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 Ask Dr. Jana
Car Seat Guidelines for Older Children | | | QUESTION | | | Dear Experts,
What are the guidelines for correct height and weight on older children (six-year-olds) in car seats?— Sassyhare in Louisville, KY | | | ANSWER |
September 11, 2001 | | | Dear Sassyhare,
The fact that you are asking about height and weight limits for car seats is wonderful, since most parents mistakenly focus on just the age of their children, not these other important factors. In addition, many incorrectly assume that once a child hits 4 years and 40 pounds, they are ready to use the adult seat belt. But the fact is that vehicle lap-shoulder belts are designed to protect an adult, not a child, and using just a lap belt alone is a very dangerous thing to do--especially for children.
That said, children who weigh more than forty pounds should be in either a combination seat (used as a booster seat with the vehicle's lap-shoulder belt, not with the seat's shoulder harness straps) or a booster seat. If a child above the age of four has not yet reached 40 pounds, it still is safest for her to use a car seat with a shoulder-harness restraint until she reaches 40 pounds. If she is in a convertible seat, you'll want to make sure she isn't too tall for the seat, even if she weighs less than the maximum weight limit of 40 pounds. To check, simply make sure that the back of the seat falls above the level of her ears. If her head sticks up higher than that, it's time to switch to a combination or a booster seat.
To answer the question of when a child is big enough to use the vehicle lap-shoulder belt without a booster seat, it is most important to consider how the lap-shoulder belt of your car fits your child. When she is able to sit with her back against the seat back without slouching and still have her knees bend comfortably over the seat edge, and the lap-shoulder belt rests over her shoulder and chest (not her neck) and across her upper thighs, not her stomach, she is ready to get out of her booster seat. Typically, this is around the time when children reach a height of 4 feet 10 inches.
While these are the basic answers to your question, please be sure to check out our site for several new articles coming soon on the proper use and different types of booster seats. And remember, even when your child hits her teen years, the back seat will still be the statistically safest place for her to buckle up!— by Laura Jana, M.D., F.A.A.P. |
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