This Could Save Your 4 - 6 Year Old's Life

[ks8829]

Kids who are 4 to 7 years old must be in booster chairs until they are at least 4 feet 9 inches tall. Please see the important article below:

http://www.daytondailynews.com/news/...aw-323260.html

[iacas]

My step-daughter's fairly small. Just earlier this year (she'll be 7 in a week) she moved to a booster seat from a full-on car seat. We still even keep the back attached. She might be in a booster until she's 10 or 11.

If nothing else, sell it to your kids as "you can see better out of the window." Maybe that'll work. But anyway, I agree.

[zeg]

Right on. The laws here in California are pretty strict about that, and it's good to see them getting stronger elsewhere. We kept our son in his car seat rear-facing as long as possible (long past the time we could have turned him around), and will keep him in his front-facing seat until he exceeds its weight limit, then to a booster seat until he's about 35 years old.

[kfowler]

I've seen some reports of them changing the laws on rear facing to make it longer. Here in Michigan it's 20 lbs and one year old before they can be in a forward facing seat. There's been some discussion about changing that to make it longer.

[Leftygolfer]

I agree. It isn't a bet I really want to make. It can't hurt.

[zeg]

I've seen some reports of them changing the laws on rear facing to make it longer. Here in Michigan it's 20 lbs and one year old before they can be in a forward facing seat. There's been some discussion about changing that to make it longer.

That's about the same as the law here. When he outgrew his infant car seat, we got a larger convertible seat that allowed him to remain rear-facing for a while longer. I don't recall quite what the limit was, but there was a height limit and a weight limit for the car seat in the rear-facing arrangement. When he hit that (the weight, I think), we turned him around.

It's nice having him front-facing, but it was never a problem when he faced the rear. We had one of those mirrors you can clip to the rear head rests so we could see him in the rear-view mirror to make sure he was ok. At least until he got tall enough to kick it out of the way...

[pxc]

I think this stuff is important, and my daughter will stay rear-facing until 40 lbs. (we have a monster of a carseat in my wife's car), but I don't understand why these laws are made according to age. Shouldn't they just make height and/or weight parameters regardless of age? Why is a short 9 year old any safer outside of a car seat than a tall 7 year old?

[zeg]

pxc, I think some of it has to do with physical changes as a child matures. Small infants are not just small, they have much heavier heads and weaker necks compared to somewhat older children. That makes it more important for them to face back where they get the best neck support during an accident. I'm not sure at older ages, but I think it's at least partially a compromise with reality. But the wise thing, IMO, is to follow your instinct and use the safest position as long as it's possible.

Of course, people of any age who are outside the "normal" size range need to compensate for this. If you're very short, a normal seat belt can be dangerous, as can sliding the driver's seat up close to the steering wheel since the air bag will now do more harm than good when it goes off in your face...

[moparman426]

Once your child can sit all the way against the vehicle seat back with legs bent comfortably over the edge of the seat, and with the shoulder belt flat across the shoulder and chest, he or she is ready to move from the booster seat to the vehicle seatbelt. The laws here in Canada were only based on weight, but they are changing to weight, height and age. Personally, I think age has nothing to do with it.

as can sliding the driver's seat up close to the steering wheel since the air bag will now do more harm than good when it goes off in your face...

1. You would have to be less than 10 inches away from the steering wheel. 2. The bag is already deflating by the time you come into contact with it. Newer vehicles actually have a seatbelt pre-tentioner that fires a small charge and sucks the seatbelt tight, and you into the seat. Steering wheel airbag extends 10 inches, front passenger is 20 (which is why rear facing seats in the front are a no-no), and side curtain airbags are 5. The only time an airbag does more harm than good is when one goes off while we are attending to the participant of a collision in the event the airbag was not deployed during the moment of impact (some vehicles have a 2 stage airbag and can deploy twice).

[Mr Taylormade]

interesting stuff. in my car the front passanger seat airbag can be deactived using the key on a pannel on the door so babyseeats can be put in

[moparman426]

You'll notice that option, that was prevalent on GM trucks is no longer available (here in North America, anyway). It was getting turned off, people were getting hurt and actually suing GM because of the fact that they were able to deactivate it, lol.

[zeg]

1. You would have to be less than 10 inches away from the steering wheel.

For some people, this could be a problem. I have a friend who is < 5' tall and to reach the pedals of some vehicles could quite possibly be closer than this.

You'll notice that option, that was prevalent on GM trucks is no longer available (here in North America, anyway). It was getting turned off, people were getting hurt and actually suing GM because of the fact that they were able to deactivate it, lol.

There are also improved sensors for detecting the occupant of a seat and discerning whether it's an adult or a child, front vs rear facing, etc...