of a carseat by 4, so

When DH and I were kids, carseats were unheard of and seatbelts were not mandated by law (we were born in the early 1970's). I think carseats started coming on the scene maybe late 1970's or in the 1980's (not sure of the time frame) . We were in middle school when the seatbelt law went into effect in the mid 80's.

Now, I'm thankful for the carseats and of course the seatbelt law.

 

[taximomfor4]

When DH and I were kids, carseats were unheard of and seatbelts were not mandated by law (we were born in the early 1970's). I think carseats started coming on the scene maybe late 1970's or in the 1980's (not sure of the time frame) . We were in middle school when the seatbelt law went into effect in the mid 80's.

Now, I'm thankful for the carseats and of course the seatbelt law.

Umm, dh was born in 1970 as was my dsis. They both rode in carseats. The laws, however, became strict and guidelines better advertised much later than that. I do believe that carseats used for increased safety in vehicles were invented in the early '60's.

 

[cybrkitn]

The best thing to do if you're not sure if your child still NEEDS the booster for SAFETY is to do a 5 step test with him.

http://www.carseat.org/Boosters/630.htm

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!

If your son fails the 5 step test there is absolutely nothing wrong at all with telling him that mommy didn't know better, and now she does, and she's making a different decision for HIS safety. Period. He'll live...literally!

Thanks for that test Those are things I'm going to look at in June when DS turns 8. I'm worried about the seatbelt coming across his neck if he's not in a booster seat.

 

[Dancemom03]

DD just turned 9 after Christmas. We noticed in second grade there were only one or two kids still in booster seats, despite the law. She stopped using hers for daily trips around our small town when school started this year (3rd grade). Grandmom isn't an experienced driver so the booster lives in grandmom's car and is a requirement when DD9 goes with them. We also use it whenever we travel - DD9 likes to be able to see out the back windows of my van and the booster gives her a better view plus she thinks it's more comfortable with the booster while I just feel safer on the highway if she's in a booster.

I agree with what others have said though - if I waited for my girls to weigh enough to be out of car seats, my older DD would have started high school in hers.

Nobody in DD9's peer group is currently using a car seat so we just don't advertise that we still travel with it. She does live in fear though that somebody will notice when grandmom picks her up occassionally at school with the booster so they've been instructed to park at the far end of the lot and walk in...

 

[cybrkitn]

Umm, dh was born in 1970 as was my dsis. They both rode in carseats. The laws, however, became strict and guidelines better advertised much later than that.

DH was also born in 1970. I think your right though about the laws becoming stricter. Both our parents never used them so I assumed carseats weren't around until much later. But it looks like they weren't mandated by law at that time? Shows you how naive I am

 

[agnes!]

Even though this chart is 'unofficial', the information seems to be spot-on and contains all the various restrictions on children, weight, front-facing car=seats, boosters, etc.

http://www.elitecarseats.com/custserv/custserv.jsp?pageName=car_seat_laws

agnes!