Another Car Seat question

I'm scared to death of Booster car seats, I've seen to many you tube video's of them failing during car accidents. I definetly won't be moving anybody anytime soon, just have a question about them....

My girls just turned 4, but the poor things barely weigh 30lbs! One is 32 and the other is 28. At this rate, they won't reach 40 lbs until they are 6 or 7 years old (they've been above 25 lbs since they were 2) Height is an issue as well. One is 34" and the other just barely 36".

At what point is it SAFE to put them in a Booster if they don't make the weight grade?? Aren't Boosters 4yrs AND 40lbs, or is it 4yrs OR 40 lbs? My girls are going to be in Convertible car seats until they are 10 at the rate they grow. LOL

 

There is *absolutely* no hurry to put them in a booster. My 6.5 year old is still in a 5pt harness - and has plenty of room to grow before he is too big for it. 4 yrs AND 40lbs is the minimum requirement, and until they reach that 40lbs they aren't legally supposed to be in a booster. However, you will probably find that they will outgrow their convertibles by height before weight since they are so tiny - and that is what frequently happens.

I wouldn't even worry about it for now - and then when they are 6 or 7, look at how much they weigh and go from there. Enjoy the added safety your girls get to have for the next few years!

 

My Kayci was tiny, still is, and she outgrew the height of the convertible seat just after 4. We went to a booster with a 5 pt harness and a LATCH. The booster started at 30lbs with the harness but was plenty tall because it was made to use with the regular seat belt too. It was an older one from one of our older kids so we had to let it go a few months ago due to the expiration date so I can't tell you what brand it was. I'm sure you can find one in any store that sells car seats. GL!

 

I've started looking too. My boys have about one more height adjustment to go on their convertible seat but are still just 31/33lbs. I like the Evenflo Chase DLX. It has a 5 point harness and eventually turns into a backless booster. My friend has two in the back of her Odessy (sp?) and still has room for an infant carrier between them.

 

I also have boosters with 5pt harnesses. I will not put my girls in the boosters without. My girls are also small and they are still in their car seats now and at the rate they are going we won't need the boosters until high school LOL!

 

A&R are at the top notch on both sets of carseats. I'm going to continue to cram them in there. I'm really hoping to get another 5-6 months out of the ones in my van, but I'm afraid that the ones in my husband's car are at the end of their useful life and I might get another month out of them. And Alice isn't even 30 pounds. But at around 41 inches, she's plenty tall. Royce weighs a little more, like 31/32 pounds. But they're not four yet, so I just need to get something that converts to a booster I suppose.

 

I moved my oldest from a 5 pt booster to a belt positioning booster when he was 5, 46 inches tall and 45lbs. He is now 6, 48 inches tall and 50 lbs. Before 46 inches, even with the belt positioner, the seat belt lay across his neck which I am not fond of so we kept him in a 5pt.

So long as his seat belt is fastened, I feel he is just as safe in his seat as any adult who rides in the van with us.

 

NO need to move to a booster so soon. With her weight, I would keep her in a 5pt harness for now. There are kids that are her age and pretty much her weight that are still rear facing. My ds is 5.5yrs old and he is still in a 5pt harness. He is just 42lbs so I am not in a rush to switch to a booster in my van. He does ride in a booster in my dh van, but its rare that he rides there so its a good time to do booster training.

 

Peyton was definitely over 5 when I moved her to a booster. She was 40 lbs on the nose when I moved her over. My 2 year old on the other hand is already almost 39 lbs and over 41" so I know he will be moved when he is 4. Each child is different, but I'd wait until the 40 lb mark before deciding.

 

Move them when their height does not allow them to sit in the 5pt harness. I had evenflo Chase carseats. Both kids moved out of them once they hit the height limit to use the internal harness. For my Daughter, it was 6 yrs 3 months (she was 45" and 39lbs) for my son it was 5 yrs 3 months and he was 45" and 40lbs.) To use the carseat as a booster, they had to be a minimum of 43" tall now a days, I expect the 5pt harness car seats have higher height limits than they did when I bought mine. Look to see what the height minimum is on the booster. Some of them are taller than 40" (mine were 43")

 

Sabrina's still in a 5 pt carseat. She's 5, but not even 30 lbs and super short, too. No way I'm putting her in a booster. Sydney is 48lb, and 4 inches taller, too. So she's in a booster. Sabrina's carseat is kind of a funky latch that she can't push hard enough to undo herself. She can if she's standing looking at it, but not if she's buckled in. I know it irritates her that she's stuck in the car until someone unbuckles her, and sometimes that's Sydney. But it's how it has to be. My understanding is 4 AND 40 lbs, too. And here kids have to be 8 or at least 4'9" to be out of a booster. But I know LOTS of people who don't follow that law.

 

I think by booster, you mean using a seat belt with a booster seat?

A bunch of folks have mentioned a 5 point booster, which is we have - the Graco Nautilus...I don't think it's that different than our Marathon, except we kept Jake in the Marathon because he's smaller than Becca.

