Spinoff from 5yrolds and booster seats - what are your feelings on the laws
momtoMegan&Alyxandria wrote: I was just curious as to what each of your states laws were for child restraint and whether or not you agreed/disagreed with them.
Here in Ohio children have to be in a carseat until they are 4 AND 40 lbs. I personally think they should increase the age and the weight limit in order to be safe in a vehicle. (Which I think they are working on) A friends daughter was nearly killed in an single car accident because she was over 4 AND 40 lbs so she was just in the back seat with the lap belt on. It however isn't designed for someone that young (I believe she was 6 when it happened) and it didn't sit across her waist properly. It really did a ton of damage to her internal organs. She had to have her spleen removed and they almost lost her. Her mom did an interview with somenoe and Childrens Hospital and other local retailers (mainly Target) use her story to promote booster seats especially during the week on child/car seat safety.
However, I lived in WY for a while and the law there was 8 AND 80 lbs. I agree with the 8 part it is for their own safety, but the 80 lbs. I am having a very difficult time with that. For one, around 8 is the age that kids want to go hang out and spend the night with others. What are you suppose to do, say sorry I don't have enough room or booster seats for your friends they can't come. Also my SIL didn't weight 80 lbs until she was well into highschool. So was she too suppose to be in a booster seat? 4 yrs ago WY was even pulling over and ticketing people from out of state for not having their child properly restrained. Ok, I just looked it up again, and WY is now just 8 and under must be in a car/booster seat. Here is the LINK I found.
I also asked this because Megan is very tall for her age(8). At last Dr's appt (June) she was 4' 5 1/2" tall. She is only a head shorter than I am and I am 5'6". The two booster seats I have for her I believe are more dangerous for her to be in because the top of the booster is at her neck. Do any of you know of any boosters that are extra tall? In Ohio she is legal, but in WY (where we like to visit alot) she isn't, so I really need a proper booster for her.
coasterqueen replied: Our laws in Illinois (don't quote me, but I believe) they are 8 and 80 pounds if I remember correctly. There may be a few more stipulations in there. I am not honestly quite sure. The reason the law is 8 years of age and 80 pounds has everything to do with the fact that the majority of 8 year olds are at the right height and weight to wear the seatbelt sits on them just so that if they are ever in an accident it won't damage certain vital organs. The research shows that a child younger, smaller than that - if they were in a regular seatbelt without the proper seating they could have severe internal damage to their organs if ever in a car accident. So booster seats, etc are at the right height to wear a child wearing a seatbelt and sitting in a booster seat - the seatbelt sits at the right place to do the least amount of organ damage in an accident. I feel like I'm rambling, but it does make sense to me. It has nothing to do with inconveniencing parents. The law is there to protect children's lives, which is the most important thing here - no matter how much it may inconvenience us.
ETA: So I would definitely say I agree with our state law on this. I do however disagree on the laws that you can be 4 years and 40 pounds to be in a booster and seatbelt. I think all children should remain in a 5 point harness until the age of 8 when they no longer need to be in a booster. Why? Because the majority of children are too immature to sit properly in a booster with just a seatbelt. I know my child is. I've witnessed many other children like this. It is for their own safety, not to make them feel more comfortable, etc.
coasterqueen replied:
At her age she should be able to be in a backless booster, then. Otherwise the Britax Regent (or Regency - I forget the name) is the best for up to 8 years of age. This is the one we have for Kylie.
jcc64 replied: I think it's 85 lbs here in NY, regardless of age. I rarely, if ever, see kids that big in booster seats, however. I think I was able to keep my son in one until he was about 7?
Already, Corey's agitating to get out of her convertible seat, b/c she sees so many of her peers in boosters, and it makes her feel like a baby. But, tough beans, she's still so puny.
coasterqueen replied: Ok, here is the statute for Illinois on age, etc in child restraint systems.
"ages 4 through 7 shall be properly secured in a booster seat
secured by a lap and shoulder belt system or other appropriate
child restraint system unless the child is 57 inches or taller
or is riding in a vehicle without a seating position equipped
with a lap and shoulder belt system."
So ours doesn't have a weight limit, but a height limit which makes sense because when this bill was lobbied it referred to the fact that you have to be a certain height for the seatbelt to sit properly on you so that it doesn't cause damage to the body. So Kylie won't have to be in one once she reaches the height of 57 inches even if she's under the age of 8. Although, I don't see myself going that route 
luvmykids replied: Here's our statue: The law in New Mexico states that all children 5 and 6 years old who have outgrown their car seats have to ride in a booster seat, regardless of how much they weigh. Children under 60 pounds also must ride in a booster seat, regardless of how old they are. Also, children ages 7 through 12 must ride in a booster seat until the adult seat belt fits them properly.
This is a topic I'll go with my gut on as far as them coming out of the booster seat, when they meet the legal requirements for not needing a booster it will depend on if I think they're safe or not. I think the law is pretty vague and leaves a lot of gray areas, I agree with Karen on a required height.
amynicole21 replied: I'm really disappointed in FL's statute. Kids 5 and under have to be in a safety seat of some kind. For children aged 4 through 5 years, a separate carrier, an integrated child seat, or a seat belt may be used. Children from approximately 40-80 pounds and 4'9" should ride in a belt positioning booster seat (but this seems to be just a suggestion  )
amynicole21 replied: Here's a good graphic that shows the regs by state and how long kids need to be in a safety restraint system. Also, this is a good resource for more in-depth info: http://www.elitecarseats.com/custserv/cust...e=car_seat_laws
Mommy2Isabella replied: Im not sure about the law here, but ok say you are over 8 and dont yet weigh 80 lbs.
