Is my 18 month old too young for a backless booster seat?????

Sarah - posted on 02/26/2010

Yes, most booster seats require the back part on until they are about 40 pounds I believe. At 18 months though I would personally not be using a booster seat (unless it was one of those all in one seats that are made for younger and go into older). I used the forward/rear facing toddler seats until my kids were 3-4 years old then went to the booster seat with removable back. The toddler seats protect more for a younger child than the booster seats do (a pain to transport, but well worth the extra safety). With my youngest I never did remove the back of the booster seat. The seatbelt would hit her in the wrong spot when the back was off and the back also had lights on it so she could use them when we were traveling. I agree with what Tawyna suggested. Each state has their own requirements.

Tawnya - posted on 02/26/2010

If I was you I would find your local government website and find out because some states and countries differ on the requirements

Sharaina - posted on 02/26/2010

oh,and my daughter is 2 and a 1/2 and she is still in a car seat

Sharaina - posted on 02/26/2010

i'm not sure,its like you want to go by size,but i waited till my daughter was 4

Lyndsay - posted on 02/26/2010

YES it is way too young. Try when he's like 3. He may meet the weight requirement (my son has been 30lbs since he turned 1) but his body is not developmentally capable (aka, strong enough) to survive a high impact crash without the proper restraints.

Erica - posted on 02/26/2010

Where we live it is rear facing until at 1 year of age, 5 pt harness until 4 years of age, and a booster until at least 8 years of age. I do believe you can call your local police station and in most cases find it on your states website , if you dont want to call

Jessi - posted on 02/26/2010

yes that baby is too young and probably too short!!!! you would never forgive yourself if something bad happened to that baby so deal with the big annoying carseat and you wont feel guilty if something bad happened because you know that you did everything right

Crystal - posted on 02/26/2010

i think so...my step-daughter is 5 and just moved to a backless booster last yr sometime! my 2 yr old step-daughter is still in a convertable car seat!

Jennifer - posted on 02/25/2010

I"m not sure what the law states where you live but where I live it states that they have to be in a rear facing until at least 1 year; a forward facing, five point until they are 40lbs then they have to be in a booster with or without a back until they are 10 years old. The best idea would be to contact your local police department and find out exactly what the law states. In my opinion, 18 months is way to young, they just don't have the same control over their bodies as older kids.

Robbyn - posted on 02/25/2010

18 months is *way* too young for a backless booster seat. It's safest for kids 2 and under to remain rear-facing. Until 2 (and sometimes older, for some kids), they don't have strong enough neck muscles to support their heads in a head-on collision, which can (and often does) cause internal decapitation.

Adrianne - posted on 02/25/2010

My two year old is in a booster with a back on it, when she gets big enough i can remove the back piece for her, but she's really petite. I had to put her in it because she's not very big, but she's really long and the other carseat we had was becoming too uncomfortable for her so she would cry everytime we got in the car. but I would def use a carseat or booster with a back to it for that support if you can. 18 months is a bit young for a backless =/

Antonia - posted on 02/25/2010

Yea I think he actually is too young for that particular seat. My son stopped using the infant carrier @ 11mnths. He is now 12mnths and using the toddler seat which is the seat that weight goes from 20 lbs on up. I know the seat is heavy including bby but if is possible when you dnt need it for the following day just leave the seat in the car and carry bby inside. Unless you have something planned for the following day thts usually what I do in order to avoid all of the extra back labor

Elisha - posted on 02/25/2010

Lorraine Anderson,

Thanks.....I mean I wasnt for sure what age he had to be.....this was very helpful thank you!!!

Lorraine - posted on 02/24/2010

yes he is to young. he needs to be at least 4 years old for a booster ad at least 40 pounds where I am from. at 18 months old he really needs the support of a full forward facing car seat because he does not yet have the proper body control in the event that you would get into an accident. check with your local fire dept on child safety seat clinics and they will have more information for you.

but it is always better to be safe than sorry. you can even go to walmart and get car seats in a bag with a shoulder strap so it is easier to carry. they are very cheap as well,

MELISSA - posted on 02/24/2010

I know the backless boosters usually have a weight limit, some start at 30-35lbs. Being in a car accident and getting rear ended w/o the kids I have had them in 5 point harnesses. I'd sure hate to see a precious life my kids or anyone's kids gone before my eyes/their eyes for those few seconds of "I could have just dealt with it" (what seemed to be a annoying situation at the time). Our kids are our live and we need to do our best as their moms to protect them. Like it's said on the road...its not me I'm worried about, It's that other unfocused person on the road ridin' by me.