posted
Tova just turned 8, and she's been dying to get rid of her car seat and use a regular seat belt.
The problem is, unless she sits up really straight, the shoulder belt cuts across her neck. And that's at the lowest setting in the car. Like I told her, if I have to make her unhappy to keep her safe, she's going to be unhappy. She gets that.
But I remember seeing a device that effectively lowered the shoulder belt (without raising her up, I mean). I did a search online and came up empty. Is anyone here familiar with such a gadget?
Posts: 12266 | Registered: Jul 2005
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posted
On a different note, but related to seatbelts, does anyone know why the standard seatbelt is not the type that forms an X across your chest? That seems better than the normal one used now. Is it simply convenience? Cost? I imagine it does a better job as that is what is used in racing, where the potential for dangerous crashes is high.
posted
That actually sounds really familiar to me. I'll look it up. I thought they had like some sort of middle ground car seat for kids between the age of 8 and 11 until they are ready to just sit in the seat with the belt.
Let me go look. I don't have kids, but I know I saw something like this on TV.
Posts: 21898 | Registered: Nov 2004
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quote:Children should stay in a booster seat until the adult seat belts fit correctly (usually when a child reaches about 4' 9" in height and is between 8 and 12 years of age).
But I'd note that every site I read until I got to this one said that the belt needs to be on the child's lap, not their stomach as this picture implies.
Posts: 21898 | Registered: Nov 2004
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posted
The products linked to are not generally recommended by CPSTs (child passenger safety technicians) because they do not position the belt correctly across the lap/hips. I highly recommend keeping her in a booster until she passes the "five-step test":
1. Does the child sit all the way back against the auto seat? 2. Do the child's knees bend comfortably at the edge of the auto seat? 3. Does the belt cross the shoulder between the neck and arm? 4. Is the lap belt as low as possible, touching the thighs? 5. Can the child stay seated like this for the whole trip?
ALL the conditions must be met to pass the test, which may be passed in some vehicles before it is passed in others. It sounds like she does not meet condition 3.
Check out the FAQ thread at babycenter.com's "car safety" board for a lot of information on car seat and booster seat safety.
Posts: 21182 | Registered: Sep 2004
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posted
I don't meet condition 3 in most vehicles, and I'm 5'7. Most of my height is in my legs, so when I'm sitting I'm too short for a lot of front seat seatbelts. I used to have one of the metal belt positioners, but I haven't used it in a long time, so I'll probably end up strangled in the event of a crash.
Posts: 9866 | Registered: Apr 2002
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posted
I don't in a lot of cars, either. I've often wished they made booster seats that were comfortable for use in a standard front bucket seat and big enough for my butt.
I'd still say 8 is too young to let her move if she doesn't meet condition 3 in a BACK seat. If she's 10 or 12 and doesn't meet it, different story.
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