Booster Seat? - Maryland Heights,MO

Here's the law from the modot site: Children less than 4 years old OR less than 40 pounds must be in an appropriate child safety seat.

My daughter is almost 3 and 38 pounds. We have a high back booster that has a 5-point harness but I'm about ready to remove it and go to the seat belt. I may wait until she is a couple more pounds as long as she doesn't get much taller before that. My dad races cars and has to wear a 5-point harness which is inspected before they start racing. One of the requirements is that the harness not come up and over the shoulders for safety reasons. The car seat recommendation state the same requirements. My daughter's harness is adjusted to the highest position and about ready to not fit safely so we'll have to go to the seat belt. Luckily the law DOES NOT state they have to be in a 5-point harness. It only states that it has to be an APPROPRIATE safety seat. Every kid is different...it sounds like your child is a bigger child - probably has the height to go with the weight as mine does. I prefer to keep them in the 5-point harness as long as I can but if their height makes it unsafe then the high back booster without the harness is the way to go.

2 moms found this helpful

MO law is 40lbs & 4yrs but honestly I would keep him in a 5-point harness carseat as long as you possibly can. It is MUCH safer and they can't unbuckle themselves as easily. They won't mind staying in a 5-point harness and you KNOW they are safe in case of a car accident. The AAP recommends children to be rear facing up until at least 2yrs old, so you can imagine they would want your older child in a 5-point harness for as long as they can.

When I was 4yrs old my mother ALWAYS made us put on our seatbelts.... always. But one day while on vacation I unbuckled my belt without my mother noticing. I then started playing with the door handle. Well the door opened, I fell out, and the car ran over my hip. I was VERY lucky. I only dislocated my sacro-illiac joint and to this day have a scar on the side of my leg from the hip to my knee. All it took was that ONE time I unbuckled my seatbelt & curiosity w/the door handle to have an accident!

So, that is my recommendation.

BTW, I have the Sunshine Kids Radian 80 carseat & really like it. It goes up to 80lbs so it will be used for a while. It folds for storage if I need to remove it and is GREAT for airplane trips.

Good luck with your decision. There are so many with motherhood!

J.

2 moms found this helpful

I copied this from an older reply from someone on Mamasource. I think you are in MO so this is their law.

This is a review of the Missouri car seat law.
* A child less than four years old or weighing under 40 pounds must be secured in a child passenger restraint system appropriate for the child.
* A child over four years of age, but less than eight years of age, who also weighs between 40 and 80 pounds and is under 4'9" tall, must be secured in a child passenger restraint system or booster seat appropriate for that child.
* Children at least 80 pounds, or children more than 4'9" tall, are required to be secured by an appropriate vehicle safety belt or booster seat.
The fine for violating Missouri's child safety law is $50 plus court costs. Child safety seat requirements do not apply to children who are being transported in a school bus or public carrier for hire.

I would do this by the law as they can fine you or if anything happened to the child you would be arrested. Just better to be safe and follow the law when you know what it is.

1 mom found this helpful

I believe most high back boosters start at 30lbs, 38 inches and at least 3 years old. When switching to the booster the height requirement is important so the seatbelt lays in the correct spot on the shoulder. They are also now more mobile in the booster - can wiggle out of the seatbelt and lean out of the shoulder strap so they need to be old enough to stay put and not unbuckle themselves. I use the carseat as long as possible (until they fully outgrow the weight and/or height limits) so the five point harness keeps them secure in one place.
My oldest switched to the booster at age 4 (she too was a premature and is small for her age) and my 3 1/2 year old is still in a carseat.
After now reading the other posts - even though a booster starts at 30lbs, 3 yrs old - they are correct: MO law is under 40lbs and 4 yrs old must be in a carseat.

1 mom found this helpful

KS law says 3 years .... My daughter is 2 1/2 and 40 pounds ... I have her in a booster .. she loves it and fits perfectly in it. She is much happier in the booster ! You have to use your judgement. I am a very over protective mom and worry about everything but this is one thing I am ok with even though she is a bit younger !

