Is my son big enough for a booster car seat?
Tuesday, March 9th, 2010 at
6:25 pm
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Ever notice that race car drivers use a five point harness like your child’s carseat? That is because it is *always* safer in an accident than a three point belt like we wear. That is why experts recommend keeping your child in a carseat *as long as possible*… not switching them when they meet the booster seat manufacturer’s minimum requirements.
If a parent *does* decide to switch at the minimum height and weight… the experts *still* recommend waiting till the child is mature (4 yrs is suggested) enough to sit upright for the entire time in the seat. Most two and three year olds (and even many older children!) still wiggle and squirm too much to be in a booster seat… they don’t stay in the proper position for the adult belt to protect them even as much as *it* can.
Q7: When should a child be put into a booster?
Many convertible and forward-facing seats have 40 pound weight limits when using the harness.
A convertible or forward-facing seat with a 5-point harness is the safest option for children from 30-40 pounds who are not too tall for their forward-facing carseat.
If a child’s shoulders are above the level of the top slots in their regular carseat, or the tops of their ears are above the top of the shell, then they may be able to move to a booster or another forward-facing seat which accommodates taller children.
Usually a child can be moved to a booster when they are too big for a harnessed carseat, and once they are able to sit properly in a seatbelt.
A child should be in some type of booster seat until around 8 years old, unless they are already 4′ 9" tall (Also see Question 9 below)…….
http://www.car-safety.org/faq.html#Q7