Stopping to use booster seat

Log in / Sign Up

List of Forums + New Post Recipe Box Usergroups Following My Posts Bookmarks

Private Messages Advanced Search Rules New User Guide FAQ Advertise Contact Us

Forum -> Children's Health

1 2 3 Next

View latest: 24h 48h 72h

amother

Slateblue

Wed, Jan 16 2019, 11:43 am

not sure if this has been discussed but when do you stop using a booster seat. We are going by 4"9 which my dd isn't yet. She seems to be an exception that she is still in a booster seat even though she is much bigger then most of her friends. Legally she's old enough since the law is 8 but safety really goes by size not by age so I'm confused.

Was wondering how other people decide- by the law, what they feel makes sense or if they are actually "big" enough that the seatbelt will work properly and why?

amother

Dodgerblue

Wed, Jan 16 2019, 12:15 pm

My 5&7 year olds are not always in booster seats when we drive local. I find seatbelts safe enough. Long distance is always in booster seats.

ShishKabob

Wed, Jan 16 2019, 12:18 pm

My 12 year old is 4.3. I do not make him sit in a booster seat, it's degrading for him.

amother

Dodgerblue

Wed, Jan 16 2019, 12:20 pm

I never knew the "law" is 4"9, that's pretty tall to still be in a booster seat. I was 4"9 as a teen. Now I'm 5".

amother

Slateblue

Wed, Jan 16 2019, 12:36 pm

I specifically said the "law" is 8 but that even though my child is 8 we still make her use a booster seat.

https://www.babycenter.com/404.....28.bc

I'm trying to understand why people differentiate between local and long distance and how they decide seatbelts alone are safe enough for local.

shishkabob- what age did you stop making him? do you lower the seatbelt for him. we have something that lets us lower a seatbeltin the back where it would be too high even with a booster seat. My dd found it annoying until we explained to her why. It also helped when a friend of mine explained it so it wasn't just coming from her parents Wink

Thank G-d she's tall for her age, not looking forward to when we go through this with my next kid when it will probably be even longer before she's tall enough.

ShishKabob

Wed, Jan 16 2019, 12:39 pm

I stopped when he was 9 I think. He's small and petite which is very difficult for a boy, it doesn't help if his younger brother is much larger than him, I didn't really follow the book, I followed my heart.

amother

Ruby

Wed, Jan 16 2019, 1:20 pm

My doctor says 80lb or 8 years old so thats what I follow....

amother

Dodgerblue

Wed, Jan 16 2019, 1:26 pm

80 lb? DD is 7 1/2 and weighs 37lb, shes not even so small. 80 lbs for an 8 year old is quite overweight.

MrsDash

Wed, Jan 16 2019, 1:27 pm

amother wrote:

My 5&7 year olds are not always in booster seats when we drive local. I find seatbelts safe enough. Long distance is always in booster seats.

Every accident I have ever been in was within just a few miles or less from my home.

amother

Coral

Wed, Jan 16 2019, 1:28 pm

amother wrote:

My doctor says 80lb or 8 years old so thats what I follow....

80 lbs????
You’re seriously joking I hope!!
Even my bar mitzvah boy is not 80 lbs yet.
In NJ 80 lbs is the legal weight to be able to sit in the front seat. You don’t go from a booster to the front seat!

ShishKabob

Wed, Jan 16 2019, 1:29 pm

I think it's because the possible impact from highway driving is different than if it's at 30 mph of local driving.

amother

Dodgerblue

Wed, Jan 16 2019, 1:31 pm

Mrsdash, how many accidents have you been in?
A seat belt strapped properly is a very good restraint.

Ema of 5

Wed, Jan 16 2019, 1:34 pm

The seatbelt needs to hit the child properly in order for it to adequately protect them in case of an accident. If the seatbelt doesn’t adequately protect the child, they could be severely injured, or worse, god forbid. Height, weight, and age all play a part in determining whether or not a child is sitting correctly and safely.
Google car seat lady- 5 step test. She has all the details of when and how a child can sit without a booster, and why.

MrsDash

Wed, Jan 16 2019, 1:38 pm

ShishKabob wrote:

I think it's because the possible impact from highway driving is different than if it's at 30 mph of local driving.

You might be going the speed limit, driving safe, etc. but you can’t speak for others. A little while back a child was killed from an accident just a block from her home. Everyone else in the car were wearing seatbelts, and they hardly got a scratch.

This took place in a nice, quiet, residential area, with very minimal traffic.

ShishKabob

Wed, Jan 16 2019, 1:41 pm

MrsDash wrote:

True what you're saying, I was just answering on the rationale of people that are more makpid to do the booster seat for highway driving.

LittleMissMama

Wed, Jan 16 2019, 1:42 pm

amother wrote:

My 5&7 year olds are not always in booster seats when we drive local. I find seatbelts safe enough. Long distance is always in booster seats.

I was going to write something much harsher but I'll bite my tongue and assume you're not reckless, just ignorant. Please do some research and rethink your decision.

amother

Dodgerblue

Wed, Jan 16 2019, 1:45 pm

I rethought my decision, the seatbelts fit them very properly, they're very well restrained.

amother

Chartreuse

Wed, Jan 16 2019, 1:46 pm

amother wrote:

Mrsdash, how many accidents have you been in?
A seat belt strapped properly is a very good restraint.

It's not strapped properly if it's on a child who's too small for it. Car seat belts are tested for adult models, not for child models. That's why boosters exist, to make the car seat belts fit a child properly. Especially at the hips.

SixOfWands

Wed, Jan 16 2019, 1:59 pm

amother wrote:

My 5&7 year olds are not always in booster seats when we drive local. I find seatbelts safe enough. Long distance is always in booster seats.

What do you think could happen "long distance" that couldn't happen pulling out of the parking lot at the supermarket?

My first car was totaled on a quiet residential street with a 25 mph speed limit. (It was parked at the time, but I don't think that matters.)

I was in a head-on collision less than 2 miles from my parents' house, again in a relatively residential area with a 30 mph speed limit (IIRC). The street changes from one way to 2 way, and the moron just kept driving in the wrong direction until he was stopped by my car. My seat belt saved my life.

And a former colleague was involved in an accident pulling out of a parking lot. It was determined not to be her fault, but a child in the other car was killed.

amother

Pumpkin

Wed, Jan 16 2019, 2:00 pm

amother wrote:

My 5&7 year olds are not always in booster seats when we drive local. I find seatbelts safe enough. Long distance is always in booster seats.

Someone else just told me that she does this. I don’t understand. Most accidents take place close to home, the only difference is that you may be going faster on a long distance drive. I got into an accident literally around the corner from my house. Everyone always buckles properly, even if we’re just driving down our very quiet street.

Page 1 of 3

1 2 3 Next