Booster Seats in NY

Gsanmb

Mon, Sep 24 2007, 7:14 pm

The minimum weight on most belt positioning booster seats is 30 lbs.

HOWEVER (and this is a BIG however), you should NOT use a bpb seat with a child who is not mature enough to sit properly in the seat with the seat belt over him/her EVERY TIME. The belt positioning booster seats do not restrain the kids. They only reposition the seatbelt to an anatomically appropriate level for the child. Without them, the seatbelt would land too far up on the neck and stomach, potentially (chas v'shalom) causing internal injuries in the event of an accident.

A child who cannot sit properly (upright) in the seat every time, with the shoulder belt over his/her front (not sliding it behind the back), or who falls asleep and slumps over so the belt is on funny, or who likes to click/unclick the belt -- should NOT be in a belt positioning booster seat, regardless of weight or height.

If you have a child over 40 lbs. or so who still isn't that mature, put him/her in a forward-facing five-point harness seat that can be used WITH the five-point harness to 55 or 65 or even 80 lbs. Race car drivers use 5-pt. harness seatbelts for a very good reason -- they are hands down the safest kind of restraint available. There are seats on the market that can do this -- the Britax Marathon/Decathlon/Boulevard (harnesses to 65 lbs.) the Britax Monarch (harnesses to 85 lbs.), the Safeguard Go seat, the Sunshine Kids Radian, the Recaro Como and Signo, the Evenflo Triumph Advance, the Fisher Price Safe Voyage, Safety First Apex 65 (made by Cosco). There is a wide range of price points in here and they are well worth the investment.

Sorry to sound like a downer, but rushing kids into a belt positioning booster before they are ready due to convenience or whatever is not a good idea. Most kids are simply not mature enough to really sit properly in one until they are AT LEAST 4 years old. Some aren't even mature enough then.

FWIW, kids should remain in a belt positioning booster until they are tall enough AND heavy enough to wear a seat belt as it's meant to fit on an adult. That means that the back of their knees should hit the edge of their seat when they sit up straight with their rear all the way back in the seat, and the lap belt fits over their hip bones (not their tummy), AND the shoulder belt sits on the top of the shoulder/bottom of the neck. High back belt positioning booster seats have an added element of side-impact protection for a child's head -- maybe more inconvenient, but definitely safer.

Don't sacrifice your kids' safety for convenience. It's just not worth it.