Car seat to booster... when?

[Nickinha]

When can I get rid of her car seat and replace it with a booster chair? Does it go by age or weight or height?

i think by law they have to be in a proper child seat until at least 2

i personally wouldn't recommend going onto a booster before about 4 though

Thank you Sparlover, dd is 2.5 now and seems so uncomfortable in the seat. But I am scared to make the next move in case something happens and I SHOULD have waited till she was 4. Foresight is always better than hindsight...

Pre-school to 8 years old
A new law goes into effect September 1st, making it mandatory for anyone transporting children to make sure children are properly secured in either an infant seat, child seat, or booster seat. This would apply to all caregivers, from babysitters to grandparents.

Booster seats are required for children under the age of eight, weighing more than 18 kg but less than 36 kg (40-80 lbs) and who stand less than 145 cm (4 feet 9 inches) tall.

A child can start using a seatbelt alone once any one of the following criteria is met:

• child turns eight years old
• child weighs 36 kg (80 lbs)
• child is 145 cm (4 feet 9 inches) tall.

that answers it all, she is not 145cm, or 36kg or eight years yet. I will give it more time till at least the weight and height is right. thank you

Sparlover - where did you find that out? My ds is transported from schoold to after school club by minibus - no booster seats there.
How about school trips?

this is the law

oh will try and find the link again

oh sleepysuzy's is better than mine actually!

Car seats using the adult belts rather than a harness are either from 10 1/2 kg (ie Britax Supercruiser or Ranger) and have a backrest which may be removable later and seat belt guides, or 15kg for either a booster seat or cushion (Britax Kid or Maxi Cosi Rodi- which have removeable backs, or Britax Horizon)

sparlover, where did you get that from? I haven't heard of any new law about this.

oops i think it was an american site! sorry for confusion!!!

There is a law due next Spring - May I think - which would require all children under 11 to be suitably restrained and in back seat.

lizs will that mean that suitable restraints HAVE to be available?
from sleepysuzys link it says that they have to wear appropriate restraints "where available"... so if you don't have a booster then it's ok if theyt wear an adult belt...

Haven't seen the exact rubric but suspect there will be a similar get out. It is something to do with EU regulations but seat belt law is so haphazard across Europe I'm not sure it will really get implemented. Think childminders are already working towards it as this was discussed on another thread in that topic a few weeks back.

from mothercare website

"4. What?s the law?

At the moment children over the age of 3 don?t have to use a child restraint. By May 2006 it will be illegal to let a child under 11 and less than 150cm (5ft) tall to travel without a car seat. Using an adult seatbelt before a child is sufficiently developed may put them at higher risk of internal injury."

As far as i understand it...

From 6 May 2006 any child under 10 years old AND under 135 cm tall will HAVE to be in an appropriate child seat

The advice is up to 11 years / 36kg / 150cm (once 1 of those is reached you can stop rather than all!) BUT for the purpose of the law it will be all children under 10 AND under 135cm

It is recommended that children stay in car seats with a 5 point harness until they reach 18kg (as these are the SAFEST seats to travel in)

From 15kg they can go in a high backed booster seat (also a 'normal' booster, but this is NOT recommended until they reach 22kg for safety reaons)

there are seats that use an adult strap when less than 15kg (eg Britax ranger, Britax Crusier plus) but the WHICH? magazine found that these seats offer very poor protection (only the legal minimum) and therefore includes them in a section of CARSEATS TO BE AVOIDED!!!

Interestingly the Britax trio (which can be a harness seat, high backed booster and a booster cushion) also did VERY poorly and was in the seats to be avoided section.

Britax also do a seat Britax highliner which is a high backed booster seat which offers EXCELLENT protection and can be used until child is 36kg / 11 and offers much more protection than a booster cushion alone

(I personally am obsessed with car seat safety!!) I am a nanny with no children of my own yet i own 5 car seats cause im paranoid that any children i carry sit in the safest seats available!

I wont use the parents car seats, only my own cause then i know for SURE that they do fit safely!

Also My charges parenst will willingly provide the Graco Junior plus 9for me to use fro my charges friends), but becasue of its very poor review i just last weekend spent £55 on a Britax Highliner... just because it worried me on the rare occasion i had another child that the seat they were in was not safe enough....

My theory is, if ever i was in an accident and (god forbid) the children were hurt.... , by ensuring i only let them travel in the safest car seats i can buy, i could sleep at night knowing deep in my heart i had done my best for them!

Also IF you are in a crash, its then you want to be in the safest car seat!!!

So as a rule...

proper car seat with harness until AT LEAST 15 kg (max 18kg)
High backed booster until AT LEAST 22kg
Booster until 36kg (or 150cm)

It is WEIGHT that is the main factor, but childs height for example may mean a tall light child outgrows a group 1 car seat before they reach 18kg.

The easiest way I found they were too little for a booster was when my DD started with it if she fell asleep she fell over sideways out of the seat belt. So we were back to the car seat with sides.

Booster seats are for lifting a young child so that the main seat belt does not sit on the area of the vital organs if there is an accident. There are so many people not using boosters and perhaps if they knew that's what they're for they might use them. They are not to improve the view out of the car window.