J.B. asks from Buford, GA on August 06, 2009
When Is a Booster Appropriate?
I have a 3 year old, she meets the manufacturer requirements for a booster seat, but I am unclear as to what the laws are, is she still to young and needs a harness car seat or is she old enough to be in a booster with a shoulder/lap belt?
1 mom found this helpful
Featured Answers
C.C. answers from Columbia on August 11, 2009
She is not yet old enough to be put into a booster....a child of that age must continue to be strapped into a car seat
More Answers
S.P. answers from Atlanta on August 07, 2009
I've always found the National Highway Transportation Administration website helpful
(http://www.nhtsa.gov/portal/site/nhtsa/template.MAXIMIZE/...
It says 4 years and 40 pounds to move to a booster. It also recommends, regardless of state law, that kids remain in a booster until they are 4'9". I know a lot of people who go by a child's age instead of their body size/height and how the seat belt actually fits them.
T.L. answers from Savannah on August 07, 2009
Some states are 4 years and 40 pounds and some states are different. I would deffinately wait since most kids can get unbuckle a booster but they can't get out of a carseat. I waited until my son was 4 1/2 to make sure he wouldn't unbuckle himself while we were going 55 mph down the road. You should check with the DMV to make sure. Sometimes the local fire dept can tell you ad well.
L.Z. answers from Atlanta on August 07, 2009
The rule of thumb is that as long as the child fits well into the harness carseat, leave her there. It's considerably safer. My 5-year-old still fits into her Britax Marathon and uses it most of the time, but we have a booster for when she's in my parents' car.
C.E. answers from Atlanta on August 07, 2009
Check out www.carseatdata.org Good luck.
S.M. answers from Atlanta on August 10, 2009
Keeping your child in a five-point harness car seat as long as you possibly can is the best way to protect them in a car accident (still the #1 cause of death for children, so it's OK to be a car seat safety nut).
The newest, safest car seats allow you to keep toddlers rear-facing up to 35 pounds and then forward-facing IN A 5-POINT HARNESS up to 80 pounds, and finally in a 3-point booster until they reach 4'9". (Usually they take height and weight into consideration, depending on the manufacturer.) Go with the maximum.
For children under 35 pounds, keeping them rear-facing will make them 5 TIMES more likely to survive a major impact. It's FINE if they have to put their legs up on the seat back or fold them criss-cross applesauce or whatever. It's not as uncomfortable as it would be to an adult. As a surgeon stated: "In a bad accident, it's the difference between a broken leg and a paralyzing neck injury." :-0
The laws vary by state, but state law is an absolute MINIMUM, and has nothing to do with best practices.
Just last month, I was about to purchase a booster seat, but I ran across the Kyle David Miller Foundation site, created by a mother whose 3-year-old son died in a rollover accident. (Seat belts are more likely to fail in a rollover accident. When the seat belt came undone on her son's booster seat, he came out of the seat and out of the window. He was over 40 pounds and they had everything legal and installed correctly. But it was a major impact.)
www.kyledavidmiller.org/
I ended up getting a 5-point harness seat for my 6 year old that he can use until he reaches 80 pounds. (The Radian XT, with steel-reinforced side-impact protection, steel frame, the works. Let me tell ya, this thing feels ROCK SOLID!)
Since I learned so much about car seat safety from that website, I ordered my car seat from their not-for-profit organization, hipmonkey.com, that donates their proceeds to providing safe car seats to families in need. (And I got a 15% discount to boot! No, I'm not affiliated with them, just very grateful!)
To find a car seat that's compatible with your car, check out http://www.carseatdata.org/
B.F. answers from Atlanta on August 07, 2009
My son stayed in a 5 point harness until he started kindergarten. He is 8 1/2 and i still make him use a booster. My daugher is almost 4 and will stay in her 5 point harness until she outgrows it or starts Kindergarten. She only weighs 29 lbs so i doubt she'll be outgrowing it nytime soon!
L.D. answers from Atlanta on August 07, 2009
It is definitely best to wait 'til your little one is AT LEAST 4 years old AND 40 lbs. If the current car seat allows for a higher weight limit, I would definitely keep him/her in that chair until it is outgrown. If you need to go to a booster seat, make sure it is a high back booster with a 5-point harness seat belt. Your child would be much safer if in a car accident.
As far as the law goes, Georgia requires children under the age of 6 to ride in an approved car seat or booster seat that is appropriate for their height and weight.
I recently got a Graco Nautilus 3-in-1 Car Seat and love it! This is the only car seat I have gotten that I can actually say I love. It can be used from 1-6 years of age or 20-100 lbs. My son also loves it because he says it is a very comfortable car seat. He also loves the cubbies that are on both sides of the car seat and his cup holder that is built into the seat. A couple of other moms I have talk to, said that they liked the Graco Nautilus better than the Britax!
There is this website: Little-Safe-One.com and it has info about booster seats. Here's the page about booster seats. http://www.little-safe-one.com/Booster-Car-Seat.html and here is the page about toddler seats http://www.little-safe-one.com/toddler-car-seat.html. I really like this site because it explains things from a mother's perspective.
C.C. answers from Columbia on August 11, 2009
She is not yet old enough to be put into a booster....a child of that age must continue to be strapped into a car seat
Email
facebook
twitter
StumbleUpon
digg it
kirtsy
Technorati
reddit
del.icio.us
blinklist
simpy