I go to car-seat.org all the time for advice. What's interesting is they are starting to say 5 point harness isn't necessarily safer than a seat belt past a certain point. Part of it depends on when the kid can sit still (seat belt allows too much freedom).

I do think the Graco is narrower, we are taking a car trip in May and we may put Jake in the Graco to free up some space in the backseat (and for the cup holder).

 

Graco Nautilus 3n1...check it out!

 

We moved the girls to high back boosters with seat belt postioners when they were too tall for their 5 point. We still are using those since Jess is still end 40lbs

 

I love that site! And yeah, I've read on there numerous times that once a child reaches the age of 6 or so (and is of average height/weight for that age), there are no statistics saying a 5pt is safer than a HBB with a seatbelt. You just have to make sure your child is mature enough to sit properly in their seatbelt/HBB - no bending over to pick things up off of the floor, not flopping over when they fall asleep, etc.

 

Katie is 3 and weighs 45 pounds and is still in her 5 point harness carseat most of the time. She does have a highback booster as well because she meets the requirements for it as well.

 

how exactly to the booster seats fail? do you mean the seatbelt that is holding the child?

LATCH should not be used over 40 lbs, so if the seatbelt is going to fail, it will fail regardless of the type of seat...

mine are in high back boosters with the seatbelt - they are almost 5...I refuse to live my life by what-if's that will statistically never happen...

 

I wouldn't rush the boosters either. They scare me! I have all of mine (including my 6.5 year olds) in 5-pt. carseats still. I let let the 6.5 year olds ride in boosters if they are carpooling or going in daddy's car, but otherwise they are in a real carseat.

ETA: We have the Sunshine Kids Radian 65 carseats. They have a lower profile like the booster seats, so they are easy for the kids to get in/out of on their own and they have a weight limit of 65 lbs. They make an 80 lb. version as well. They can be used with latch (on newer cars) until 48 lbs. I think.

 

I can understand this motto, but I'm not sure how car accidents and injuries are something that statistically will never happen? Automobile accidents are the number one cause of death among toddlers and children. That seems like a pretty *real* statistic.

How big is the problem?

In the United States during 2005, 1,335 children ages 14 years and younger died as occupants in motor vehicle crashes, and approximately 184,000 were injured. That’s an average of 4 deaths and 504 injuries each day.2
Among children under age 5, in 2006, an estimated 425 lives were saved by car and booster seat use.2



http://www.cdc.gov/ncipc/factsheets/childpas.htm

 

and I still maintain that the injuries suffered and deaths occurred in accidents that wouldn't have been survivable anyway...we're always going to disagree on this point...

but why didn't anyone answer the questions about how the boosters themselves failed...unless they disintegrated - the purpose of a booster is to position the child correctly to wear the seatbelt - not to actually restrain them - so therefore the conclusion is that the seatbelt failed...so even if your child is in a 5 pt harness if the seatbelt that is holding the 5 pt seat down fails the child is going to get thrown around...

I'm just tired of the "booster" being to blame when its really the seatbelt...

 

Amy, I'm not at all saying the boosters failed - or the seatbelt - just that perhaps some children are too young, too small, or not mature enough to sit in a booster properly to maintain safety. There is a huge difference in the maturity levels of most 6 year olds compared to 4 year olds, so it is assumed (on my part) that an older child would be more likely to sit safely in a booster than a younger child.

 

I know, for me, that the increased safety of the carseats outweighs the convenience of the boosters. My neighbor is a public prosecutor and recently tried a case in which two small children were killed in an accident b/c they were not properly restrained. It was AWFUL. I still have nightmares from hearing about it.

 

that wasn't directed at you Jori - just in general - the booster seat seems to bear the brunt of the blame when you could almost compare it to blaming sitting on a phone book - all it does is raise the child to a level where the seatbelt is positioned correctly...

honestly I generally have a diametrically opposing view on certain parts of child rearing, that I had never heard of until coming here (ie extended rear facing, not vaccinating) ...

since I have to hit the shower so I can go visit my grandma I have a quick question (since I don't have a minute to read the studies) do the statistics list the types of vehicles by year and amount of airbags or the speed of crashes? The reason I ask is because the majority of car accidents are minor - so a bump to the rear-end or a slow speed crash isn't going to kill a child - but the ones that do are likely to to be higher speed and or more catastrophic accidents, as well as ones where the children are not properly restrained...(think drunk parents etc...)

so while I respect the statistics that are posted, they also aren't specific enough to say that a 5 pt harness is the reason that children survive...

 

is it the booster or the five point harness? I think Jori's point about kids sitting still is the issue. We keep throwing around booster, but I really don't think that's the discussion at hand.

 

but it is Miriam - the OP said that she saw videos on YouTube of the booster failing...and I maintain that a booster (in and of itself) can't fail - it has to be the seatbelt as the booster doesn't actually restrain the child...the seatbelt does...so then it is the failure of the seatbelt...

 

I always wonder the same thing. I have two friends who both have Honda Odysseys attached with the latch only problem is the kids are over 50 pounds. We stopped using the Marathon car seats around the time my girls turned 5 since Dani's was too tall for it. I don't know how since she still is not 49 inches which i think is the height limit on the seats.

