should i get him a booster seat with the back attach to it now for him?

Question

my son will be 2 april 10th and he is already 29 pounds and i thinks hes about 2ft 5inches(big for his age) but booster seats seem to be recommend for age 4 and 30lbs. its it to soon to get one.

thanks everyone except for "linda d", i feel sorry for ur kids if u have any.

Answer 1

My daughter is really big for her age, too. At her 2nd birthday she was 36 inches tall and 32 pounds. She outgrew most 40 pound harnessed weight limit seats shortly thereafter, not by weight, by height. When shoulders go over top harness slots the seat is outgrown by height regardless of weight.

I was caught off-guard when it happened, and worried that it meant I HAD to move her to a belt positioning booster seat (no harness). I did some research online and consulted with certified Child Passenger Safety Technicians and realized there were some harnessed seats that would work for her, I just had to find ones with tall top slots and preferably higher harnessed weight limits than 40 pounds.

Look at it this way: in a harnessed seat, the responsibility of the child being properly restrained rests on the parents. When a child moves to a booster seat using the car's lap and shoulderbelt the responsibility of being properly restrained is shifted to the child. If s/he is not sitting still and properly at the time of a crash, s/he will not be properly protected.

Also, a five point harness provides two more points of restraint over a vehicle seatbelt (lap+shoulderbelt is three points of restraint). This means the child is held in place much more securely, and is more protected in side impacts and rollovers.

I would encourage you to seek out seats that harness to higher weights with taller top slots for your big boy. Here are the seats to consider:

Cosco Apex/Cosco Alpha Elite Apex/Safety 1st Apex (all the same basic seat): forward-facing only, harnesses to 65 pounds or until shoulders go over top slots, 17.5 inch top slots, converts to a booster when harness is outgrown, requires high vehicle seatbacks or headrests because the headrest of the carseat is not reinforced for crash protection. This is the most budget-friendly seat, at about $100, but it must be used in compatible vehicles only.

Fisher Price Safe Voyage Deluxe: made by Britax for Fisher Price, it is a Britax Marathon clone. Convertible that rear-faces to 33 pounds and forward-faces to 65 pounds with 17 inch top slots. Most kids will get too tall for seats with 17 inch top slots at about 40-50 pounds.

Britax Marathon: Convertible that rear-faces to 33 pounds and forward-faces to 65 pounds with 17 inch top slots.

Britax Regent (what we have for my big girl): forward-facing only, does not convert to a booster, but it harnesses to 80 pounds with 20 inch top slots. It requires a top tether after 50 pounds, but in most cases you can get those installed for free or cheap. I ordered the anchor kit for my 1991 Honda for less than $20 and installed it myself. Lots of dealerships are clueless about tether anchor installs, though. Honda and Mazda have both given me the run-around. Without consulting a certified CPS tech who gave me the right part number to ask for, the dealership would not have helped me.

Answer 2

I agree with all the previous answers that say your child is MUCH MUCH too young for a booster seat. My 45 pound 4 year old is still harnessed and will be for some time. Moving to a booster seat is a step DOWN in safety. My children are too precious to step down in safety a moment earlier than necessary.

Answer 3

Yes, it is much too soon to get one. Age four years and 40lbs is the MINIMUM for the boosters. He needs a 5pt harness. They are a lot out there. He needs a combo seat, like the Graco Cargo seats or the Evenflo Bolero or Generations. The Evenflo makes a good booster and will last awhile. If you have headrests in your vehicle, you can get the Cosco/Safety 1st Apex. It uses the harness to 65lbs and converts to a booster later. You MUST have headrests for this one. Avoid all other Cosc0/Eddie Bauer seats, as he will outgrow it by height very quickly.
He is MUCH to young for just a booster seat.

Answer 4

I would look for a bigger car seat. If you can't find one that fits him then i would get a booster seat that has a 5 point harness (a must have). I'm going through the same thing with my granddaughter when she's in my car. I just got a bigger car seat. She has a booster seat in her mom's car and she got out of it. So now she's back into a car seat in her mom's car. Don't take any chances.

Answer 5

Safety belts are designed to fit the average adult male. Women and children (especially in older vehicles) simply do not fit. While there is little that can be done for adults (we’re still working on boosters to fit grown-ups who might want them LOL) belt positioning boosters make that adult belt fit your child.

Keep children in booster seats until they pass the "5 Step Test" (usually around 10-12 years old and close to 5 feet tall) in every vehicle in which the child rides. If the child meets the 5 Step Test in one vehicle, but not another, the child will need a booster for every vehicle in which the 5 Step Test is not met.

Weight is a useless measurement of whether a child is ready for the adult seat belt or not. Age is only helpful when considering the child's ability to sit properly.

In order to work properly, a shoulder belt needs to be across the collarbone and the lap belt needs to be on the hipbones. However, children often slip the shoulder belt under their arm or behind their back, losing all upper-body protection. Or, they slide forward so their knees bend comfortably over the edge of the seat, making the lap belt ride up on the abdomen. In these cases, the seat belt CANNOT work properly! Children can slide down and out of the restraint, or the belt can be forced into the stomach, causing damage to internal organs. These types of injuries are known as "seat-belt syndrome."

