Car Seat Advice - Chagrin Falls, OH

I had a similar dilemma with a very tall 3 year old boy who had gotten too tall for his car seat (ears over top). Children's Hospital has a free information service that can advise you on this. They also sell safety products like car seats and bike helmets at a substantial discount. What they recommended for me was a convertible carseat/ booster that he can stay in now for several years. Good luck! C.

I work at a local police department as a dispatcher... The Ohio Law states that children HAVE to be BOTH 4-years-old AND 40 lbs before moving to a booster seat. That is for the entire state and does not vary by city.

don't put either of them in boosters. find a 5 point harness car seat with a high weight allowance - at least 60-80 lbs. regular boosters don't latch into the cars and only use seatbelts. this can be dangerous for small kids. we have our 4 year old in a 5 point harness car seat that has a weight limit of 60 lbs w/ the 5 point harness. Britax makes great models -- but they are very pricey. Other companies make less expensive, but just as reliable models.

go here for more info: http://www.kyledavidmiller.org/pages/4211/Car_Seat_Safety...

(this boy's story is why i will NOT use a booster seat). we have the Cosco/Safety 1st Apex 65 seat. and we love it.

well my son is going to be 4 in March and we just go him a booster seat. We changed him to it when my daughter turned 1 so we could use his seat for her so I think it just goes by the child really if he is ready for it or not. Hope this helped a little

S. K.

The actual recomendation for a booster is 40 lbs though yes some do go as low as 30, i had the same problem though, my kids are very close in age. Rather than move your oldest into a booster early though get a high back booster that still has a harness, it'll keep him safer now and he'll be able to use it later still, while it frees up his current seat for the little lady. here's a link for one i found to give you an idea of what i'm talking about in case i'm not explaining it well. http://www.walmart.com/catalog/product.do?product_id=1943168

and here is a link that has the regulations for car seats from the AAP hope this info helps you some good luck.

http://www.aap.org/family/carseatguide.htm

I once went to a free car seat check by the local police department and asked them a similar question - He looked at me with a shocked expression and he asked, "how much is the safety of your child worth?"

Buy the car seat you need!

I believe children must weigh 40lbs. for most boosters. The high end or more pricey models may have lower requirements. You just have to read the restrictions on the booster you are purchasing.

Hi B.,
I'm not sure where your from, but in Ohio the laws are that your child has to be 4 years old and 40 pounds before they can be in regular seat. You might call your local police station and see what they can tell you. Hope my advice helped you.
M.

my daughter is about to be 2 and im gonna put her in a booster seat. they suggest at around 30 lbs for the kids to be switched. theres no reason to by a another front facing car seat when your 2 1/2 yr old will be switched soon anyways right. see in my car a have (sometimes) a 3 1/2 yr old, we just bought him the booster seat because his mother has him in a car seat thats way to small for him. plus im gonna need the room because i also have a 22 month old who will be in a booster soon because yet again im gonna need the room for a new car seat. its gonna be crazy so the less there cramped the better.

B.,
I would recommend checking with your local police department. I think different areas have different laws regarding this (I could be mistaken), but either way the police department will know what is safest for your child. Here, in Ohio, you can also go to the fire department and they will look at the seat, tell you what is safe and also check your child in the seat to make sure it is installed properly and the child is safe. You would be surprised how many of us think we have our children safely in their car seats and have actually done something wrong that would cause our child injury. Good luck...I hope this helps. - J. T.

When we moved our son he was closer to 40 - and that was because the safety tests all show 40 is safer, but lots of folks we know have done boosters earlier. We were able to get a seat that covered him safely as a fwd-facing regular carseat until he was 40, and then you can take the buckles off and just use it as a (tall) booster that the regular carseat goes over. HOpe that makes sense! We purchased from BabiesRUs - the salesperson said it worked up until 100 lbs so no matter how big he got he could still use it as a booster once we took the buckles off. I would check the brand but it's in my husband's car and he just left for work! Cheers - ;>K.

Although the weight and size listed on the booster seats are there, they are not steadfast rules of how to determine if your child is ready or not. The most important thing to remember about choosing a car seat is your child's developmental stage. They are meant to protect the spine in case of an accident (even 5 miles an hour can cause significant injury!). Although your son may fit the description by size and weight, his internal anatomy and core muscle development is what is going to determine if he is really strong enough to handle an dult seat belt in a booster seat. The hospital I work at is a major pediatric truma center - we see many car seat related injuries; mostly from improper use during an accident (wrong type, not buckled in properly, not secured properly in the car...) We usually suggest that parents invest in a convertible booster that has it's own 5-point harness that uses the latch or teather system in conjunction with the car's seat belt. Really it is the safest. If you are worried about price, Target has a 5 point self-harness booster seat (it is blue) that sells for around $40 - I think it is a Cosco. Good Luck!

The boosters are not safe. Do not use them. Continue using your 5 point harness for you 2 yr old until she outgrows it. And then after that, it'd be in your best interest to get one of the 5 point harness seats for older/heavier children. They go up to 80 lbs. There has been much research in the past couple of years on this, and it's been proven time and again that the boosters without harnesses are not as safe. If there's a seatbelt malfunction, with the booster, there's nothing to protect your child. But with the 5 point harness, your child is protected within the seat, and won't go flying out of the seat. Please consider this seriously. Have both children in 5 point harnesses.

Hi B.,

My pediatritian said my son will be ready for a booster when he turns 4, however, I'm sure there are also some weight restrictions, you would have to see the manufacturers weight recommendation on the box.

