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I'm not asking since I know the rules for my own state...im basically asking if anyone else thinks it's ridiculous that 10 yr olds need to go in a carseat these days but I guess I'm alone on this board. Rules are rules but sometimes rules are crazy.
You are not alone. I've long suspected car seat manufacturers have powerful lobbyists. Did you know car seats even have an expiration date? They don't want you using the same car seat on multiple children, or giving your old seat away to someone else to use when you're done with it. Everyone's gotta buy a new one, and kids gotta use them until middle school at least!
Wow yeah I have to say 11 seems old to be in a booster seat. I mean some 11 yr olds get their period and are wearing a bra ��
Some do yes. My daughter has a friend who is over 5' tall and maybe 115 pounds. She's the size of a 15 year old. Her shoe size is bigger than mine! She is not in a booster, and hasn't been for some time now. But my daughter is tiny, and the size of an 8 year old. She is still wearing shoes in toddler sizes (literally!). So that's why she still uses a booster seat. MOST 11 year olds probably don't need a booster any more, but some still do. It's not legally required, but we do it to be safe. And she doesn't complain - she finds it more comfortable anyway.
I guess I've been out of the loop. I had no idea kids of these ages were still in car seats. I figured we'd be done with carseat around 5 yrs old...
If you were done at 5 years old, you would be in the minority. I didn't know of any kids at 5 riding in a car with only a seat belt made for an adult. You could move to a highback booster around age 5 and then take off the back at some point and just use the booster.
I'm not asking since I know the rules for my own state...im basically asking if anyone else thinks it's ridiculous that 10 yr olds need to go in a carseat these days but I guess I'm alone on this board. Rules are rules but sometimes rules are crazy.
Not if it keeps them from being killed. It would be a very small 10 year old to still need a booster.
Well one parent here has posted that their 11 yr old is in one
I was thinking we would be done at 5 but I guess not.
That is a good point about car seat manufacturing and their rules as well. Of course I worry about safety but it seems a bit much as cars are made safer now than they once were but carseat laws are stricter today. How did the rest of us survive. And yes people are still killed in car accidents today...children too...
You are not alone. I've long suspected car seat manufacturers have powerful lobbyists. Did you know car seats even have an expiration date? They don't want you using the same car seat on multiple children, or giving your old seat away to someone else to use when you're done with it. Everyone's gotta buy a new one, and kids gotta use them until middle school at least!
Car seats have expiration dates because of the plastic breaking down over time. They are usually good for at least 6-10 years. I used the infant car seat for both of my kids but because my kids were 16 months apart couldn't use the same convertible seat for both. You can give your old seat away or sell it as long as it isn't expired and it's never been in an accident. Booster seats can always be sold and always are as well.
Well one parent here has posted that their 11 yr old is in one
I was thinking we would be done at 5 but I guess not.
That is a good point about car seat manufacturing and their rules as well. Of course I worry about safety but it seems a bit much as cars are made safer now than they once were but carseat laws are stricter today. How did the rest of us survive. And yes people are still killed in car accidents today...children too...
It's about the size of the child and not the age in some cases.
The booster vs. no booster issue in large part is about seat belt positioning. The shoulder strap needs to be at the right place - resting over the chest and shoulder, not up across the neck. Additionally, even if the child is officially tall enough, if their legs aren't long enough, that can cause problems with the lap belt. The legs should be long enough so that the crook of their knees are comfortably at the edge of the seat and their legs hang straight down. When the legs are too short, kids tend to slide forward so their legs are comfy hanging over the edge of the seat. This causes the lap belt to be up around the waist area versus down on the lap. In an accident, this can cause abdominal injuries.
So not only do kids of the same height vary when it comes to leg length & position on the car seat, it can vary by car as well.
I have two kids ages 1 and 3 who are obviously in car seats. I never lookes much further ahead on what the rules are but my MIL mentioned a week or so ago that her grandson (dh's nephew) is 8 years old and still sits in a carseat. I was shocked then I laughed. MIL thought it was odd too but dh was like those are the rules in MA...carseat until 8 or up until 47 lbs.
Is this the case in all states...i just have never heard of an 8 yr old being in a car seat. I cant imagine my own kids will be in a car seat until 8....
I don't know but I think in some states it is even heavier. My feeling is: they have gone a bit overboard with car seat rulings in many states. I can see it now: soccer mom picks up the kids for practice. It is a car pool and the car seats are all lined up in the back seat or even worse here come the kids in the car pool, running to the car, carrying their own car seats. We all want what is best for our kids, but sometimes what seems best is over the top.
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