My daughter is 2 & a half yrs old & i have a 5 point harness carseat for my daughter & it holds up to 80 lbs, she is 32 lbs & 36 inches tall, she is starting to get too tall to use the 5 point harness seat belt in the carseat, there is hooks on the carseat for the regular seat belts in the car, is she still too young or small to start useing the bigger seat belts while shes still in her carseat? plus my Sister-in-law has been babysitting my daughter & i give her the carseat for her car, while she has my daughter, well she told me that she put my daughter in her 8 yr old daughters booster carseat which has no back to it, i got upset, because i think my daughter is too young for a booster carseat, i feel safer with my daughter being in a 5 point harness carseat for now, shes is starting to get too tall for the 5 point harness strapes in her carseat, so would it be ok strape her in her carseat with the seat belts to the car, or should i wait til next year? she'll be 3 in september!
2006-06-26 16:10:15 · 17 answers · asked by Anonymous in Pregnancy & Parenting ➔ Toddler & Preschooler
Oh and my mom has a 5 point harness carseat in her car for my daughter and that holds up to 100 pounds and is alittle bigger than the one i have, im also thinking about switch carseats with my mom
2006-06-26 16:11:45 · update #1
Hi,
At 2 1/2, your daughter is too young to be in just a booster seat with the car's seat belt. I suspect by your question that the seat that both you and your mother have are forward facing only seats or booster seats w/ harnesses. These seats can only use the harness until 40 pounds. After 40 pounds, the harness has to be removed and then the child uses it as a booster. You say she is outgrowing it, are the straps adjusted as high as they will go? A child outgrows this type of seat when they hit 40 # or their shoulders grow above the top set of shoulder harness slots. If she has grown taller than the top slots and is only 32# and not yet 3, then you need to buy a seat with taller shoulder slots and/or higher harness weight limit (which will have taller slots). The tallest combo seat (FF only w/ harness) that I know of is the Graco Cargo series, but the harness limit is still only 40#. She is definately not safe in a backless booster or any booster at that age. Most kids are not ready for a dedicated booster seat until they are about 4 years old. So, I would double check your seat first and if she is too tall for it (shoulders higher than the top slots) then you should buy a seat that she fits into by height (take her with you to the store and try her in a few) and try and keep her harnessed until 40 pounds. A child is far safer in a five point harness as long as possible before they go into a booster seat.
2006-06-26 17:34:11 · answer #1 · answered by carseat xpert 2 · 40⤊ 8⤋
my son is 20 months and the same size as your daughter right now. I have him in a 5 point harness car seat. I have no intention of changing that anytime soon. I agree with you that she is too small for a regular seat belt even in a booster. You could check with public health, they would know. I got my current car seat from public health here because my husband and I are living below the poverty line. I could have bought it myself and had planned to but since the government takes half of child tax every month from families on welfare or disability like we are I figured that I would use some of that money they are taking from em and get them to pay for a car seat, also got a $50 baby gate from them as well. Anyway, she is too young and too small to be in a booster of any kind. I would wait until she is at least 4 or 5 to put her into a regular booster seat but do check with public health first or you could check if the police or fire station does car seat clinics where they make sure they are in properly, they know what they are doing and can give you the answers you are looking for as it differs between countries and states or provinces within a country. My sister-in-law had her son in a forward facing 3 point harness seat when he was only about 8 months old coming up from Minneasota for the week last summer. I felt it was very very unsafe to have him like that at such a young age. Here you need to have a baby in a back facing car seat until they are 12 months minimum but if you can keep them in back facing for longer if size permits then you are even better off.
2006-06-27 01:02:31 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Generally the harness is good until 40 lbs/ 4 years old. Check with the manufacturer, but the harness usually can be adjusted and most times, the manual says the harness straps should come out of the back of the seat below shoulder level, so she might not be too big for the harness, it just may need to be adjusted.
2006-06-27 00:19:25 · answer #3 · answered by revmissus 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
My daughter turned 2 in March and she is in a booster seat already, she is 38" and over 40 lbs. HUGE!!! I know! It has a back on it... those should be used until the child is 5 I think. The box that the seat comes in will tell you the safety requirements and regulations printed on the box. However, if you think that your child needs the five-point harness seat still, go to the store and see if you can find a larger one. You can also go to your local law enforcement center or to your local fire department and they will check to see if the seat is suitable for your child and if it is installed correctly. Good Luck!!
2006-06-27 17:22:31 · answer #4 · answered by JustMe 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Booster seats are based on weight and height, not age. You can find a high back booster seat at some larger retailers that may be as safe as the car seat. However, if your daughter is taller than the manufacturer's recommendation for the car seat, forcing her to sit in it could cause more harm than good. Car seats are designed for a certain weight and height. If you exceed these, more harm could result from an accident than good.
2006-06-27 11:13:43 · answer #5 · answered by rdw187 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
It goes by height and weight, not age. My son went to a booster seat (high back) when he was 3 1/2. Most of them are for children over 40 inches in height. I found one by Britax on "elitecarseats.com" that was for over 38 inches, and that is how tall he was at the time. I would look up the directions for the specific car seats/booster seats that you have.
2006-06-26 23:16:03 · answer #6 · answered by Tammie C 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
according to regulations a child must be 30 lbs, the seatbelt must go over the shoulder when buckled in. it is safer to use a booster with a back to it until the child is 5.
2006-06-26 23:16:35 · answer #7 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Recently on the today show there was information about how children are out growing safety seats and how companies are making them larger. I think they said that 3 manufacturers are making larger seats.
2006-06-26 23:14:39 · answer #8 · answered by opheliaissaved 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Im pretty sure that they have to be over 40pds in Ohio and at least 3 or 4...Hope this helps! Keep safe!
2006-06-27 13:48:42 · answer #9 · answered by crzyernie 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
the law says buckle up. so as long as she's in a seat belt that fits i say what's the fuss. after all some mothers doesn't use anything.
2006-06-26 23:18:00 · answer #10 · answered by Sherry M 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
It goes by weigth not age.I think maby 35 pounds is the minimum limit.
2006-06-26 23:16:42 · answer #11 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