4 and 40 is the law and there is talk of raising that so buy the new car seat!

Here is a website with links to state laws regarding car seats. Each state has different requirements, from when an infant may ride forward-facing for the most strict states, to the ones who just say until they're 4 they need to be in a separate seat. I would start there and then check with your own state's agency for the actual laws you are required to follow.

http://www.inventiveparent.com/state-laws.htm

Hope this helps!

L.

By law, you are supposed to keep little ones in car seats until they are 40 lbs and 4 years old. To avoid buying all of the car seats/boosters, I've opted for a larger car seat that goes to 100 lbs and converts to a booster when the time is right. It is a bit pricey up front, but I won't have to fork out more money later. I have a 4 year old that is quite happy in hers and a 2 year old that doesn't feel left out because his seat looks the same as his sisters. You can never be too safe! I'd also recommend a 5-pt harness. There are some devastating videos on YouTube of accidents with little ones not properly secured in their seats (or have the wrong seat) Good luck!

B.,
I know every spring, the city of Kettering does a free child seat inspection. You go to the designated site and they check how your car seat is installed and make any adjustments if needed, and if your child is ready to move up to a booster seat, they give them away for free! You don't have to be low income or anything to take advantage of this offer and better yet, you don't even have to live in Kettering in order to participate. Call the Kettering city offices and see if anyone can help you with more information of when this event occurs.
Good luck,
N.

my little girl is in a convertible front facing seat. it has a 5 point harness for her to use right now and when her hieght/wieght gets to the right proportion it converts into a seatbelt booster. it's safe for up to 80 lbs and 48 inches tall. if i were you i'd invest in one for both of your kids. we got ours at walmart for $48. you can call your local police or fire dept and they can give you specifics as far as state requirements and they can eve help to properly install the car seats fro you.

Hi B.!

I would recommend letting your younger child use the car seat your 2.5 year old is using now. And buy a new one for your 2.5 year old. I was recently in a car accident. Thus, I had to buy a new seat. And I did research this time around. Check out this site: http://www.inventiveparent.com/lawsreg5.htm#Ohio

My son's new seat goes from 20-100 pounds. It has 3 stages. It starts by having the child restrained by using a 5 point harness. When my son reaches 40 pounds, I can remove the straps, and have him just sit in the seat and use the car belt to buckle him into the seat. When he's old enough, I can then remove the back of the seat and just have a regular booster seat. It was $96 with tax. There are cheaper ones as well. I went with an Eddie Bauer fancy one because I was not paying for it (the guy who caused the accident's insurance was paying for it). Hehe.

Good luck! I hope you find something that works for you!

I would put him in a high back booster with the harness it is pretty much like a car seat with room to grow then when he is tall enought you can use the seat belt to secure him. I used this kiind for all three of my kids they are the best for the getting too big for car seat not big enought for seat belt booster. Hope this helps!

We live in a state that mandated 4 years and 40 pounds to move into a belt possitioning booster. Until then, he must be in a 5 point harness style seat. I would get a 5 point that converts to a belt possitioning for your son and give your little one his old one.

I had the same issue with my two a few years ago. Both of my children were big for their age. I was told that if the child's head is above the the back of the car seat that they should be put in the next car seat up. Also if you do put your older child into a booster seat you may need to by a belt adjuster that make the seat belt a little lower for them. You can by them at almost any department store or baby specialty store. If you put your youngest in the front facing car seat that belong to the oldest make sure that you check the experation date on the car seat which is located on the back or the bottom of the car seat to make sure that it is not expired.

If you are still not sure if it is time to move up to different car seats any hospital, children's hospital or fire department can check the car seats to make sure that it is safe for them to move up and if the car seats are put in your vehicle correctly. Most of the time it is free of charge or no more than $25.00 to get them checked out. I myself went to my local fire department that had someone there that was certified to check them out.

Good Luck.

Hi If all possiable I wouldnt move you 2 1/2 year old into a booster seat that uses an adult seat belt over his/her lap it has been shown that in an accident a child can be harmed more with an adult seat belt than a 5 point harness carseat. We had to move our litle girl 7 months into a convertabe carseat so it faces backwards and forwards when the time comes. It is a 5 point. All 3 of my children(ages 6, 3, and 7 months) are still in carseats or boosters with straps that are 5 point you can get a 5 point carseat that will fit up to 100 pounds I believe the ones we have go to 80 pounds. You can get them at target or even wal-mart if this were me I would chose to go the safer way when getting a carseat. Also you might want to check out Craigs List in your area there are carseats listed on there as well if you do not want to spend alot of money on one, but make sure you ask if it has been in an accident and check the recall list some people will post things that are recalled on there.

Why don't you just buy the $40 car seat that they have at target or walmart. You are going to need two boosters at some point. So when the girl is 1 year AND 20 pounds you can move her up to a forward facing car seat. At that time move your big man into a carseat with 5 point harness that you can get from Walmart (just make sure that it's the one that you can take the straps out of and use with a seatbelt. You really don't need one of those backless boosters. The high back booster with harness can be used until he is 40 pounds. Then when he reaches that you just take the harness out and use it with a seat belt till he is about 100 pounds (depending on the carseat). In Ohio you only HAVE to use a booster until the child is 4 years AND 40 pounds.

I would personally keep them in a booster till they are 8 years OR 5 feet. That way you are safe in any state you go into.