However, some children should NOT be in boosters.
Children under 40 pounds and under the age of four should remain in a 5 point harness at all times.

A booster does not restrain the child the way the harness does, it simply "boosts" the child up in order to make the adult-sized belt safely fit a child-sized body. Children under age 4 do not possess the ability to sit perfectly at all times, and a child who leans forward to retrieve a cup or toy, or who twists around to see something or someone behind them, will not be protected in a crash and is at risk for serious injuries and possibly death. Also, children this age sometimes still fall asleep in the car. The slumping that occurs when this happens means they are not properly positioned and should be in a 5 point harness for that trip. Ideally all children should remain in an appropriate 5 point harness until age 5.




The 5 Step Test


If you answer "No" to any of these questions, your child must be in a booster seat:
1. Does the child sit all the way back against the auto seat?
2. Do the child's knees bend comfortably at the edge of the auto seat?
3. Is the lap belt touching the top of the thighs, not the tummy?
4. Is the shoulder belt centered on the shoulder and chest?
5. Can the child stay seated like this for the whole trip?
BELT-POSITIONING BOOSTERS CAN NOT be used with only a lap belt!
(See your car dealer for a lap/shoulder belt retrofit.)




So what booster is best for your child?


That is a complex question with no hard and fast answers. The best booster for your child is the one that fits your child, your vehicle, your budget and that you will use correctly each and every time. Some boosters (like other car seats) are outgrown early by height, others can be tricky to use properly. Others are very expensive.

DO NOT use a shield booster. These are VERY dangerous and should never be used. For more information, see: http://www.cpsafety.com/articles/shieldbooster.aspx
QUOTE:
Shield Boosters provide little or no upper-body protection. In many cases, the children who are injured or killed in these either:
Get flung too far forward, resulting in serious head or spinal injuries or
Submarine UNDER the shield and have spinal/neck injuries or are actually decapitated.
There are also unfortunate cases where children are thrown OUT in a side-impact or rollover collision.




MY RECOMMENDATIONS:


For children under age 4, and under 40 pounds, use a "COMBINATION BOOSTER". This is a seat which has an integrated five-point harness which can be removed once the child outgrows it, and the seat can then be used as a belt-positioning booster at that time. This will NOT be the last seat your child needs, as the current models are typically outgrown by height (tips of ears above the shell of the seat) well before the 5 Step Test (above) is passed. However, at that point in time, if your vehicle has high seat backs or adjustable head restraints (aka "head rests"), an inexpensive backless booster may be an option for you.
Once you move your child to a belt-positioning booster, leave them there until they pass the 5 Step Test - no matter how old they are or how much they weigh. This may mean purchasing more than one booster, and it may mean having your 8, 10, or 12 year old in a booster!!!
If your child is OVER 4 years and 40 lbs, and sits properly for every ride, every time, a booster is acceptable, although a 5 point harness is still much safer AS LONG AS the child has not outgrown the seat.


Some boosters are shorter than others, some are wider. Some fit well in small seats, others do not fit well in conjunction with other child restraints. Be aware that should you choose a shorter booster, you may need to purchase another booster later because your child outgrows it by height.

Boosters are outgrown by height when the shoulders are above the belt guide at it's tallest setting OR the ears are above the shell of the seat. They are outgrown by weight when your child meets the weight limited listed on your seat and in the manual for the seat.

Some boosters function as both high back boosters and "BACKLESS BOOSTERS". If you choose a booster with this configuration, and the booster is outgrown by height as a high-back booster, some manufacturers permit you to remove the back and use the booster as a backless as long as proper head support is available in your vehicle. Before attempting this with your booster, verify that the manufacturer allows this by reading your owners manual.


Whichever type of booster you purchase, whichever brand you buy, use it every ride and every time. Don't prematurely evict your child from the booster. Explain to them in as much detail as necessary why they must use a booster, even if their friends do not.

Answer 6

At 2 years old, your son is definitely still too young and small for any booster seat. He would be best served - safety wise - in a rear-facing seat with a 5-point harness. You can get them now that rear-face to 35lbs. if you are in the USA.

Answer 7

YOUR CHILD IS TOO SMALL FOR A BOOSTER SEAT!!!

Please don't put him in a Booster Seat! There are convertible seats available.

Please look at these:
http://www.aap.org/family/carseatguide.htm
http://www.boosterseat.gov/
http://www.nhtsa.dot.gov/CPS/CSSRating/Index.cfm
http://www.seatcheck.org/

Answer 8

yes way to soon. he needs to be in a seat with a five point harness. he may meet the requirement but his body isn't mature enough to support him in the event of an accident hence the age requirement go by the age more so that the weight go to your local firstation and ask them what seat is best

Answer 9

buy a convertible one trust me he is going to be better off in a seat he isnt mentally ready for a booster as he will quickly learn to get out of it or squirm around too much (even if he is a good kid) trust me you dont want a power struggle going 60 mph on the freeway.

Answer 10

I agree with everyone who says your son still needs to be harnessed. He is not mature enough for a booster.

Why feel sorry for the kids whose parents are trying to keep them as safe as possible for as long as possible? Why rush him to grow up....keep him safe. He is irreplacible.