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Elizabeth
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For how long do your children stay in booster seats in the car?
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Elizabeth Foss is no longer a member of this forum. Discussions now reflect the current management & are not necessarily expressions of her book, *Real Learning*, her current work, or her philosophy. (posted by E. Foss, Jan 2011)
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ALmom
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Usually until the seat is required by the next child. I know somewhere around 4 or 5 our children are moving into the regular seatbelt.
We are short and most of our dc would not meet the height requirement recommendations. Somehow I just cannot see the point of insisting that our 11 yo sit in the booster because he still isn't tall enough yet. I've heard this expressed by other small build families.
We do not have a newer car so no air bags to worry about and it is a Club wagon 12 passenger van so I don't think we are taking undo risks here. Our children do stay in the booster till at least 4 and then it depends on whether or not we need the booster for the next child so the newest baby can move into the car seat out of the infant seat.
Janet
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lapazfarm
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NC law requires them until age 8, or there is a certain poundage, rather than height. I'm not sure since it is a relatively new law and my dd is only 4, so I know she'll be in it for awhile yet.
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Rebecca
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In Ohio, the law is four years AND forty pounds. That's what we go by. It used to be four years OR forty pounds which, for my big meatball kids  would have been about 2 years old! (We have always gone by the four years, though.)
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Lissa
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We're short too but we take the opposite approach...our almost 11yo still sits in a booster because the seatbelt cuts across her neck if she doesn't. Our 7 1/2 yr old is tiny, so she's in one too. Our 5yo is just about to make the switch from carseat to booster—we keep them in carseats until they hit 30 lbs at least. We're about to have five seats of various types in our minivan—bye bye elbow room!!
Re poundage requirements: the safety guidelines say to keep them in boosters until they are 80 lbs and/or the seatbelt crosses the chest properly w/o a booster.
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JennGM
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My family is all short...although some of the brothers-in-law are bringing in a little height. But my oldest nephew is just so little. We joke that he'll be riding in the booster seat picking up his date at the prom since he'll never "make weight" nor height! 
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Rachel May
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Our friend/pediatrician looked it up for me in Hawaii. There, it was 8 pounds and (or?) 8 years old to be out of a booster.
However, I believe it was the AAP that said to be in a regular shoulder belt it is recommended that a child be "adult" size which he said was about 12 years old. I'm a stickler about carseats so that's what we'll do, although the boosters for the 7 and 5 year old are really just like a box to lift them (instead of the old 5 pt restraint that had been converted) so they don't mind.
I did have a friend who asked if that meant that her mother-in-law at 75 lbs had to be in a car seat when she came to visit.
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Dawn
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We're all lightweights, so my 10 1/2 year old still sits in a booster and my 6 1/2 year old still sits in a regular carseat (my 4 yo does too obviously). No one seems to mind though.
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mary
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i think the laws are strangely arbitrary on this issue. some states are 4/40 (oh) and some are 8/80 (NC). my kids are in booster seats until they fit properly in an adult seat belt - and that doesn't happen until they can sit with their backs straight against the back seat with knees bent over the seat edge without slouching.
if the adult safety belt rides over the kids stomach and the shoulder belt cuts across the neck, the kid can be seriously injured FROM the safety belt in an accident. kids generally outgrow a booster seat around 80lbs and 4'9". for my oldest, that was around 7.5yrs. for my second child, that may not be until he is 10!
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PDyer
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mary wrote:
| if the safety belt rides over the kids stomach and the shoulder belt cuts across the neck, the kid can be seriously injured FROM the safety belt in an . kids generally outgrow a booster seat around 80lbs and 4'9". for my oldest, that was around 7.5yrs. for my second child, that may not be until he is 10! |
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What confuses this so much for me is, in my experience, belts in different cars, and different belts in the same car, can fit the same child ummm...differently.
For example, the back seat shoulder belt in my husband's car fit my son properly at least a year ago. The third row belt in my van fit my son several months ago, but the belt on the second row's captain's chair just recently started to fit properly, and then just barely. We tossed my son's low-back booster recently, much to his relief. My son is 9.5 and we are not small people, to say the least.
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JSchaaf
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I think the Ohio law is in a car seat until 4 yrs and 40 lbs, and then into a booster.
I don't know what the law is in Texas-but judging by the number of kids I see riding around in the back of pickup trucks I don't think anyone cares!!
Jennifer
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Jen L.
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The Virginia car seat law (I think) is that they must be in a booster seat until 60 lbs or 6 years old. HOWEVER, this is not the safest option. I have included below some information. The most important part, I believe, is not giving up the booster until they fit CORRECTLY in a regular seatbelt.
(Information from the AAP)
Seat belts
Your child is ready to use lap and shoulder seat belts when the belts fit properly.
This means:
* The shoulder belt lies across the middle of the chest and shoulder, not the neck or throat.
* The lap belt is low and snug across the thighs, not the stomach.
* The child is tall enough to sit against the vehicle seat back with her legs bent without slouching and can stay in this position comfortably throughout the trip.
* Remember, seat belts are made for adults. If the seat belt does not fit your child correctly, he should stay in a booster seat until the adult seat belts fit him correctly. This is usually when the child reaches about 4' 9" in height and is between 8 and 12 years of age.