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My daughter just turned 4 this week and we switched her to a booster. I have to admit that I still think she's a little small and will probably go back to her big car seat for a little longer.

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The child is to be 4 years and 40 pounds - under 4 they don't have the muscular strenth needed to use a booster seat only (in the event of an accident).

Hang in there - you're almost there!

1 mom found this helpful

Hi! I am a fellow preemie mom (28 weeker who is now 8 y/o).
I had the same problem with my youngest boy, except he was getting too tall (long torso) for a regular carseat. Please do not put him in a booster until he is 5 years old. We tried switching our oldest when he was 3 (before I found out that boosters are not very safe until a child is 5 y/o) & he would not sit still & leave the seatbelt alone (very dangerous). So we kept him in his 5 point carseat until he was 4 y/o.
Back to my youngest.... We found the NAUTILUS 5 IN 1 carseat. It is awesome!!! The 5 point harness is made for children up to 65 lbs. & the belts move high enough that my 8 y/o could use it & he is 4' 3" tall! You can find it at Target & Walmart for about $150 (Walmart is cheaper than Target by about $10). I think the extra expence is worth the safety of any child, So please check it out!

I hope your little boy is doing well after being so early!

God bless!

1 mom found this helpful

I believe the recommended age for switching from a carseat to a booster is 4 years or 40 lbs or something like that. Even if he's close to/at 40 lbs, you can still put him in a carseat because most go up to 80 lbs. I would ask your pediatrician before you move him to a booster. I believe 2.5 is too young but that is just my thought!

1 mom found this helpful

I called the fire dept about this awhile back, and they said 4 yrs old or 40 lbs. My daughter is 4, but only weighs 34 lbs, so I opted to keep her in a 5 point harness until she reaches 40 lbs. I have a nephew that was almost 40 lbs at 2 years old, and the person at the fire dept suggested, even though he is big, he is still young and needs a regular carseat. So from the info I have received, I would say it may be a little early for a booster. Hope this helps!

Our fire dept was very friendly about helping me with this. You can always call your local fire dept just to be sure yourself.

1 mom found this helpful

4 years old is the soonest you should even think about switching to a boosterseat. you said he was premature so you deffinately want to wait. you just may need to try a different type of carseat to fit him comfortably. just because he nearly has reached the weight doesn't mean he is mature enough or tall enough for it. It would be very unsafe to switch him to a booster seat at his age.

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My son is 4yrs old and 43lb and he is in a 5-point harness Britax Frontier. I don't think you can find a booster that is less than 40lbs, so you'll have to wait until that point, but even then, if you can leave them in the 5-point harness, it's much safer.

1 mom found this helpful

I know the law says 4 years & 40 pounds, but I personally keep my kids in them until they are in kindergarten for maturity purposes & extra safety. The seatbelt is too easy for little ones to wiggle out of or disregard ( bending over to get stuff ) and so on. I think that the expense of an in between seat is well worth the peace of mind and safety of my little ones! I've seen too many accident stories for small kids not in a 5 point!

1 mom found this helpful

Hi K.!
My Husband is a liscensed Car Seat Tech so I always double check with him on car seat questions.Anyway,He said that a 2 1/2 year old is not old enough to safely sit still in the booster seat.Since your child is already almost 40 lbs he said to buy him a seat that has the 5 point harness that goes up to 55 or 65 lbs.He said he reccomends the child being 4 years old.Hope this helps,have any other question feel free to ask!
God Bless, C.

1 mom found this helpful

Wow! You either have quite a big guy or maybe my guy is just puny = ) My little man turned 2 in June and he weighs 26 lbs. I still have my guy in a 5 point harness car seat, I am not sure what the law is but I have never thought the boosters were nearly as safe...I would call my local police department or fire department, either should be able to advise you.
Lots of luck!
B.

Missouri law is 4 years old AND at least 40 lbs. I'd suggest finding a car seat with a higher weight limit, but it's way too early to move him to a booster.