Should I move my 2 year old into a booster car seat?

Question

My son just turned two last month. He is a really big boy for his age and weighs 37lbs and is 38inches tall. I was wondering if I should put him into a high back booster car seat? The seats are for children over 30lbs and three years of age. He is the size of a three year old, so should I buy one now? He also looks uncomfortable in his current car seat because the belts hit really low on his shoulders. What should I do????

Answer 1

he needs to meet the age OR weight accepted to a booster seat, whatever comes first. so i guess you can put him in one

Answer 2

Nope. He needs to be in a 5 point harness seat for at least another 2 years, preferably longer. The bare minimum for ok booster use is 4 years AND 40lbs, not one or the other. Sounds like my son - he was 39lbs and 39 inches at 2 and a half years old. Outgrew all the readily available seats by height, which, it sounds like your son has already outgrown his seat by height and needs a different one ASAP. If the shoulder straps are in the highest slot and they are below his shoulders, he is too big for them and is not safe in the car. A forward facign car seat is outgrown when either the weight limit (40lbs on most seats) is reaches, the shoulders go over the top slots, or the tips of the ears are over the top of the seat. So if any of those has happened he's too big for it.

But that does not mean he is ready for a booster seat. Compare the following crash tests for your self and see the major difference a harness makes.

Forward facing harness vs. booster: http://www.oeamtc.at/netautor/html_seite...

A lateral test (the third view in) of a harnessed seat: http://www.oeamtc.at/videobox/index.php?...

A deep winged high back booster like a Parkway: http://www.oeamtc.at/netautor/html_seite...

A shallow winged high back booster like the Turbobooster: http://www.oeamtc.at/netautor/html_seite...

And a no back booster: http://www.oeamtc.at/netautor/html_seite...

Crash test video showing a 5-point harnessed seat next to a belt positioning booster

http://nz.youtube.com/watch?v=NxfIuhL3cX...

VIEDOES OF KIDS WHOSE PARENTS DESPERATELY WISH THEY'D KEPT THEM HARNESSED:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=azgBhZfcq...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V2kO8AxKb...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KPBSEQ4xb...

We also now know the spine is not solid until age 6.

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?).

"Another type of misuse is a child not using the restraint designed for its size and age. The

study of Isaksson-Hellman et al. (1997) showed

that the maximum effect of a restraint system is

not attained if the child is not using the optimal

CRS for its age. Also, a tendency of higher

injury risk was identified when the growing

child switches from one restraint to another, i.e.

when the child is at the youngest age

recommended for the restraint. " -SAFETY FOR THE GROWING CHILD – EXPERIENCES FROM SWEDISH ACCIDENT DATA

Lotta Jakobsson

Irene Isaksson-Hellman

Björn Lundell

Volvo Car Corporation

Sweden

However, be careful of what seat you buy him - definitely skip the Evenflo Chase and Safety1st/Cosco Summit linked by a previous poster. The weight limits on both those seats are 40lbs and then they have to be used as booster seats. And they make crappy booster seats b/c they don't adjust very tall and don't have good belt guides. The Graco Nautilus however is an awesome seat, especially for the price. It will be the last seat you have to buy him. Harnesses to 65lbs then becomes a great booster seat. Easy to use, easy to install, cup holder and little cubby hole. There's not any other good options in that price range - the Safety1st Apex65/Signature BIltmore harnesses to 65lbs, but has much shorter top slots (17", the NAutilus top slots are 19") Also, the Safety1st seat is cheaper for a reason - the back of the seat has NO support, so the headrests in your vehicle must go at least as high as the middle of the Apex65 headrest fully extended.

The Britax Frontier is an option, but for a big boy, I'd skip it, the top slots are slightly shorter than the Nautilus at 18". And its $280.

Personally, with my big guy, they absolute only way to go was the Britax Regent. Yes, its expensive, but for big kids its the only way to keep them harnessed past age 4 like the experts recommend. The Regent harnesses to 80lbs with 20" top slots, the tallest on the market. My son, now at just turned 4 and 46lbs and 43" tall, is on the second from the top slots so it hopefully will get him to 5 years old when I'll be more comfortable with the thought of a booster. $280

Answer 3

I probably would since he is 37 pounds just make sure its a high back  

Answer 4

Children are safer in a 5 point harness up until they hit 40 pounds or so and about 40 inches.

Go to the Britax websit, or read the child restraint guidelines online.  Britax have a seat that starts with a backs and then you can remove the back to turn it into a booster (Monarch).  Greco do something similar.

