You Moms are so up on safety & car seats. I haven't been having my eight-year-old use a booster but I overheard someone having a conversation about it the other day and got to thinking.... am I really keeping my kids as safe as possible? My eight-year-old is exactly 100 pounds, and 4'5", and my five-year-old is 48 pounds, not sure how tall. Should my eight-year-old still be using a booster? And what should my five-year-old be using? She has been in a sturdy booster seat w/ the back & sides with the slots to 'thread' the seatbelt through. Is that enough?
Thanks for your help!!
I was just wondering this the other day... my youngest is 5, and he is in his booster, but I was wondering how much longer... Don't get me wrong, I am for safety, I just remember the days when there were no seat belt laws, then kids, now everyone... whether you are in the front or back... I'm not too old, 38 this month, but I remember driving as a teenager in my grandfather's truck that had no sea tbelts...
Call your local police or fire dept and take your vehicle, your kids and your seats and get it ALL looked at by a trained professional.
You're gonna get all kinds of info & opinions here...and clearly, you're interested in facts.
I say it has EVERYTHING to do with seat belt positioning. The seat belt is to go evenly across the chest and the shoulder strap should be an equal distance from the neck as it is the end of her shoulder. the bottom of the seat belt is to go from hip to hip, not across the stomach. My 70lb 4'2'' 8 year old is still in one.
For the five year old? Keep them in a car seat until that car seat is physically too small (5 point harnesses are safer for everyone). Then switch to a booster.
BTW, I see far too many kids who have the seat belt where their neck is. drives me crazy. Upon impact or sudden braking, WHERE do you think the seat belt will put pressure on? THE NECK if that is where it is positioned.
A child needs to be in a booster until they are 4'9". Age and weight have nothing to do with the safety of the seat belt. Laws that go by anything other than height are endangering children.A booster is needed until your child can sit on the car seat with their bottom all the way back, their back straight against the seat, their legs straight in front of them and bent at the knee with their feet flat on the floor. The belt should go across the shoulder and not the neck or face. The belt should fit on the hips and not the stomach. Until your child fits EVERY ONE OF THESE THINGS they should be in a booster to make the belt fit as it is meant to for safety.
Seat Belts are made to safely restrain someone 4'9" or taller. If the belt does not fit properly it can cause serious injury or death.
As for your 5 year old. You can get 5 point harnesses that will safely restrain a 5 year old of that size. This is really ideal to keep them in a 5 point as long as you can.
When we found ourselves needing to by 3 seats when our third was born in order to fit everyone we opted for the booster for our then 5 year old.
All 3 of my children are in seats by Sunshine kids as they are narrow so we could fit 3 across. They are all high back with side impact wings. They all attach via the LATCH system so they are attached to the seat and can not go flying in the event of an accident. Backless boosters to me look like nothing more than putting a phone book underneath them. Some high back boosters looked flimsy to me as well. Of course this is my opinion.
My 11 year old is still in a booster because the belt does not fit him right even though he is about 100lbs and is taller than 4"9" now.
In TX if the child is 8 they are not required to use a booster seat. I kept mine in longer than 8 but he is VERY little he's the size of most 6 year olds hight wise. The 5 year old depending on how the strap hits her would determin what kind of seat she should have. I think both my son's where in just a regular booster at 5 that did not have a back on it. Hope that helps.
Good luck and God Bless!
Law or no law, I would just make sure the seat belt hits her in the correct spot (not across the neck!) I think the law in VA is they can be out of a booster at age 8. This summer my oldest turned 10 and my youngest was almost 8. Both of my girls ditched the boosters at the same time (this summer). My 10 year old is little and my 8 year old is big. The seat belts fit them correctly. I hardly think you need to keep your 8 year old in a booster. She's heavier and taller than mine. Although, I don't know what kind of car you drive and if the seat belts would work. Just thinking - my grandmother was 4'5" as an adult. I highly doubt she rode in a booster...
Google the car seat laws for your state. They are the correct place to be. If they are like Oklahoma it is 6 years old or 60 lbs. Which ever comes first. I think if the seat belt fits her she is fine. If it comes across her neck or throat then I would wonder too. But she will not be in a car seat with anyone other that you if she is ever riding with anyone. She would be made fun of if they knew. Kids can be cruel and using a car seat after they are too old would be fire to their tinder.
Because of bone density and seatbelt fit they should be 8 years old AND 4'9". I'd keep her in it as long as possible. My very tall four year old is still in a five point harness in the britax frontier, she can use the harness until she's 85lbs then it positions the seatbelt to 120lbs. Kids make fun of other kids for many things, that is the worst reason to ignore what's safest! :(
Ask your pediatrician.
I called my local fire and police dept and got "Uhhh duhhh, ummm, can I call you back?"
Your ped will know whats up, but I also was just told at 80 lbs and 4'9 by ours.
You could probably get rid of the back of the booster and just use the butt part, ours has that option, until shes 4'9.
For your 5 year old, it depends on height/weight if she can be in the backless.
For your 8 year old, many boosters are designed for kids to use until tehy turn 10, so she could still benefit from it, especially since she is still little.
My 6 year old is still small, so I haven't put him in a backless booster yet, he is still in a 5 point harness carseat made for toddler size. It just makes me nervous, Even though we will need to soon so I can get an infant carrier in the car.
