My son is taller than 4'9" and will turn 8 in April. By law in Texas he is no longer required to be in a booster seat but I'm wondering if there is any benefit or any harm in keeping him in it a little longer. I've googled it and I've found the recommendation of 4'9" and age 8-12 but nothing that mentions any pros or cons to staying in it longer.
Thanks!
K.
Thanks everyone. The main reason for the question was that since he doesn't have any problem sitting in the booster seat but we know his 6 year old sister will give us grief if he doesn't have to but she does have to sit in one my husband and I were ok just continuing with the seat at least for a little while longer. We just wanted to make sure we weren't somehow putting him in danger if he was too big for the seat. Since he still fits comfortably in it, we will continue at least for a little while.
Thanks again!
Just wanted to mention for anyone who may read this later on that a bill was passed in Texas and the law was changed. The OP was right, the new booster seat requirements are either 4'9" or 8yrs old.
6 and 60 is no longer the law.
Its not the NECK portion of the seat belt you have to be concerned about (though it should fit across the chest properly). Its the LAP portion of the seat belt. When a child is small, the lap portion of hte belt sits across the abdomen, and in a crash there is nothing stopping the belt from essentially cutting a child in half until it reaches the spine. When a child is older, or an adult, the belt sits low on the hips, and in a crash the belt is stopped by the hips, and it stays low and doesn't ride up, therefore doing its job properly. Google SEATBELT SYNDROME for more information.
A child can be 4'9" and still not fit the adult belt properly, especially if the child has long legs and a short torso. There is a five step test to sitting in the adult belt properly. If you answer NO to even one of these, your child still needs a booster seat, regardless of age.
Can your child sit with his back fully against the seat?
Knees bent comfortably at the edge of the seat?
Feet flat on the floor?
Chest belt across the shoulder and the middle of the chest?
Lap belt low on the hips?
If you answer no to any one of these questions, your child still needs a booster seat for full protection in a crash.
There is no harm keeping a child that still fits in a booster seat in teh booster seat for as long as they wish, however if your vehicle doesn't have headrests or high seat backs he shoudl be in a high back booster until he's big enough to go without it. A child in a no back booster should have a headrest or a high seat back at least to the top of their ears or they will not be protected in a crash from whiplash or a broken neck
Edited to add that NO, the point of a booster is not to raise a child up to be higher from another vehicle in a crash! Its to put the child up higher so the lap portion of the belt lays low on the hips where its supposd to, and not up on the belly.
hi
The idea of a booster seat is to RAISE a child high enough in the car so that IF in the event of a car accident whereby you are sidewiped, your child's head isn't at the level of another car's front-end ... meaning if the car rammed into yours (god forbid) and bash in the car door where your son is seated, hopefully, the booster seat will have made it that your son is sitting high up enough that any injuries wouldn't be to his head, but rather less severe areas such as the arm.. not to say that any injury isn't bad.... but you get the gist... it's about avoiding head trauma..
I don't see the benefit in keeping a child that tall in a booster seat. It's supposed to position the seat belt properly, but if the child is tall enough, that's not necessary. My 7-year old daughter is 4'8" and she does not have a booster anymore because we can adjust the seat belt height so it doesn't hit her neck area. Here in California the law is 6 years/60 pounds, and we did keep her in a booster last year even though she weighed enough, because the seat belt still hit her neck. She had a growth spurt, and we ditched the booster as it no longer appears necessary.
There is also a weight range to meet, between 80 and 100 pounds. I went to www.safekids.org and read their whole page on the subject. The weight would make a difference but I couldn't find anything else either. There is a "Safe Kids" Houston chapter their info, as listed on the website was:
Safe Kids Greater Houston
Led by: Texas Children's Hospital
Coordinator: Diana Suarez
2450 Holcombe
Ste 34L, NB8365
Houston, Texas 77021
____@____.com
###-###-####
Good luck making sure, we're about to hit that mark, so I'd be interested to know the answer, too. K.
My brother in law's nine year old cousin was no longer sitting in the booster seat and the car rolled over and the seatbelt strangled her (she died twice! Thankfully her mother is a pediatrician and could resuscitate her.
Prior to that accident I was concerned about my girls in booster seats and purchased harnessed seats from Britax that go to 80 pounds in a harness and 100 lbs in the booster and plan to keep them in them till they outgrow them. We were also in a rollover accident. My girls were held firmly in their seats, where they may have been thrown from their seats or strangled by the seatbelt if they were in a booster or seat without a harness.
The little girl who died twice is now fine, and also rides in a Britax.
My 9 year old son prefers to stay in a booster seat so he can see out the window better. That is a pro. There are no cons to keeping him in a booster seat if you want too. You are the parent - as long as there is no harm, which there isn't - you make the call.
I'd go with Becky W's comment--that's what I do with my daughter's friends who are 8 already. How does the seat belt fit them? Does it look like it will protect them in a crash? BeckyW gave you a lot of good, detailed info. The point of the booster seat is to make them safer. If they are of a size where it actually WILL make them safer, then use it. If not, then don't. You don't want to use it with a child who goes over the weight/height for which the seat was tested.
My daughter is 5 but is still in a 5-point harness. She is very lightweight. She hasn't complained. I told her that when she's 40 lbs, we'll change the straps, and having that goal keeps her satisfied. It helps that she can fasten her own 5-point harness now, so she feels less like a baby.
To find the letter of the law you need to google car seat laws by state. Not many states have the 8/80 law, most have it at 6 years old or 60 lbs.
Texas is one of those that say 6 years old or 60 lbs. Any older than that and they don't have to be in any kind of car seat only adult type seat belts.
They have new law that went into effect last year that I am giving you a link it says the law used to be generally any child 5 years old and under had to be in some kind of child restraint seat. But after that, age 6, they didn't have to be. Now the law is a bit more specific. But the main thing is, according to this law, neither of your kids are required to be in car seats at this time. If your kids ride with someone else they won't be in one so if you want them to stay in these seats they can't go with their friends or anyone else. It's always better to be safe.
http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/metropolitan/6453906....
Here in Canada it's 80 pounds which is basically pre-teen/teenager. Heck some adults barely make 80 pounds. The general rule around here is they stay in the booster seat till their bum is too big to fit, essentially most kids will grow out of it/get too big for it physically before they ever reach 80 pounds.
My daughter is 7 and getting that way now, but she's still less than 60 pounds. Long way to to go to reach 80.
But to answer your question, no there is no harm to leaving them in there longer. If you feel like he's still too little then by all means leave him in there till your comfortable!