Answer 5

i think you should being that he is bigger for his age.  Afterall, he does fit the criteria as far as height and weigh is concerned. Its probably dangerous not to change him into a booster chair if he's really big for his age.  I think i changed mine when he was three but he wasnt as big as your child.  They do have those car seats that are the 3 in 1 where they look like a toddler seat but can take school agers.  Maybe this would be good for him?  

Good luck.

Answer 6

Get a high back booster which can also be used with a 5 point harness up to 65lbs. I'm about to get a Graco Nautilus for my daughter (she's nearly 4) because I want to keep her in a 5 point harness for as long as possible. Although he may be big enough for the booster he is not ready to use a seat belt. If he plays with it while you are driving or falls asleep he will not be protected. When he gets older you can remove the harness and use it as a high back booster and then as a regular booster. So its the last seat you should ever need to buy!

Answer 7

I would only put him in a booster if his height and weight requirements are to big for a regular car seat.Check the manual. You can take him to the store and have him try out car seats. You can also get a seat that is a regular car seat that converts to a booster by removing the straps. So when he really is ready you don't have to buy another seat.

My son is 2 yrs old and weighs 38lbs and he has plenty of room in his seat.

It's a Cosco - High Back Booster Car Seat Blueberry with a five point harness that is good to 40lbs and the straps come off after 40lbs to use the belt up to 80lbs. I got it at Walmart for $43.74.

Answer 8

I don't think a booster seat is safe until they are four... contact your local police station and ask if they have someone who can answer your question.

Answer 9

http://www.nhtsa.dot.gov/people/injury/c...

http://babyproducts.about.com/b/2007/12/...

http://www.consumerreports.org/cro/babie...

http://www.inventiveparent.com/state-law...

http://www.saferchild.org/carseat.htm

I really won't yet.  Even though he is big, his little body isn't developed enough to be in a booster seat.  i would keep him in his carseat until he hits the weight limit for that seat.  You should also check out your state laws regarding it.  In Michigan, they just passed new laws regarding car and booster seats.  Now, children up to the age of 8 or 4 feet 9 inches must be in a booster seat.

From researching it, it looks like most states require a child to be in a carseat until the age of 3-4.

When you do move him to a booster seat, make sure it still has the 5 point harness....he will need that extra support.

Answer 10

They say to leave a child in a car seat as long as possible and that the seat belt can be dangerous when they are too young.  They do make car seats for your situation that are for larger children that use the latch system and not a seat belt.  My daughter is 4 and very tiny and when I try to put her in a booster seat she takes the seat belt off at lights.  It is frustrating and dangerous.  Also, each state has different laws you should ask your peditrician.  Where I live it is 4 and 40 lbs for a booster seat.

Answer 11

yes..just make sure he meets the requirements according to the directions on the booster seat..you should switch to a booster seat especially if he looks uncomfortable...good luck...my little girl is turning 2 in september...shes the complete opposite of you sun shes 21lbs...n very petite...

Answer 12

Regardless of his weight, his body is not physically mature enough to be safe in a booster seat. Nor is he developmentally ready to sit in a booster. Kids in booster seats must be able to be relied upon to sit correctly in the booster at all times - not pulling forward, not messing with the belt, etc... A child who is barely two is just not mature enough to be expected to do that every single time. That is one of the reasons for why car safety techs recommend that children stay in a 5-point harness until a minimum of four years and 40 pounds. A booster seat is a step down in safety, so I would be putting it off as long as possible. My six-year old doesn't even sit in a booster yet.

My advice is to get him a Graco Nautilus. It is a forward-facing car seat that will hold your child in a harness until he is at least four-years old. At that point, it turns into a high back booster seat, then a backless booster. It retails for around $149, but you might be able to get a deal online.

http://www.kyledavidmiller.org/pages/hom...

Answer 13

here is the link to a great booster seat that he can use and can also use it till he is out of a seat as for his age and weight he still have to have a 5  point harness so i would go with one of these

http://www.walmart.com/catalog/product.d...

http://www.walmart.com/catalog/product.d...

http://www.walmart.com/catalog/product.d...

Answer 14

If he fits the requirement, then yes. I would definitely use the high back and just check on him when turning corners to make sure he is not struggling to stay sitting up.

Answer 15

sure might as well. 40 is the weight for it. If he doesn't mess with the seat belt.

Answer 16

If he fits the requirements yes.