Booster Seats - Anaheim,CA

Haha, I knew of the 6 or 60 lbs law, but I have the Britax Frontier, So I know my son will be in there for a while still (he's 5 yrs old and weighs barely 40 lbs!) But when I found out that they should be in a booster till they are at least 4'9" it made me laugh cause I'm 28 yrs old and am barely 5"! Haha, My poor son! Hopefully doesn't follow his mom in height!

It should say on the box... mine is 30-100 lbs

I know they say a child who is under the age of 6 or under 60 lbs should be in a booster, it's sad to say most of the parents at my children's school have their children who are much smaller than that in nothing, it's just not safe.. my son will be 8 in Oct and is only 49lbs.. he will be in his booster seat for a much longer time, it's just the safe thing to do!

They are each different. Some are 80 pounds, but I've seen some for up to 100 pounds too.

I think it depends on the company. Go to the booster seat maker's website and the information should be there. Generally speaking, it usually is 6 and 60 pounds but I have also heard the term 8 and 80 pounds.

Each brand, has different specifications... and each brand will state this in their product description or on the tags.

Most booster seats will hold children up to 100lbs. A child needs to stay in a booster seat until they can pass the 5 step test;

sitting with back against the seat, no slouching
knees bent at the edge of the seat
feet flat on the floor
lap belt low on the hips (not up on the abdomen)
shoulder belt on the shoulder and laying across the chest.

Until your child meets ALL of these requirements they need to remain in a booster seat. Generally a child should be over age 8, over 80lbs, and 4'9" tall.

Hello, You should read the box, but the ones I have used were 80 and 100 pounds.
K. K.

Are you referring to the booster seat specifically? If so, each one can be different.

Or are you referring to the law? If so, the law says "each child is required to be properly restrained in the back seat unless child is six years or older or weighs 60 pounds"

But safety experts recommend booster seats for children who weight "40-80 pounds"

Every car seat is different and that includes booster seats. Check your owners manual and/or the seat itself.

BeckyW has the best answer for "when may my child sit in the vehicle's seat belt system" -- the 5-Step Test (see www.carseat.org). Although California law (27360 VC) states minimum 6 years or 6 pounds for a child to be out of a car seat (including boosters), remember, that is a minimum. Note that California law also states you may take your child out of school when they are 16. Just because it's the legal minimum, doesn't make it the best choice.

Here are the basic "rules" based on safety, not the law.
Rear facing (RF) is safer as the shell of the seat absorbs a great amount of crash impact. Keep your child RF as long as possible (2+ years). New car seats are now available with a RF limit up to 45 pounds! Don't worry about the legs up against the seat back. "Legs and feet heal, brains and spines do not." If your infant seat has a limit of 20 to 30 pounds and your child has maxed it out, change to a convertible seat and place it RF in the car.

Use forward facing (FF) with harness to the maximum size and weight allowed by the car seat manufactuer. FF harness seats are now availalable to 80 pounds. Only after maxing out the RF and FF harness seats, should a child be placed into a booster.

The child no longer needs a booster when he or she passes the 5-Step Test "in that vehicle."

Remember, children do not "graduate" from RF to FF to booster. Each step is a demotion in safety.

Finally, please make sure your car seats are installed correctly. Don't guess! Get help if you are not certain!

-- M. Cohen
Passionate Child Passenger Safety Instructor
Burbank CA
cps -at - marccohen -dot- net

Loving Step-Father of Melissa Monique 1980-2002
Loving Grandfather of Alec Jaye 2000-2002
"Again this year, Alec and his mommy won't be visiting grandma and grandpa for the holidays"

Each seat will have it's own limit.
We have the Britax Frontier which is a backed booster that allows for a 5-point harness to be used until 80 lbs and as a seat belt guided booster until 100 lbs.
It has a 9 yr expiration so they can be used for a long time.

All brands have a different weight limit but also you need to look at the height requirement. They need to be able to be high enough to where the seatbelt does not come accross their face. So height is very important too. We just bought one yesterday for our daughter who is only 4 but measures 3 1/2 ft already.