My daughter is very tall for her age (almost 3) and has almost reached that magical "40 pounds" where many say it is safe to transition to a booster seat. There was a part of me that was really looking forward to not having to spend all of the time dealing with all of the straps and latches to secure her in her car seat.....I think every parent has been there. You might think twice about what age and size is "safe" after watching this video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=azgBhZfcqaQ
This video was created by a woman who lost her three year old son in a car accident when the seat belt that was securing his booster seat became unlatched. It was heart wrenching to watch but also very informative.
Popular parenting books and websites suggest that a child can be safely transitioned to a booster seat if he/she is at least three years old AND weighs at least 40 pounds (or is too tall for his/her car seat). Before I saw this video, I would have followed this advice. Convenience is no exchange for my child's safety.
Legislation and recommendations regarding child safety and vehicles has changed significantly even in the last three years. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration currently recommends that children who have outgrown their car seats continue to ride in booster seats until they are at least 8 years old, 80 pounds, and 4 feet 9 inches tall. Currently, eleven states have legislation that follows these recommendations. Here is the breakdown in recommendations for the rest of the states: 6 states recommend that a child be in a booster seat through age 7, 16 states recommend a booster seat through age 6, 6 states recommend a booster state through age 5, and 11 states recommend the use of a booster seat through four years of age.
To find out what the laws are for your state, click here:
http://www.inventiveparent.com/state-laws.htm
The American Academic of Pediatrics site also has some very helpful information regarding car seat safety:
http://www.aap.org/family/carseatguide.htm
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Comments: 7
Trish - you make some great points. I know that most cities have places (sometimes it's even at the police station) where they will help you install your carseat for free or they will check to make sure it's installed correctly. We did this with my daughter's before she was born and we brought her home from the hospital. I agree that too many people turn their infant seats to forward facing way too early and it is very scary!
Trish made a great point! Whenever I have to move her car seat out of my car and into someone elses I always make sure I buckle it in cause you never know if the someone else knows how to do it properly and I would hate for something to happen because of my laziness.