When to Switch Car Seats?

Hi K.,
What no one else has addressed is the law part of this question. A child under 4 must be in a car seat. Then a booster until 4'9" (under age 8).

I wouldn't switch to the booster yet. There are 5pt harness car seats for above 30lbs, and they are safer than the booster seats, at least for someone that little. Why is the harness such a problem?
My 6 year old has a booster seat. She could easily squirm out of it if she wanted, and I don't know that I would trust a 3 year old to stay put. Be safe!

Save the hassle sister! Moms with toddlers are hassled enough ;-)

*grin*

T.

I agree with the others about keeping him in the 5 pt seat belt as long as possible. Its so much safer. My mother in law recently purchased a Britax seat for her car. I believe its called the Frontier? Its a 5 pt seat that goes up to 100 lbs. I told her my daughter would be able to use that until high school, lol.

Cyrstal said it all....IT's THE LAW :) Just like adults are fined for not wearing their seatbeats, you can be fined for not having your child in a 5 point harness. If you need a bigger car seat because your child is outgrowing the one he has, you can find them at about any store that it has a 5 point harness and then you can remove it to make it a booster; which is very nice, because then you only have to buy one car seat:) Also, they tend to go up to 100 lbs, so you don't have to worry about weight!

hello. yes a 5pt is safer than a seatbelt, just like being rear facing is much safer than forward facing.my 2 older kids are both in a booster seat ( 6 yr girl and 3 yr boy) they both were in the booster around 2.5-3 year old, cuz they out grew the 5 pt in height. they both sit just fine in the booster seats. my yougest 18months is still rearfacing cuz he don't mind being that way unlike my other two at that age. you can alway call your local fire dept or even AAA office and talk to a carseat tech, they will help you make the right choice for your child. maybe the harness is too low, and if it is maybe thats causing him the problems. if you want to keep him in the 5 pt longer but hes too big (height wise) either buy him a new car seat and let hime pick it out, or put him in the booster. if you dont' have enough money to buy a different seat call around to aaa some of them have extra car seats to giveaway and if they dont' ask them where you can get one, they might be able to help. i know the kyle david miller foundation will give away the higher weight carseats, but the wait us 6 -9 months for one. iam sure if you contacted them they might be able to help you also. but you are the only one that can make this choice to either keep him in the 5pt or move him to the booster. good luck with your choice.

you chttp://www.kyledavidmiller.org/

I would definitely leave him in a five point. It is so much safer. 4 yrs and 40lbs is just a minimum for booster seats, it is a lot safer to keep him harnessed to 65 lbs actually. Have you check the straps to make sure they aren't twisted and its not too tight? Maybe he is just being a stubborn 3 yr old and seeing how far he can go to get his way.

ETA: I received an email from Angie who does have a link that states that children under 4 are required to be in an infant/child seat. However, I also checked with my local police department and was told that it's "best practice" to keep a child in a 5 point harness until 40 pounds (they said it was not a specific age limit but a weight) before moving to a booster, but it is not required by law. Here is a link to the info from my local police department and Michigan Safe Kids that explains the booster seat law better and has a recommendation about the 5 point harness seats:
http://www.plymouthtwp.org/Departments/PoliceDept/Communi...

My original post:
As much as I wish it were true, the law does NOT say that they have to be in a 5 point harness until they are 4. It just says that they have to be in a child restraint system.

According to the state of Michigan web site:
http://www.michigan.gov/documents/safety_belt_8581_7.pdf

0-3 years: All passengers shall be properly secured in approved child restraint system

4-7 and under 4'9": All passengers shall be properly secured in approved child restraint system

And according to the Michigan state police site:
http://www.michigan.gov/msp/0,1607,7-###-###-####_3504_22...

Children from birth until age 8 must be properly restrained in a child safety seat or booster seat in the vehicle, unless 4'9" tall.

So the decision is up to the parents as to whether a booster or 5 point harness is used.

Having said that, I kept my daughter in a 5 point harness until she was 5. That was also when she hit the 40 pound weight limit of her 5 point harness car seat.

I moved my son to a booster about a month before he turned 4. He was almost the same size my daughter was at 5. Plus it was winter and with his winter coat, he wasn't fitting properly into the 5 pt harness car seat we had and that car seat was for children up to 60 pounds. I felt it was safer for him to be in a booster with the seat belt positioned properly than it was to be in a 5 point harness with the straps not in the right place.

My opinion is that if he can strapped in properly with a 5 pt system in his coat, I would keep him in it. If the straps aren't fitting him properly, then move him to the booster that he fits in properly.

As far as the seats that transition to boosters, make sure you read the specifications. One of the car seats that I had transitioned to a booster. But The 5 point harness was only to be used up to 40 pounds. Once a child hit 40 pounds, the harness could be removed and then the seat could be used as a booster with the seat belt up to 100 pounds. So just because a seat says that it can be used up to 100 pounds, it doesn't necessarily mean that the 5 point harness can be used up to 100 pounds. Different seats have different specifications.

Safety vs. convenience ? Go with the safety any day - besides, its the law!

