Harnessing minimum recomendation

[Unregistered]

Can someone help me find a website with harnessing wt/age recomendations? I know someone who just put there 30lb 3 yo in a high back booster b/c the carseat said it could be used as a booster from 30lbs. But I thought I heard 4 and 40lbs was the recomended minimum??

[myliljunebugs]

yes, bare minimum is 4 yrs 40lbs recommended. Most on here like to see about 6 yrs. and at least 40lbs

[MomToEliEm]

Many booster seats list age 3 for a minimum to use a booster seat (typically a high back version), though some even have age 1 as a minimum along with some height requirements. Even though those are the limits placed by the manufacturer, they really are not a recommended limit for using a booster seat. Most kids are not mature enough to stay properly seated in any booster using a seatbelt until they are 4.5-5 years old (they like to lean out of position to grab a toy or dance around and not stay in the booster seat correctly). Cognitive ability associated with the necessary attention span to use a booster correctly does not even begin to develop until at least 4 years old. Also, the lapbelt portion on boosters can still fit too high on 3-4 year olds abdomens (it is suppose to be low on the child's hips) which can cause internal injuries.

Here is a good video that show some reasons why boosters aren't always the best choice in seats for young children:
Isabelle's video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y2LFo8vVi04

Here is a website talking about benefits of keeping kids harnessed longer:
http://www.kyledavidmiller.org/pages/4211/Car_Seat_Safety:_5-point_Harness_is_Safest.htm

[Unregistered]

I think it is careless of companies to list "harnesses 20-40 pounds forward facing. belt positioning booster from 30-80"
why???

there are some careless, busy, lazy parents who get confused by that.
"well it harnesses to 40 pounds, but its just easier to use a seatbelt, and it says i can do that at 30 pounds...hmm...my kid is 34 pounds, wait til 40 or just do it now? heck switch him now"

stupid and confusing if u ask me.

im writing a letter and sending it to diff car seat companies asking them to change that.
no more harness limits of 40 pounds.
other requirements should be:
rear facing from 5-50 lbs
forward facing from 25-55 lbs
belt positioning booster from 55-100 lbs

that way, people will realize u can RF longer, and there is no overlap in numbers between harness and then booster in combo seats.