I also know the type of booster seat is so dependent on the car as well as the type of booster for how well the kids sit in the sits.

 

Right but in the cases people are referring to, the booster is being used with a seat belt vs. a five point harness. Our booster has a five point harness and I'm not sure when we'll switch to a seatbelt restraint.

 

I didn't answer the question becuase I haven't been on here in a few days to check the post.... a good number of booster seats that were being used when a car crashed were the Seat belt version, not utilizng LATCH, and the seatbelts came undone thus throwing the child from the vehicle and killing or seriously injuring them. Seatbelts that magically popped off of a booster restrained child, but yet adults in the same vehicle were able to walk away virtually unscathed, who were also utilizing seatbelts. Booster restrained children who were sitting next to an infant car seat restrained child or convertible carseat restrained child - and still got thrown from the vehicle. I don't know if the infant/convertible restrained children were utilizing LATCH or not though. Also seemed like the majority of the children from these accidents were on the very small end being able to use boosters - that may have had something to do with their failure as well I don't know, but it's enough to scare me into utizling my convertible car seats with LATCH for as long as possible (up to the 40lb weight limit).

Statistically, a PP was right. Accidents happen. You never know when or where or who will be in the car with you. You can be as vigilant as you want, doesn't mean that other person isn't being careless..

I don't like to live by the 'what-ifs' either, but I most certainly do not want to have to be living with the 'What if I had kept them in their convertibles longer, would they still be alive?' question. So if I can do something to prevent THIS what-if, I will

 

I don't think it's the booster that fails, but rather it's the improper use of the booster. A 3-yr old should not be in a booster regardless of weight/height. They just aren't mature enough to understand how to sit properly. I have always had tall & heavy kids and I didn't switch them out of their 5-pt until they were almost 5. Obviously every child matures at a different pace, so each family has to make decisions that they see as appropriate.

Lisa, I have an Odyssey and I'm fairly certain the weight limit is 40lbs. Those car seats should not be secured with latch at that point and they need to switch to using the seatbelt to secure it in place. What's the point of being in a 5-pt car seat if you're not going to bother to attach it correctly?

 

Well, Katie does... when she is in one. MOST of the time she is in her regular carseat, but when she isn't she sits in her booster like she is suppose to.

 

I know. I have tried to tell that that but they won't listen. Or one won't. The other friend moved both of her kids into seat belt boosters. Kind of funny since her girls are 2 years apart but they moved out of the marathon at the same time.

 

Like this Yes, the story states that the seatbelt specifically failed, not the booster. Interesting though that the sibling right next to him was just fine. I don't buy that one car seat was poperly secured while the other probably was not. I have 3 kids and all 3 of those carseats are put in identically - so either all 3 are incorrect or they are all correct...

Maybe I wasn't meaning that the 'booster' failed in my OP even though that's what I said. I think what I was trying to say is that an abnormally high number of children that have been in car accidents and thrown from vehicles due to the seat belt failing while sitting in a booster carseat. It seems that there is something in the design of the booster seat that is making these seat belts pop off on impact from another vehicle. I don't know that link kind of disproves both theories because there again, his sister in the exact same booster seat right next to him lived and had no scratches while he was thrown from the vehicle and killed...

At any rate, I wasn't trying to start any type of debate over the safety of carseats, just wondering when people were moving their peanut sized kids up to boosters who won't reach 40 lbs. until well after their 6th birthday... I personally own 2 Graco Nautilus 3-n-1 carseats and a First Years Tru Fit convertible, all of which go up to AT LEAST 65 lbs (Nautilus up to 100lbs used as a booster) so my kids I think will be good for a long while..

I actually didn't know that the Nautilus 3-n-1 could be used as a 5 point booster until I saw this post, I thought once you started using it as a booster it had to be used as a belt booster - so thank you everyone who enlightened me to this! I feel even safer with my carseats now.

 

Well that's awesome. I'm glad you were able to make a decision that your are comfortable with, like I said each family has to make choices they can live with. It's not something I was comfortable with my kids, so I suppose that makes me a "goody goody" rule follower.

 

I just moved Liam into a high back booster at 4 years old. He was too big for the seat we had and I struggled with the decision a bit because of his age. He is bigger than my other two (who didn't move until 5 years old) and that kind of helped move the decision along a little bit. He doesn't always sit properly and I have to keep the car parked until he sits the way he should. I definitely wouldn't have moved him any earlier.

 

that was me and I may be wrong...i think someone on car-seat.org had me thinking my Graco 3n1 is actually a booster (but I just went surfing and it says it is a car seat that converts to a booster).

I think, however you can use it past Latch weight limits with the 5 point harness... I'm doing some reading. Here is the description from the website:

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I'm not sure what the difference is b/t the high back booster and the belt positioning booster. I think it's repeating itself. Since you can use the five point harness up to 65 pounds, that seems pretty good to me.

I'm so confused - by the terminology...