how old can my child be to seat in booster chair?

Christi - posted on 10/04/2011

If you live in Maine here is the website to go to for the laws of child safety in cars. http://www.maine.gov/dps/bhs/

Danielle - posted on 09/06/2011

It depends on where you live. I moved my son to a booster chair when he was 3. Where I live they have to stay in the booster seat until the age of 8. No one should be in the front until they are 12. It's printed on the warning label on the airbag.

Crystal - posted on 04/24/2011

definetly do not put the baby in a booster 18 months is way to young it would be very unsafe she could go in a convertible seat and as for your 5yr old i would keep her in a booster seat and in the back seat it's the safest

Stacy - posted on 03/30/2011

Your child at 18 months should still be in a car seat, rear facing! They now make car seats that keep children in the harness until 65 or 85 pounds. There is really no need for a booster at all, if you keep them in a harness til 85 pounds, they will be big enough to use the regular seat belt at that time.

Stacy - posted on 03/30/2011

Your child at 18 months should still be in a car seat, rear facing! They now make car seats that keep children in the harness until 65 or 85 pounds. There is really no need for a booster at all, if you keep them in a harness til 85 pounds, they will be big enough to use the regular seat belt at that time.

Heather - posted on 03/11/2010

front seat i think is 10 years old, the young one still needs to be in her carseat with the weight limit 20- 40 pounds or up to 100 like my carseat. the booster seat i would wait until she is 4, i think its 40 pounds when the booster seat can be used, but i heard the highback booster is better. thats what i will be using next year

Laura - posted on 03/11/2010

I would never consider putting my 18 month old in a booster seat unless there is no car seat or convertible seat large enought. I put my daughter into a booster seat at 2 and a half but she at the time was the size of a 4 and a half year old so I really had no other choice

Laura - posted on 03/10/2010

You need to check the laws in your area as each country and parts of a country may have different laws and or recommendations. Where I live, a child must be 1 year AND 20 lbs to go forward facing and must 40 lbs to move into a booster seat. It is recommended that a child remain in a booster seat until the age of 9 and a weight of 80 lbs. They also recommend that children under the age of 13 should never sit in the front seat. Accidents with children in the front seat even when properly restarined can be vary damaging especially if you have an airbag.
These are the laws and/or recommendations for the Province of Alberta in Canada, but as I said, each country and jurisdiction may have different rules so you must check! Hope that helps!!

Kathleen - posted on 03/09/2010

Last time I checked in most states all children under 12 I believe must be in the back seat. So please check before allowing her and depending on her weight she should be in a booster or a seat that is allowable to be in a 5pt harness. For your younger daughter check the weight limit she could be moved into another seat but not a booster. She could go into an all in one or a convertible. Must have the 5 pt harness for her.

Shanna - posted on 03/08/2010

where do you live? if there is an airbag no child in a carseat or booster seat should sit in the front seat!!!!!!!!

Shanda - posted on 02/23/2010

If you have an airbag your 5 year old should not sit in the front until age 13. If no airbags it doesn't matter as much.

The baby is absolutely NOT old enough for a booster. 4 years old and 40 lbs. is about the absolute youngest that a child would have the maturity to sit properly all the time in a booster seat. Besides that, it is highly improbable that she's big enough for the booster to correctly position the seatbelt (which is the whole purpose of it to begin with) and the seat belt itself could kill her in an accident.

Serena - posted on 02/22/2010

I would keep her in the car seat as long as possible. Our three year old is getting a little big for his car seat but he has learned how to unfasten the seatbelt holding his booster seat. So keep in mind that she will also probably at one point or another do this and it makes it hard for you, the driver.

With your older daughter, there is a commercial out right now, "the magic number is 9" when they should be allowed to sit in the front seat. But as rule of thumb keep them in the backseat as long as possible because of the passenger airbag. Maybe telling her when she can see over the dashboard is when she can sit in the front with you.

Amanda - posted on 02/22/2010

hi in south Aus there is a new law that children have to be in a car seat till 18kg booster seat till they are 7 years or 26 kgs... and children are not aloud in the front seat till they are 8 or 9...

Gabrielle - posted on 02/19/2010

An 18 month old should stay in a car seat. You may be able to move from the baby car seat to a convertible or something larger to fit her as she grows, but she still needs the support and restraints of a car seat, not just a booster. Check the information that came with your baby car seat to see about height and weight restrictions, and talk to your pediatrician about when you should switch, and to what. Here in the U.S, we're told to leave kids in the back seat and in a booster seat until they're 12 or over 100 lbs.

Steph - posted on 02/18/2010

hello,i have a 3 year old and he is still in a car seat,in ireland its recommended not to use boaster seat until 4 years old and by law a child under 11 is not allowed in front seat.

Theresa - posted on 02/18/2010

Your younger daughter should stay in the car seat, not a booster seat yet. There are weight and height requirements for each seat that should be met before you move your child to it. Convenience is not worth risking your child's safety.



If you have airbags in the front you should not let your daughter ride up there. The impact of the airbag is designed for an adult to withstand, not a child. It comes out at a rate of 200 miles per hour. I watched a video on that in a carseat training class. The child crash dummy (the size of an average 8 year old) was placed in the front. In the accident the dummy's head literally went flying off. They recommend not letting a child under 13 sit in the front. Even then you should move the seat back as far as it will go. The child should sit up straight, back against the seat and feet on the floor, no leaning forward or slouching down. If they can't sit back flat against the seat, knees bend over thge edge of the seat and feet flat on the floor they are too small to safely sit in the front. Risking the life of your daughter is not worth saving yourself from hearing a little whining about having to be in the back. Explain that it's not safe for her to be in the front, so you want her in the back because you love her so much. You can also say that you need to her to be mommy's helper and sit in the back to help entertain the 18 month old. Sometimes kids that age like to be helpers. Tell her how much it helps you drive when she is singing with or talking with the sister. Here is something I found on a police website about this:



"Air bags can be dangerous to children 12 and under. Passenger-side air bags inflate at speeds up to 200 miles per hour (mph) -- faster than the blink of an eye. That blast of energy can severely hurt or kill children 12 and under who are too close to the air bag during inflation.



If a child is unbelted, too small for the lap and shoulder belt to fit properly, or incorrectly restrained or positioned in a child safety seat, there is a danger that the child will be too close to the dashboard during the instant that the air bag inflates. This could result in serious injury or death. Pre-crash braking and steering are the usual reasons they move too close to the dashboard. This turns a minor 10 mph crash into a 140 mph head impact with the air bag."

Susan - posted on 02/18/2010

it's more about wieght with a booster chair they have to weight i think its 35kg for the seat belt to work in an accident if you go on halfords web site or britax or maxi cosi they will all tell you i kno my son is two and a half looks masive in his car seat but only weighs 29.4 kg so nt heavy enough for one.Britax do a car seat called evolva which uses 5 point harness but is more booster chair looking and when your daughter reaches right weight can be used as a booster chair and car seat belt. your five year old should be ok in the front the only thing i was told is for the seat to be as far back as possible if you have an airbag as they can cause serious burns

Lisamarie - posted on 02/18/2010

If your 5 yr old is in a booster seat, she should be fine in the front, babies in a rear facing carseat cannot sit in the front if you have an airbag, but forward facing should be fine, my daughters 3 and she sits in the front in her booster. I think it varies in different countries so depends where you're from.

In England, there is about 4/5 different car seats and boosters for different stages and weights.