Kids car seat law....?

Question

My son is a little over 5 yrs old now, but he is only 32 lbs. He can't fit in a car seat also. Do I need a booster seat for him or not?

We are in California now. What is the law requirements?

It would be so helpful if some one could give us an advise, info, input etc...Greatly appreciate it!

Have a great weekend!

Answer 1

You've gotten some good answers, as far as the law is concerned. However, I would like to add that the law is not the most important factor here - safety is. And the law frequently only outlines the bareminimum of what is safe.

At 5 years old and 32lbs, he actually CAN fit in many different seats, depending upon his height.  This is important to note since the longer you keep a child harnessed, the safer he is. Kids should remain in a 5 point harness as long as possible. So to sit in a booster and use just the seatbelt like an adult (basically a booster just fits the belt to the child,so it's essentially the same), they need to be able to not have the lapbelt cause those injuries, have the head proportionate like an adult, and have a solid spine like an adult. kids under age 5 have higher rates of head injury if they are riding in boosters than kids over age 5 (presumably because younger kids have heavier/larger heads in proportion to their bodies, so they fly forward farther or with greater force, thus incurring greater injury if/when they come in contact with vehicle interior or intrusion?).

Depending upon his height - he could fit in several different seats:

Graco Nautilus - brand new, hasn't even arrived in all Walmarts yet, but should by the end of the month. AWESOME seat that harnesses to 65lbs, and then becomes a cushy turbobooster to 100lbs. 18" top harness slots, cup holder, $150. Coming to other stores by the end of February.

Safety1st Apex65/Signature Biltmore (Same seat, different covers) - harnesses to 65lbs, then a booster to 100lbs. One MAJOR must have - you car must have headrests that will extend to the middle of the fully extended headrest on the Apex65. It has no support in it, so requires the support of the vehicle's headrests in an accident. 17" top slots $130

Sunshine Kids Radian65/80 - Radian65 and Radian80 are the exact same seat, just tested to different weights. Very narrow car seat, 19" top slots $179, I believe, check online. Can be hard to install, so try before you buy or check the return policy

My personal fave: Britax Regent. Harnesses to a whopping 80lbs with LOADS of room and padding. Keeps the average kid harnessed to 8 years old, 20" top slots, $269 retail, however, Britax is doing a sale sometime February, check frequently to car seat sites online to see when they lower the price. You could get up to $70 off with free shipping!

If you choose not to keep him harnessed, he is big enough, weight wise, to use a booster. Graco Turbobooster is a good one, so is Britax Monarch and Britax Parkway.  The preference however, is to not use a booster until a child is at least 40lbs. We also now know the spine is not solid until age 6.

Answer 2

State of California is 6 years and 60 pounds is the limit.

http://www.iihs.org/LAWS/StateLaws.aspx?...

scroll down about half way.

the link below is a graph by age

Answer 3

CHILD CAR SEAT RULES

1. BEFORE YOUR FIRST BIRTHDAY LESS THAN 20 POUNDS REAR-FACING INFANT-ONLY CAR SEAT OR CONVERTIBLE SEAT USED IN REAR-FACING POSITION, SECURED IN THE BACK SEAT OF THE CAR.

2. 20–35 POUNDS CONVERTIBLE SEAT USED IN REAR-FACING POSITION, SECURED IN THE BACK SEAT OF THE CAR. LOOK FOR A CHILD SAFETY SEAT THAT IS RECOMMENDED FOR HEAVIER INFANTS.

3. WHEN YOU ARE 1, 2, 3, AND 4 20–40 POUNDS FACE FORWARD IN A CONVERTIBLE SEAT OR A FORWARD-FACING-ONLY SEAT OR HIGH-BACK BOOSTER/HARNESS IN THE BACK SEAT OF THE CAR.

4. WHEN YOU ARE 4, 5, 6, 7, OR 8 LESS THAN 4’9” (57 INCHES) TALL BELT-POSITIONING BOOSTER SEAT (NO BACK) OR HIGH-BACK BELT-POSITIONING BOOSTER SEAT IN THE BACK SEAT OF THE CAR.

5. WHEN YOU ARE 8, 9, 10, 11, OR 12 MORE THAN 4’9” (57 INCHES) TALL MAY USE AN ADULT SEATBELT, BUT MUST KEEP YOUR BACK AGAINST THE SEAT BACK, YOUR KNEES BENT OVER THE EDGE OF THE SEAT, AND YOUR FEET FLAT ON THE FLOOR IN THE BACK SEAT OF THE CAR.

6. WHEN YOU ARE MORE THAN 12 YEARS OLD MORE THAN 4’9” (57 INCHES) TALL MAY SIT IN THE FRONT PASSENGER SEAT OF THE CAR WITH AN ADULT SEATBELT.

Answer 4

California state law requires children to ride in an infant car seat or child booster seat until they are at least 6 years old or weigh at least 60 pounds.

So you need a booster.