Is a Booster Seat Safe?

My understanding is that you can't put a toddler in a booster seat until they are 3 years old. I have the same issue with my son. I can't wait until he's old enough for the seat but right now my fear is that he would simply unsnap the seat belt while driving. Try Craig's list for used seat. Good luck

Like another poster said OREGON carseat laws have changed. They can not be in a basic booster until they are 4 years old (height weight has nothing to do with it, it's age). When they are 4 then they can be in a booster and must stay in one until they are 4'9" or 8 years old. It's worth the investment to buy another carseat, it's your child's safety. Walmart, BI-mart, and target have cheap 5-ponit harness seats that can be used as boosters when they reach age four. Think about carseat cos vs. you child's saftey and the cost of a ticket for violating state carseat laws. Sorry to sound harsh, but I am a huge advocate for child carseat safety, I think it's so important to make sure children are safe in their cars.

i say just keep searching craigs list, ebay...post your inquiry. perhaps you can find another safe seat like the one you have. miracles do happen.

NO -- If you can't afford a new seat I'd plan on removing his seat from your car at the sitters everyday or have your parents come to work so you could install the seat on the days they need to. For an inexpensive seat with really good reviews check out http://www.walmart.com/catalog/product.do?product_id=5716972 It's only $40. It's good up to 40 lbs (as a reference my 4yr old is only 42lbs she's always been in the 50th percentile).

Also check out car-seat.org -- they even have links to videos of crash tests -- they are full of information.

I'd just double check the numbers. I thought the booster seats had an age requirement and a higher weight requirement.

I know you want to do the best by your son. But try not to stress about it. If a booster seat is what you can afford then that's what you get. It's safer to have him in something rather than nothing at all. And it's not like it's his everyday car seat--it's an emergency backup one.

Just my two cents.

Hi there, I have a convertable seat I was going to put on Cragislist. It is an Evenflo and is a great seat, uggg, about 3 years old, never been in a car accident of course. It was $120 and they still sell the same one at Babiesrus and Seaguls Childrens Store.....I will sell it to you for $65. if you can afford that. It works up to 40lbs and I think 40 inches, but if you are interested I will check it and let you know. I have it in our 2nd car for our 6 month old right now but we are in the process of selling our 2nd vehicle too, we need the cash and wont need two car seats. Hope this helps. Just an FYI about the booster seats, My son is one now, and I hate it. If he falls asleep, he nearly falls out of it and he is able to reach forward to pick stuff up off the floor of the car and it scares me. It was much better with the 5pt harness and having him secure. Im always telling him to sit up straight in his seat and to sit back, so the longer you can wait for the booster, the better!

I dont know if a booster is safe "enough" but if he qualifies in size I wouldnt worry too much. Remember, when you were a babe there were NO seatbelts in the car (ok, maybe when your mom was a babe) and infants rode in baskets on the seats. For just a mile or so, I think you should have no worries. BUT if you want to get a carseat try FREECYCLE. Its a yahoo group that recycles stuff for free. You just post what you want to get rid of or what you need and the first email responder gets to go pick up that item. I have gotten both my childrens larger carseats this way. Good luck, Jen

A child must be 40lbs to sit in a booster seat by Oregon law... You can get convertible seats at Big Lots for $40 or Wal-mart. Below is a copy of the law with a good resource for child safety seat questions. It is too bad that boosters say you can put a child in them before they are really ready.

Oregon's Child Passenger Safety Law Changed

Oregon law assists drivers in the decision of how to properly restrain and
protect children in motor vehicles. When children are properly restrained it
significantly decreases the severity of injuries and number of fatalities that
occur in a crash. The recent amendments to Oregon¹s law now reflect national
best practice.

Infants must ride rear facing until they are one year old and twenty pounds.
Before children can ride forward facing, they must meet both of these benchmarks.

Once a child has reached a minimum of forty pounds they must be properly
secured in a booster seat until they are eight years old or are taller then four
feet nine inches.

After a child is age eight or older, or they are at least four feet nine inches
they must be secured properly with the safety belt system.
The law continues to require:
Children over one year old and between twenty and forty pounds must be properly
secured with a forward facing child restraint up to a minimum of forty pounds or the
upper weight limit of the seat.

The changes to the law amend ORS 811.210 and 811.215. These reformations to
the law were created with the safety of Oregon's children as a priority. Questions can
be directed to ACTS Oregon¹s Child Safety Seat Resource Center: ###-###-####,
800-772-1315.

For free reproducible educational material pertaining to the new law visit our
website- http://www.childsafetyseat.org.