Other points to keep in mind when using seat belts:
*Never tuck the shoulder belt under the child's arm or behind the back.
*If there's only a lap belt, make sure it's snug and low on the child's thighs, not across the stomach. Try to get a lap and shoulder belt installed in your car by a dealer.
*Never allow children or anyone else to "share" seat belts. All passengers must have their own car safety seats or seat belts.
Booster seats
Booster seats do not come with harness straps but are used with the lap and shoulder seat belts in your vehicle, the same way an adult rides. Your child should stay in a car safety seat with a harness as long as possible before being allowed to ride in a booster seat. You can tell when your child is ready for a booster seat when one of the following is true:
She reaches the top weight or height allowed for her seat with a harness. (These measurements are listed on labels on the seat and are also included in the instruction booklet that is provided with the car safety seat.)
Her shoulders are above the harness slots.
Her ears have reached the top of the seat.
Belt-positioning booster seat
Booster seats are designed to raise your child so that the lap and shoulder seat belts fit properly. This means the lap belt lies low across your child's thighs and the shoulder belt crosses the middle of your child's chest and shoulder. Correct belt fit helps protect the stomach, spine, and head from injury in case of a crash. Both high-back and backless booster seats are available. Booster seats should be used until your child can correctly fit in lap and shoulder seat belts.
A warning about seat belt adjusters:
There are products on the market that claim to make seat belts fit better. They attach to the seat belt but are not a part of the original belt. These products may actually interfere with proper lap and shoulder belt fit by causing the lap belt to ride too high on the stomach and making the shoulder belt too loose, and may even damage the seat belt itself. No federal standard ensuring the effectiveness and safety of these after-market products has been developed. In addition, most vehicle and car safety seat manufacturers do not recommend their use. Until the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration develops safety standards for these products, the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recommends they not be used. As long as children are riding in the correct car safety seat for their size and age, they do not need to use any additional devices.
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Jen L.
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We have a Turbo Booster that is height adjustable and highly rated. (I got a bargain on it online somewhere). We also have an older version of this Komfort Kruiser. I like them both.
Our son was in the Komfort Kruiser until he was just over 10 (we didn't worry about it if he was in someone else's car); my daughter (8) is using it now. My 5 year old is in the Turbo Booster.
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Elizabeth
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JennGM wrote:
| My family is all short...although some of the brothers-in-law are bringing in a little height. But my oldest nephew is just so little. We joke that he'll be riding in the booster seat picking up his date at the prom since he'll never "make weight" nor height! |
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This sounds like Michael who was only fifty pounds when he was eight. He was out of the booster at 8 1/2, mostly because it was awkward and embarrassing for soccer and baseball carpools. Not exactly a great safety reason  .
And...reading through Jen L's post, I think I need a booster seat .
We're just having trouble fitting them across the carseats...
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Elizabeth Foss is no longer a member of this forum. Discussions now reflect the current management & are not necessarily expressions of her book, *Real Learning*, her current work, or her philosophy. (posted by E. Foss, Jan 2011)
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Rebecca
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JSchaaf wrote:
I think the Ohio law is in a car seat until 4 yrs and 40 lbs, and then into a booster.
Jennifer |
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I found this link on state by state child restraint laws. Actually, in Ohio there is no law requiring a booster seat at all. The law states that the child under 4/40 must be in a "child restraint" (I take that to mean car seat--which is what I mistakenly thought Elizabeth was asking about). The booster is only a suggestion, not law here. We do put our children on a box booster until their legs can fold over the seat edge and the belt does not cut across the neck. I buy a seatbelt adapter that brings it lower on the child's chest.
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esperanza
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My minivan has built in carseats for the wee ones and I use the short boosters for my 4 and 6 yr olds to fit the shoulder harness properly. Sometimes we have to put someone in the center lap belt. In our 15 passenger we use the tall adjustable boosters...we purchsed the Compass folding booster for our drive down to Miami...love these
I need to purchase a new 5pt harness/ booster for my 2 yr old...our dc are biggens and I have an older stlye where the plastic piece in the front of the chest can be released by bending back one side...  well that was a long trip with my 2 yo releasing this plus..unbuckling the whole seat from the van bench...WHAT ELSE CAN WE DO BESIDES TWIST THE BUCKLE AROUND AT THE BENCH? Help!
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Rachel May
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Elizabeth wrote:
| We're just having trouble fitting them across the carseats... |
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I'll come do it for you. I'm great at it pregnant and standing on my head. Packed 10 in 10 seats last week!
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Rachel
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Maria
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Arkansas laws state - rear facing seat until they are 1 year and 20 lbs - high backed 5 point straps until they are 4 AND 40 pounds ( my middle child has FINALLY hit the 40 pound mark) and a booster seat until they are 6 AND sixty pounds. (My seven year old just graduated OUT of her booster at barely 62 pounds)
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teachingmom
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We follow the booster seats until age 8 recommendation here. In the past month, my 7yo has been asking us to consider allowing her to "graduate" out of the booster a few months before her 8th birthday. I am considering it since she is so tall for her age. I think my petite 24 lb. 3yo will be in a booster seat until she leaves our house!
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Kathryn UK
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The law here is changing in September and booster seats will be mandatory up to age 11 or height 4'5". Currently there is no specific rule and our dds used one until age 6 or 7.
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Topic: Booster seats in the car?
