Car Seats and Booster Seats

I live in the state of Illinois. The law here states that a child must be in a booster seat till they are eight years of age. I am not sure if there is a height or weight requirment however. My two sons are fully grown but my wife has three children who are seven, eight, and nine years of age. Since all three children weigh less then sixty pounds my wife makes all three remain in a booster seat because she doesn't feel that the seatbelt properly fits the children. Personally, I agree with the other member who said that it is a sad state when parents have to rely on the government to keep children safe. It makes me mad when I see a child in a car that isn't properly restrained yet the adults have their seatbelts on.

Here in KY they have to sit in a booster until age 7. There are some height and weight requirements that if the child reaches those they can get out of the seat, too. In the EU they just put an age of 12 on it, or certain height and weight. My nephew had to go back into a seat after four years of not having one. But the fines are hefty, if they are not in the proper seats. It's so much safer for a child to be in a car seat or booster seat. Even if you just have to suddenly break, what just shakes adults up a bit, can propell a child forward and cause them to smash into the front seat or worse. Regular seat belts aren't designed to hold the little ones back but could possibly cut their throat as they most likely would run by their neck. Imagine what a real accident could cause. Regular seat belt laws are there just to protect you in the case of an accident. Seatbelts safe lives. So do car seats and booster seats. Yes, when we were little the laws weren't there. There were no requirements to keep us buckled. But people didn't know any better. I rather keep my kids safe than be sorry later. My seven 1/2 year old is properly restrained in a booster. She is of average height and weight. A regular seat belt without the booster would not properly restrain her. She is just barely too short. Eight seems to be an appropriate age for a switch IMO. And it's sad that states have to pass laws so parents will keep their children safe.

I am not sure about our law. I think that there is a weight, height and age limit for NY state too. My daughter hasn't been in a booster since she turned 6 ~ yep, I am a bad mommy! She is 8 now so probably safe. I think that the height is something taller than my mother in law..so should I go and buy her a car seat?!

I live in CA, here is what the DMV here requires: [b]Child Restraint Systems and Safety Seats Unless your child is age 6 or weighs 60 pounds or more, he or she must ride in a federally approved child safety seat. Use a seat approved for the child's age, weight, and height. Children under age 12 should always ride in the back due to the danger of airbags hitting them too low.[/b] ************************** I think this is reasonable. Now if your 8 year old does not weigh 60 lbs or is so short that the seatbelt could injure them in a crash because it doesn't fit them correctly without the booster, then keep using it. The guidelines are there for minimum safety, it doesn't mean that the laws are necessarily what will protect YOUR child the most. I think until the newer law was enacted, it was only 4 years for a booster. My daughter is 4 but she's still in a regular carseat. I also had her rearfacing for a long time, she was over 2 by the time I turned the seat, but she's small, not really short but even now she is only about 31 lbs. She'll likely be 6 and less than 45 lbs at this rate. I am curious as to why they say regardless of size. If a child is tall enough for the seatbelt to fit them correctly, they don't need a booster. Maybe they are using census information and the majority of kids 8 or under fall into the category of height and weight appropriate for a booster, I don't know. Since we are flying to WA next week and will be renting a car, I figured I'd check out their DMV information: [b]Child Safety Seats Kids one year and under, or who weigh 20 pounds or less, must ride in a rear-facing child safety seat. Kids between the ages of one and four, or who weigh from 20 to 40 pounds must ride in forward-facing child safety seat. Kids between the ages of four and six, or who weigh between 40 and 60 pounds must be secured in a booster seat. Kids six or older and who weigh over 60 pounds must wear a seat belt or ride in a booster seat.[/b] The laws there seem pretty reasonable to me as well. It stands to reason that if you as a parent are not comfortable with the minimums, you can keep your child in a booster but social things play into it if they happen to be much older than their friends. Just something to take into account. It would be better I think to have ONE minimum, so say for the point of argument, the 6 or 60 rule. I prefer things are less restrictive if you're talking minimums.

Here is Nova Scotia (and maybe in all of Canada) children are required to be in a booster seat until age eight UNLESS they hit the height and/or weight requirements earlier. All children are different and if they are too tall, it isn't safe for their necks for them to be in a booster seat. That is why they have the caveat to the law instead of making it eight years old across the board. I'm all for it as there are parents out there that don't use common sense when it comes to the safety of their children. Most of us do our bests to keep our children safe, but some people need to be told what to do. Anything designed to keep children alive is good in my books.

Here in Texas, I think the height requirement is a child has to be at least 4'8" or 9". We would tell our daughter, who was a Sophomore in high school, and driving her own car, that she should probably get a car seat, just to be on the safe side. She hit 5 foot even her Junior year. I think a seat belt is quite sufficient for a an eight year old. I am kind of like you, I wonder how I made it to adult hood without the government telling my mama how to do things*L*

For the most part, it is a good idea for the law. So many kids meet weight and not height or vice versa and riding with a should strap seat belt just isn't safe. Heck for a lot of short adults riding with a shoulder strap seat belt isn't safe.

We have no such rules followed in our place and its really new to me.. not everyone in our pace has car with them.. and our government havent concentrated anything regarding that so far.. and i think that rule is really good instead bluntly saying the age which is limited as 8 years they must have kept like even if the 8 year old is of certain and certain weight then they can go off without that...

It sounds too strangerly. Some children are too high and when you put them in the little seat, do you consider their feeling? though it is a better design for the sake of safe, but the theoretic design without actual situation looks a bit too humoristic.

In Pennsylvania the booster seat laws are that the child has to either be 5ft 9 in, weigh 45/65lbs ( sorry can't remember exactly which one), or be 8 years old. My younger sisters hate being in boosters, but we always tell them it is for their safety. I think having some restrictions is good, because all kids weigh differntly at different ages. I think our law is pretty good, because the limit isn't exactly eight there are other options.

If it saves lives, it's a great idea. I think lots of states are toying with the idea of booster seats until a child is over 60 pounds or 8 years old. They've shown how kids slip out of the seatbelt in accidents. I'm all for saving more lives.

My thought is that its fine if your child can still fit COMFORTABLY in the booster seat. As you know from first-hand experience, my daughter is and has always been wayyyy bigger and taller than most kids her age. When she was 4 years old, she became too tall and too heavy for the seat we had, based on the 40lbs/4 years law we had at the time, so we just ditched it, since the seat manufacturers also had a maximum weight capacity of 40lbs. I too always say its a wonder we ever grew up at all. We didn't have seatbelt laws back in the early-mid 70's, didn't require car seats and the speed limits were anything-goes. My parents used to barrel down the road with me laying in the floorboard of the car doing 80mph!