2014 Car Seat Law Change...

Thanks for posting. I just saw this the other day too.

For those reading all the replies - most of the previous responses misread the new recommendation/law. It is NOT when the CHILD weighs 65 lbs that you need to stop using latch. It is when the COMBINED WEIGHT of the CHILD + CAR SEAT is 65 lbs. So for a seat that weighs 20 lbs, a child would only need to weigh 45 lbs to meet the upper limit. Thanks to the original poster for getting it right.

No, wasn't aware, but thanks for sharing.:)
We have an old '92 Honda, so we don't even have a LATCH system as an option. Kiddo finally outgrew his Brittax (at 6.5) so now he's in a booster.... I have the feeling he'll be in it for a while!

Yes, they've been covering it on the news a lot. The LATCH wasn't designed for today's laws. Kids are in car seats and boosters a lot longer now to keep them safer. Some car seats are often heavier as they offer protection, Sunshine Kids and Britax come to mind with their steel frames.
I'm glad they are doing things to keep our kids safer!

ETA: The high back Diono/Sunshine Kids booster we have does use LATCH to anchor it to the seat. There are boosters out there that do this. But, when using LATCH for the booster it's not what is being used as restraint, the actual seat belt is. The booster is simply being used to place the child so the seat belt fits properly and safely. The LATCH is being used to prevent the seat from being a projectile in an accident or slipping out from underneath them. I like that the high back booster is actually attached to the seat as opposed to the no back boosters that are like putting a phonebook under them (AV, nice to know I'm not the only one with that opinion!).

When kiddo is 65+, they should be in a booster. And LATCH was not intended for regular seatbelt boosters. Boosters are supposed to be used with a regular seatbelt so that the whole booster moves WITH your child, basically cradling them in an accident. If the booster is LATCHED, the seat won't move, but your child will still be tossed in whichever direction they are forced. That's simple physics.

That is not a law, that is a recommendation, like replace the seat after an accident. Unless the states adopt it as a law, which I doubt will ever happen, you are not going to be pulled over and have your child and their seat weighed and potentially ticketed.

Where it comes into play is product liability. In other words if you are in an accident and the latch system fails the car seat manufacturer is not liable for injury.

Seat belt laws, which is what car seats fall under, are state laws. An easy way to tell it isn't a law is it was rolled out on the federal level.

It is a reminder to check your owner's manual, too. Sometimes LATCH can be used and sometimes it cannot. And most people improperly install a seat at least once, so even if you think you are expert level 5, if you get a new seat, get it checked out (usually for free) at your local fire house or wherever that is done in your area.

ETA: I personally don't like the little boosters that don't attach to anything. Some of them might as well be a phonebook for all the support and safety they provide. Buckling my child in is not an inconvenience but I sadly know a lot of people who can't be bothered.

Anyway, it is GOOD that this information is out there. People need to know, and maybe it will make a few more think about how they are transporting their children. I'd much rather transport my child in a car seat a little longer than have a hearse transport her in a casket.

Personally, I couldn't wait until my kids were 40 lbs so that they could be in a booster seat. Now they can buckle themselves in (well, they could already do that) and unbuckle themselves. They LOVE that they can do that independently.

I'm one of those people that tends to assume if the AAP says it's safe for them to move to a booster at 40 lbs, then it was probably safe at 35 lbs but the AAP was just being cautious as many parents will jump the gun and move the kids a bit early. Kind of like when the speed limit is 50 mph, it's probably safe to drive 55 mph. The speed limit posted is usually about 5 mph lower that what is actually safe because most people will driver faster than the posted limit.

But I really did wait until they hit 40 pounds.

ETA - Momoftwo, there are carseats that weight 20 pounds? Wow! I don't think any of ours weighed more than 10 pounds. Still, at 45 pounds my child was in a booster seat.

my daughter is 11 , so i guess i am out of the loop.........but, kids really stay in booster / car seats until age 6?! that is 1st grade .......

My car requires a 40 lb. maximum. ALL Hondas do. If you drive a Honda, you cannot use latch beyond 40 lbs. You must do seatbelt.

Yes, we do seatbelt install for our kids. Really I just use latch for the infant seats anyway. Seatbelt is easier for me.

We have a child who is almost 65 lbs. and harnessed but seatbelt install.
We generally use the harness to age 7/8, then a booster after that.

I just switched my 5 year old (50 pounds - his seat harnesses to 55) to using the seat belt rather than the latch system yesterday. He is still in his 5 point harness and I think I will get him a booster seat when he is 6.
FYI a child is most certainly NOT safer in a regular seatbelt and booster, a five point harness is still the safest. Don't spread false information, until you know the facts.

Boosters don't use latch systems, so you're talking primarily about 5 point harness systems for very young kids. My kids are much older, use seat belts, and don't meet those weights. I don't think they expect 65 pound three year olds when they make latches, but maybe that's where we are as a society now.

Kids that weigh that much would probably be safer in a booster and the regular belt anyway.

I guess it will come down to each state updating their laws though. Every state is different.

In Oklahoma they only have to be in any sort of car seat until they're turning 6.

I wasn't aware, so thanks for the notice.

Although - I think this won't affect many people. My 7 year old would still fall below this weight, even including the car seat. And most kids at this age have already moved to a booster, which requires used of the car seat. I moved from 5-point harness with latch to booster at age 6, and that was long after everyone I know with kids of the same age had made the switch.

I haven't seen that. By I know that all the seats I have had ave a maximum weight limit for using the latch and then you are supposed to use the regular seat belt. So it makes sense.

I have heard it for years that you can only use latch till your child is 40lb ( well that's what my Diono and Britax car seat manuals say) .....but I am sure that there are people out there who do not know....

By "latch" do you mean when I put that strap between the cushions to anchor the seat in? That's the only thing that comes to my mind.

We've always used both the anchor and the seatbelt. That's never come into question at all.