I think it's really dependent upon the child. Our older daughter transitioned nicely at about 2.5. She met the requirements and would sit still and properly in the normal seat belt. Our younger daughter we tried to transition her at the same age, again she was big enough. However, her maturity level quickly proved that she was not able to sit poperly under the seat belt, so we had to move her back to a 5 point harness. If you think your son will sit properly then you can try it. We had a convertable seat, so kept her harness in the car until we were sure that she would be okay in it.

K.,
Go to babies r us and they can help you out, but they do have high back boosters with a five point harness. Then in another year when you feel more comfortable you can remove the five point harness and he can just use the seat belt with the booster. Since it sounds like he has out grown his current car seat a booster is the way to go. Just make sure he fits all the requirements that the seats says (height, weight etc. ) it will say it on the information car for the car seat. Here is a link to the website with great info, http://www.toysrus.com/family/index.jsp?categoryId=225619.... My suggestion is to bring your son with you to the store to try him out in the seats because that gives you a much better idea what is a good fit.
Good Luck it can be hard
K.

He absolutely needs to stay in the 5 point harness. Booster seats are for 40 lbs and up. You may need a bigger/different car seat. My son is in the 90th percentile for height and weight and I had no problem with his car seat. Actually, we kept him in it until he was 4.5 and I needed it for his sister.

Keep him in the 5 point harness as long as possible. My daughter was in hers until her 5th birthday. At her 5 year check up she was 39 1/2 lbs so we moved her to a high back booster! What is causing the trouble with the 5 point? Is his coat to bulky? are the straps twisted? The straps should be at or above the top of his shoulders. If they are below that you may need a bigger 5 point seat. We have the Graco Cargo it is great for taller kids and not as expensive. Safty is the most important thing!!
Blessings, K.

Where are you located? We are on the west side if the state and have Lakeshore Safe Kids. You can have them inspect your seats and they will tell you if he is in the wrong one. They even have seats/boosters at discounted prices if you are in the wrong one they will fit him to the right one. It is a great way to go. Takes all question out. If you aren't near by I am sure the fire department can give you some resources on where to go.

K.

I'm surprised only one person mentioned it; last July the seatbelt law changed for children and children must remain in a five point harness seat until they are 4 years old.

I think you already answered your question when you said "5 point harness for another year which I think is safer". Of course you would do what is safer even if it does create more hassle. I waited until mine were 4 yrs old even though they met height and weight requirements much earlier.

Okay, I get to respond to car seat ones all the time... The safest place for your 3 y.o. is in the 5 pt... he should not be in a booster until the last possible minute... there is an increased incidence of SPINAL CORD INJURIES when they are switched too soon because they do not keep the lap portion of the belt where it is supposed to be. If it helps, winter time is always harder with the 5pt harness... try putting his coat on him backward...once he is sitting, pull it off, buckle him in the harness, then put his coat back on. Helps with the fitting, keeps him warm and safe. My 5 y.o. is still in a 5 pt harness, because I have had to teach a 4 yo who was paralyzed how to move again... Hope this helps!!!

K., I think you need to do what is right for you but I did have to put my son at 3 years old in the booster because he knew how to undo the 5 point harness and would get out of his seat while driving. Now at four he knows that if he undoes his buckle he will be punished.

I don't understand what the hassle is about a 5 point? Is there something wrong with your carseat? I'm currently still using a 5 point harness with my 4 yr old (she'll be 5 in April) and I don't even think about putting her in a booster yet and she is almost 50 pounds! I have a Britax Boulevard, so its good up til 65 pounds. At 3 years old definitely leave him in the 5 point. Not to mention that its the law.. Here's a link to Michigan.GOV website article that explains it better. http://www.michigan.gov/gov/0,1607,7-168-23442_21974-1884...
A child under 4 MUST be in an infant/child car seat. Here's another site that you'll see on that page that explains that they should not be moved to a booster until 40 lbs. http://www.michigansafekids.org/newlaw.php
Then they have to stay in the booster seat from age 4 to age 8 or until they are 4'9".

You know, it's these situations where I always default to safety. There are times when you give into your toddler because no, it isn't worth the hassle and really isn't that big of a deal. But when it comes to safety, there is NO compromise. 5 point harness IS the safest for your 3y.o. I would keep him in it as long as possible. I kept my daughter rear facing as long as I could because I knew it was the safest for her.

Moving them too soon (even if they meet the weight requirements) can mean potential serious injuries.

Safety first my dear. If your child is seriously injured in a car accident there will be other worries then "hassles" with a seat belt.

Well you are certainly getting alot of judgmental opinions on this one. Let's keep in mind that K. asked for advice not criticism.

I myself had the same problem with my son just before he turned 3. It was not a problem with the carseat itself...it was just simply as you said...he threw a fit about having all the straps and he had learned to undo them anyway. He was also around 32 lbs at the time and within the recommended height and weight range for the booster seat that I had so I decided to switch to the booster. He tried to get out of his seatbelt one time and I pulled over to the side of the road and explained to him that I would not move the car until his belt was back on and he would be punished if he did it again. I have had absolutely no problems with him getting out of his seatbelt since. We also talk about it being the law to wear seatbelts and I point out police cars when I see someone pulled over and tell him that maybe they didn't have their seatbelt on so they are in trouble. They understand a whole lot more than we tend to give them credit for at that age.

Do what you feel is best for you and your child. You may decide to leave him in his 5 point harness a while longer and maybe explaining about the police could help keep him in that longer also.

Good luck.