I used to have my four year old in a booster seat because he exceeded the 40 pound weight limit for his car seat and I believed this was the only option. After working in a funeral home for seven years and taking care of many little ones and watching the video below, I have changed my mind. The Britax Regent is a 5 point harness car seat that can go up to 80 pounds. I purchased the Britax Regent and have now placed my preschooler in the car safely.
Please watch the following video about Kyle, who was in a booster seat and in a car accident. Please learn from this family's unthinkable tragedy.
I'm too chicken to watch the
I'm too chicken to watch the video but thank you so much for your information. My 2 1/2 year old is already 40+ pounds, so this is invaluable to me.
I have to agree. Many
I have to agree. Many parents easily move kids to boosters or remove them from car seats all together. This is a big pet peave of mine. I HATE seeing kids riding with no car seats! Anyway, I also saw the video above and it impacted me so much I got my then 5 and 3 year olds the Britax Regents they are now 6 and 4 and still very comfortable in their chairs. My ds is in kinder and I see some of his class mates just get into the back of cars with no car seats. I will also never forget reading a story of a mom driving her SUV with like her 9 year old son in the front seat and they were in an accident. He was wearing his seat belt but he was ejected from the car anyway because the seat was to large for him. That should of been a crash he survived it wasn't that bad, mom was shocked to see her son was not in the SUV. What a terrifying moment! I will always remember her advice to have kids ride in the back and in car seats until they are large enough.
I remember the story about
I remember the story about little Kyle. It's heartbreaking. His family should be applauded though, because they really are making a difference. I will definitely keep my kids in car seats for a long time. Thanks for the reminder!
Hobbymommy, 38, is a discussion leader from Mesa. She is a happy stay-at-home mommy to a 3-year-old daughter and a 1-year-old son.
I will say that I had a
I will say that I had a cheesy booster for my daughter and about a year ago decided that it was completely unsafe and bought her a top notch booster seat (she's 7). My stepdaughter's mother decided as soon as she turned 5 she would get rid of the car seat altogether which I don't agree with (the daughter is super small and wears 3T clothes and weighs like 30 lbs). I convinced my husband to talk to her and I don't know if she changed her mind or not, but when she's with us, she's totally strapped in.
"It's not to late to become who you've always wanted to be..."
There are a few different
There are a few different car seats out there that fit the bill. We have a Safety first 5 point harness seat that goes from 20-100lbs and like 34 inches to like 5ft. That range would have covered me when I was 12 (and I think a co-worker still falls in that category). And it's truly awesome. We have a convertible seat in the other car, but will be needing to change that out in the next 6mo, and I think I'm going to get another one. Sure it was more expensive than a booster seat, but it doesn't even wiggle and has arm rests and a snack holder, and my son likes it and finds it comfortable.
We originally bought it so we could minimize the # of car seats we had to buy over time, but now I'm totally convinced it's the way to go.