What age, height, weight etc do they need to be at when moved to a booster???
Thanks

By Kaye on Wednesday, August 24, 2005 - 09:17 pm:

Depends on your car seat, but in general 40 pounds is when the 5 pt harness should be removed. The britax seats keep them in longer. You want them in that 5 pt as long as possible, it is the safest!

By Hlgmom on Thursday, August 25, 2005 - 01:07 am:

Thanks!

By Trina~moderator on Thursday, August 25, 2005 - 08:30 am:

To echo Kaye...

The general recommendation is to keep kids in a 5 pt. harnessed car seat until at least 4 yrs. and 40 lbs.. Most children younger than 4 aren't able to sit properly in a belt positioning booster. They tend to wiggle out of place and pull the shoulder belt out of position, both of which are dangerous in the event of a crash.

A child has outgrown a forward facing harnessed car seat if/when any of these things happen:
- they reach the weight limit
- their shoulders are above the top harness slots
- their ears are over the top of the car seat

Traditional harnessed car seats only go to 40 lbs. but as Kaye mentioned, Britax does have car seats that harness up to 65 and 80 lbs.. These are great for children younger than 4 who are heavy and/or tall for their age, for special needs children and/or for older kids who are active and not able to sit properly in a booster.

More Child Passenger Safety Information:
**Child Passenger Safety and Car Seat Resources**

By Imamommyx4 on Thursday, August 25, 2005 - 01:05 pm:

So dd is 42 lbs, 41 inches, 4 1/2 years and when I put my hand flat over her shoulder my fingers are a little above the harness slot-maybe 1/4 to 1/2 in. My car seat is rated to 80 lbs but I should probably consider putting her in a booster??? DD wants to be in a booster, but I have put it off because I just feel safer with her in the 5 point harness. I keep telling her when she's 5 she can have a booster but that's not until January.

By Trina~moderator on Thursday, August 25, 2005 - 01:33 pm:

Debbie, what specific car seat is your DD in? Sounds as if it could be a combination car seat that has a 5 pt. harness that goes to 40 lbs. and then converts to a booster up to 80 lbs.. If so, at 42 lbs. and her shoulders above the top harness slots, your DD has outgrown the harness both by weight and height. If that's the case, you have two options, 1)Remove the harness and use her current seat as a belt positioning booster (BPB), or 2) If you feel she's not ready for a BPB, buy her a car seat that harnesses past 40 lbs..

By Trina~moderator on Friday, August 26, 2005 - 07:37 pm: