Booster seats is my daughter ready for it or not!!!?

Question

my daughter is 17 months old she weighs 30 lbs. and is 33 inches tall she is healthly all around. we have her in a convertale seat(forward&rear facing) the seat go's up to 50 lbs but the booster seat looks so much easier to get her in and out. we own a 2001 gmc truck which is lowered my wife has a back problem(she gets back aches from time to time) and the metal hooks on the seating part of the seat where the hooks go for the convertable seat are only in the middle and using the shoulder belt seat on the convertable seat is a total pain in the a**. so is it too soon to put her in the booster seat which looks so easy to put in truck and to put(physically) her in and strap her in compared to the convertalble, of course i will also ask law enforcement and doctors and staff at babies r us for there insight but i would like your insight as well. i am tring to help my wife but also keep my daughter safe too!!!!!!

Answer 1

Not until first grade, then they are getting bigger and has made it another mile stone in life. You do want to see them make it to 1st grade safely, I wish I had 2 shoulder straps to buckle up. I Like the bars they have on rollor coaster. Padded steel, nothing like it, lol!

Answer 2

Short answer - no, no, no, no, no!

Long answer - Forward facing harnessed seats are outgrown when a child reaches the weight limit, or more commonly when the child's shoulders are above the top harness slots.

If the child is 4 years AND 40lbs, then he may move to a booster with vehicle lap shoulder belt seatbelt.  If not, then the child needs a larger FF harnessed seat.  There are many seats that harness to 55-80lbs.  Some are the Britax Marathon, Decathalon, Boulevard, Frontier and Regent; the Sunshine Kids Radian; the Evenflo Triumph ADVANCE; the Graco Nautilus and the Cosco/Safety First Apex.

The Alpha Omega 3-in-1 seats only harness to 40lbs and most 40lb weight limit seats are outgrown before a child is mature enough for a booster seat.  They also have very low top harness slots, so are outgrown by height at around 2 or 3 years old.

A child should ride in a booster with vehicle lap/shoulder belt until he or she reaches approximately 4'9" (around age 12) and then can move to just the adult seatbelt if he passes the 5 step test and the seatbelt fits him correctly.

Answer 3

Currently, the federal government considers the fold-down seats auxiliary equipment, which exempts them from safety standards.

However, the National Highway Transportation and Safety Administration says it will reevaluate the safety standards for the seats in light of the study.

The findings contradict the message parents have been getting for several years that children belong in the back seat in order to prevent injuries from air bags.

In addition, manufacturers of car seats and booster seats do not recommend their use in side-facing seats, since the point of the safety seats is to protect children from sudden changes in velocity in the forward and back directions.

Answer 4

how about this

Answer 5

no, the child has to be 4 years and 40 pounds to legally ride in a booster seat.  I had to keep my daughter in a front facing seat until she was 6 because she's so tiny.

17 months is way to young, she should've only been front facing for 5 months.  Just because it is more convenient for you doesn't mean its better for the child.  Her body is not ready to take an impact in just a booster seat alone.

Answer 6

She is way to small for a booster seat.  Putting her in one for your sake could possibly kill her - even if you were just to get rear ended.  My husband has back problems - a lot.  He has even had to have surgery on it, but even then our son stayed in his regular seat until he was 4/40.