I am 20 and weigh 110, in high school I didn't weigh 100lbs. I have a cousin who is 11 and doesn't weigh 40lbs, so TECHNICALLY should he still be in a booster seat? How embarassing?
my2monkeyboys replied: Our law here used to be the height of 38" and age of 4 for a booster, now it is ages 1-5 weighing 20-40 lbs that must be in a forward facing car seat. Will weighs a bit less than 40 (around 34 I think), but is in a booster bc that's what the law was at time.
I understand child restraint laws in some ways bc it helps protect the kids (though there are plenty who still don't use them), but to me it shouldn't be a law anyway, so I don't agree with any of them. I use a restraint to keep my child safer, not bc the government tells me to.
amynicole21 replied:
I think that many people don't have the common sense NOT to do something unless the government will punish them for it. 
coasterqueen replied:
It has become law only because of those parents who choose not to keep their children safe. Since kids can't really speak for themselves in this manner the law is designed to protect them. Isn't that what laws should do? Sometimes children need protected from their parents, unfortunately, and that is what certain laws are designed to do. If the law keeps a child alive - I say go for it.
coasterqueen replied:
Embarrassing - yes? But how embarrassed will you be if you end up in a car accident and seriously injured because you choose not to wear it out of embarrassment reasons?  And really if you look at a lot of the research out there it's not really as much of a weight issue, but a height issue and where the seatbelt sits on you safely.
Although I'm a hypocrite for saying this because helmets are there to protect us and I don't wear one when I ride a bike. 
The logic still stands. Our children and even us will have to do a lot of things that are embarrassing, but keep us safe.
Swood75 replied: Here is ours:
South Carolina’s child passenger restraint law
Synopsis of law:
South Carolina’s child passenger restraint law requires that:
Children from birth to 1 year old, or who weigh less than 20 pounds, must be secured in a rear-facing child safety seat.
Children 1 through 5 years old weighing 20 to 40 pounds must be restrained in a forward-facing child seat.
Children 1 through 5 years old weighing 40 to 80 pounds must be secured in a belt-positioning booster seat.
Children under the age of 6 are not required to be in booster seats if they weigh more than 80 pounds or if they can sit with their backs against the car's seat and bend their legs over the seat edge without slouching.
Children under 6 may not sit in the front passenger seat. However, this restriction does not apply if the vehicle has no rear passenger seats or if all other rear passenger seats are occupied by children less than 6 years old.
Violators are subject to a $150 fine. This law does not apply to taxis, church, school and day care buses, or commercial vehicles.
My2Beauties replied: Kentucky says they must be in a booster seat of some kind until they are 40 inches tall, then they can be restrained in a seatbelt. My MIL got pulled over when my younger BIL was 8 years old (He's teeny tiny) for not having him in a booster seat, she got a ticket for it, she said he's 8 years old. She's so dingy, we're talking about a woman who saves antibiotics and gives them to him anytime he gets any type of cold or anything, he takes them constantly for 1-2 days at a time, she has no sense  Hanna will be in something until she weighs 80 pounds or the lap belt fits in her actual lap not around her stomach. You know what though, in mine and DH's car, I'm 5 foot 4 inches and the lap belt still goes around my stomach, not really my lap  I've got the seatbelt positioned all the way down at the lowest height. Hanna weighs 40 pounds and is still in a regular car seat facing forward with a 5 pouint harness and she will be until I absolutely just can't get her in it anymore, I hate the booster seats where the lap belt just goes around them. To me, they aren't as safe and not to mention she rode with one in my mom's car, you can use either one with the carseat she has and Hanna undid it  , so needless to say she uses the harness everytime now.
momtoMegan&Alyxandria replied:
That is what I was getting at for the weight limit. I totally agree that kids under a certain height or age should be in at least a booster seat. But the weight thing seems crazy once you get to a certain age. What about all those people with eating disorders that don't weight 80 lbs soaking wet, are they suppose to be in a booster? And what happens in those states with a weight requirement if a teenager that is legal driving age is under their weight limit? What then?
My point that I was trying to make earlier is there are some states that aren't strict enough (like Ohio) and other states that are too strick. I know they are in place to protect our children and that there are studies that have proven that kids shouldn't be in a seat with just a lap and shoulder belt if they are under a certain height or age. I TOTALLY AGREE WITH THAT! But there are exeptions to every rule. Alyx I know will probably be in a booster forever and Megan won't. I have two kids that are complete opposites when it comes to body structure.
I think that to protect our children better rather than a weight limit, we need to have a height limit along with the age limit. Like Karen said the studies are based more on the height than the weight.
A&A'smommy replied: I think that children should stay in a booster seat longer than 6 years, a lot of 6 years olds (like my neice who is a tiny bit taller, but only 5lbs heavier than alyssa) aren't really big enough to just be in a lapbelt.... alyssa is 35lbs and I'm not sure how many inches and she is still in a 5 point harness .
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