Age for Booster Seat by Law

varies by state:

http://www.elitecarseats.com/custserv/custserv.jsp?pageNa...

http://babyproducts.about.com/od/statecarseatlaws/State_C...

I use these sites as we are military and move often.

I don't believe it is an age, but follows the height and weight recommendations of the seat. Most convertible car seat will take a child to 40 lbs and I don't know, 30 some inches...but larger children sometimes hit that when they are in their twos. My oldest was about that age when she went into a booster, but for safety and proper fit it had to have a back with a belt positioner. She is almost six and still in the same seat, just with the back removed.

At 2.5 he absolutely cannot sit in a belted only booster seat, he needs a 5pt harness. Graco Nautilus is $150 and will harness to 65lbs and then becomes a high back booster with the adult belt, and then a no back booster.

Please do not purchase a high back booster that uses the seatbelt only. He NEEDS a 5pt harness car seat for at least 2-3 more years until he's physically and mentally mature enough to sit in a booster with only the adult belt restraining him.

No, the one with a back and no harness are not a car seat, those are a BOOSTER seat, he cannot use one. He needs a car seat with a 5pt harness like the Graco Nautilus. http://www.walmart.com/ip/Graco-Nautilus-3in1-Car-Bravo/8...
Evenflo Maestro http://www.walmart.com/ip/Evenflo-Maestro-Booster-Car-Sea...
Evenflo Generations65 http://www.walmart.com/ip/Evenflo-Generations-65-Harness-...

A forward facing car seat is outgrown when one of three things happens- the child goes over the weight limit, the ears become level with the seat back, or the shoulders go over the top harness slot. The shoulders must be AT OR BELOW the harness slot. The chest clip should be level with his armpits, and the harenss should be snug. Make sure you are not putting any thick jackets on him because they will compress in a crash. Take his jacket off and then buckle him and put the jacket on backwards or use a blanket if its cold. Its TX so I know its not freezing. We are in Minnesota and the kids don't wear their jackets in the car seat.

Anyway, one of the seats above will be great for him, NO BOOSTER!

4 and 40 lbs is the minimum or a booster and when it comes to your Childs safety the minimum shouldn't cut it. My 3.5 yr old is in a graco nautilus and has more then enough room and babies r us is having their trade in sale take your old seat and get 25% off the new one that's when we got his seat last year. It harnesses to 65 lbs.

Our son's Britax Boulevard goes up to 70 pounds. I cannot imagine that a child age 2 1/2 could outgrow a convertible car seat. In addition to the law, which I believe is in every state now for a child that young, this is a serious safety issue. Yes, they're not cheap, but a completely necessary expense. A toddler, no matter what his size, must be restrained in an appropriate car seat with a five point harness.

I just went to Wal-Mart and got my son a convertible carseat/booster seat. It is Evenflo brand and has a harness. When the child is larger it has the seat belt guides to convert it to a booster seat. It works for kids from 30-100lbs. The bottom buckle is adjustable so the little man parts don't get crushed. It was only like $60 or so and my son just loves it and I love knowing that I am covered until he is ready to go to a booster with no back. So check it out and see what you think.
Here is the link for the one I found:
http://www.walmart.com/ip/Evenflo-Chase-Booster-Car-Seat-...
Hope this helps!!

Look on Craigslist for a used car seat like Britax that has 5 pt harness and goes up to 80 - 100 lbs. Don't switch to a booster seat, which uses the shoulder harness in your car until at least age 5. Britax is the safest, but you can find other brands with similar features a lot less money at Target and Walmart.

The type w/ a back and no front buckles are high back, belt-positioning boosters seats are are not for 2 year olds (usually 4-5 years old, at least). The longer you have him in a 5pt harness the better. Kids are not ready to sit like they have to in a booster at such a young age (even if their size it withing the rating range for it).

How much does your son weight? How tall is he?

Most convertible carseats will cover kids up to 35-45 lbs (each are different) and height to about 43 inches or so. Some of them, like mine, then converts to be a belt-positioning booster up to 80 or 100 lbs.

Find him a seat that will keep him in a 5-point harness as long as possible. My 6 year old is still in a 5-point harness. He is 46 inches and about 43lbs. Britax makes a great seat that will give you a lot of bang for your buck. Up to 85lbs harnessed and up to 120lbs. high back booster. It's called the Frontier 85.

The minimum for a booster is 4 years and 40lbs (and that's just a minimum) but really I don't think most 4 year olds are mature enough to sit correctly in a booster to be safe. We have a Britax high back booster in my husband's car and I still have to remind my 6 year old to sit up properly and why it's important to do so.

I just went through this with my son.. He is 3 and just hit 40 lbs. They are legally allowed to be in a high back booster seat at 40 lbs and 3 years old, but it is not recomended. I just purchased a carseat from target for him for $80. It is a 5 point harness that goes up to 50 lbs, and after that you can switch him to the booster part of it.

http://www.target.com/Evenflo-Maestro-Booster-Seat-Highli...

Here are the different requirements for each state...what age, how tall, or how much a child has to weigh to sit in a booster....hope this helps!!!

http://www.elitecarseats.com/custserv/custserv.jsp?pageNa...

Graco Nautilus is what I have my son in. He is 5 next month, 46 inches and over 50 lbs. (it goes up to 65 lbs harnessed) It can be converted to either a high back booster or a backless booster. My 25 lb 2 year old can also sit comfortably in this seat. I have not tried the Britax ones though you always hear good things about them. Graco is a bit less expensive but still sturdy and ours have done well in the last 2 years.

Yes, the ones with the back and no straps are BOOSTER CAR SEATS. Mine did not outgrow theirs until they were 10 years old (to meet the state guidelines of height and weight) so expect your son to be in it for a good while.

DO NOT BUY A USED CAR SEAT. You will never truly know the history of a used car seat and seats are not supposed to be used after a car accident, it can compromise the safety of the seat.

And it is not okay to use a booster just because your child meets the height/weight requirements. There are state laws that dictate when you can legally move your child to a belt positioning booster seat and then on to just using a seat belt. These laws are meant to protect children, not to be an inconvenience to parents.

One of the things that they say is important when transitioning your child to a belt positioning booster is the maturity of their hips bones and their ability to sit correctly when using a seatbelt. At 2 1/2 your childs bones are not strong enough to only be in a seatbelt (even with the booster). Also they would not be able to sit correctly to make the belt work properly. Graco Nautilus is a great convertible seat. It can be used as a 5-point harnessed car seat, a belt positioning booster and a backless booster. As you are in Texas you will need something that can grow with your child. Here is a great chart from TxDPS.

http://www.txdps.state.tx.us/director_staff/public_inform...

Hi D.
I found this on about.com
I've cut and pasted it.....
"Texas child passenger safety laws previously required only children younger than five years of age and less than 36 inches in height to ride in an approved child restraint. Beginning September 1, 2009, the law has been updated to require children under age 8 to ride in an appropriate car seat or booster seat, unless they are 4'9" tall.
You must select the appropriate restraint for your child's height and weight, according to manufacturer recommendations. Additionally, Texas law states that during the operation of the vehicle, the child must be properly secured in the car seat or booster seat according to the instructions of the manufacturer of the safety seat system. Children under age 17 must be buckled into the vehicle with a seat belt."

Hope it helps

My personal opinion is to not put him in a booster. Little kids cannot be trusted to ride in a booster properly. I would buy a larger 5 point harness car seat. My 6 yr old still rides in his Britax Marathon and prefers it over a booster. When he rides in a booster in my husband's car, we catch him messing with the belt because it's not as comfortable as the Marathon. He also has more freedom to reach for toys and things. Kids don't think about safety. Think about sleeping as well; they don't sleep well in boosters. I would say no to the booster at that age.

4 yrs old & 40 lbs.there are several car seats that are from 22 lbs on up that grow with your child

I'm trying to picture a forward facing carseat that a 2 1/2 year old could outgrow. Have you made sure there's nothing keeping the straps from pulling out further ( a twist in the straps behind the seat or something?) Either way... he is WAY too young to ride without a 5-point harness.

4 years old and 40lbs is when he can move from a carseat to a belt postitioning booster (<----the seats with a back and no front buckles). Sorry, you'll have to get him a new forward facing car seat.

HTH

Just to clarify, Texas passed a law that went into effect in the summer of '10 that now kids have to be 8 yrs old or 80lbs before getting out of a car seat/booster seat.

They can go to a booster seat (by law) at ANY age. The laws in all states require carseat or booster seat... but do NOT specify the the age for movement in between. It's a "common sense" move. When their shoulders are above the highest strap hole (or heads are above the top of the seat)... it's time to move them or alter the strap arrangements. They states cannot specify age *exactly* because they have no control over children's heights nor the manufacture of car seats. So instead they say "appropriate carseat or booster to x age or y weight/ z height." And yes... strapless with or without a back seats are considered booster seats and meet the legal requirements.

LOL... I love it when people say "their 5yo", or "no two year old" etc. My TWO YEAR OLD was 37.75 inches tall and 40lbs. And he was by no means the tallest 2yo I've known. By 2.5 he was 42/43 inches tall and 45lbs. (At age 8, he's just over 5' tall). Not all little kids are little! Now at 2.5, this was several years ago when BIGGEST guided strap seats went to only 40lbs, and we'd had him in the car's shoulder belt for some time.

What you are describing is a booster seat. Unless your child is really large for his age, I would definitely recommend keeping him in a 5 point harness as long as possible.

Here are a couple of sites that contain car seat ratings that you might want to check out:
http://www.nhtsa.gov/nhtsa_eou/info.jsp?type=combination

http://www.iihs.org/research/topics/boosters/best_bets.aspx

You may hate me for sharing this with you, but you may also want to check out this website: http://www.kyledavidmiller.org/

It's a heart-wrenching story, but for me it is was THE deciding factor on what type of carseat to buy.

You want to get something that is going to last as long as possible. We have Britax seats. Yes, the are more expensive, but in my opinion, they are worth every penney, will last through age five and have great safety ratings. Is there anything more important that your child's safety?

As long as they meet the weight requirement on the booster seats, he is ok to move into the ones with or without a back, without a harness. The biggest rule of thumb for using one with a back or not is, if the top of their ears is above the back of your seat, you need to use a booster with a back to protect their necks. If they are not that tall, you can use the backless.