Oh Brother!

F

flick37

New member
So, my brother has my 6 y/o, 36lb niece in a booster (one vehicle is a LBB) :(
Despite being very well educated, he laughed me off when I told him that she should be still in a harnessed seat as she is less than 40lbs. He acts like carseats are my "neurotic thing".
He lives in BC, and I am pretty sure that the law says that they have to be at least 40 lbs to be in a booster...I don't think is mentions age in as a factor. Could someone in the know clarify that for me??

So, I want to send him the links about why to keep your kids in a harnessed seat, as well as the check list to make sure your l/o is ready for a booster. And, I want to send him lists of reasonably priced seats that go harnessed and then to booster.
Any suggestions/links would be very much appreciated!

Thanks!!
 
ADS
QuassEE

QuassEE

Moderator - CPST Instructor
No child anywhere in Canada can be in a booster under 40lbs, since there is not a single booster on the market that allows use by a child under 40lbs. However, at age 6 it's possible she's too tall for a lot of the harnessed restraints out there if he didn't know where to look (Nautilus, Frontier..)

Here's where you need to think whether or not you want to push this issue with a 6 year old. Most 6 year olds are mature enough to use a booster properly..and most parents who have little concern for child passenger safety fail to properly utilize harnessed seats (harness too loose, poor installs).. What I would *really* go after here is encouraging getting that child into a HBB for the additional sleep support, despite still being illegal. Chances are she's safer in the booster than in a harnessed seat, if her parents really don't seem to care about correct use.

-Nicole.
 
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catchthewind

New member
QuassEE said:
No child anywhere in Canada can be in a booster under 40lbs, since there is not a single booster on the market that allows use by a child under 40lbs. However, at age 6 it's possible she's too tall for a lot of the harnessed restraints out there if he didn't know where to look (Nautilus, Frontier..)
Click to expand...

I was actually sort of wondering about this myself. My daughter won't be 40 pounds until she's over 5 if she stays on the same growth curve. Not a big deal; with any luck she'll still be in her Radian rf until then anyway, but it did get me wondering because she's not that small. She's around the 50th percentile for weight, so 50% of girls would still be too small for a booster at 5 (which could be a good thing, since most wouldn't be mature enough for one before then anyway!). But, her cousin is 5 already and barely 30 pounds, so she could be 7 or 8 and still not hit 40 pounds. Is an older child under 40 pounds who's mature enough to sit still at more risk than a younger, 40+ pound child in a booster? Doesn't it have to do with maturation of the hip bones too or something like that?
 
QuassEE

QuassEE

Moderator - CPST Instructor
Well, of course I'd rather see a 30lb 7 year old in a booster versus a 40lb 2 year old.. But LEGALLY, that's not an option. It used to actually be possible for a child to outgrow every seat on the market by height before hitting 40lbs. Nice, hey?

-Nicole.
 
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catchthewind

New member
QuassEE said:
Well, of course I'd rather see a 30lb 7 year old in a booster versus a 40lb 2 year old.. But LEGALLY, that's not an option. It used to actually be possible for a child to outgrow every seat on the market by height before hitting 40lbs. Nice, hey?

-Nicole.
Click to expand...

Yeah that's what I sort of figured about the age/weight (though I was thinking more a mature 4 1/2 year old vs a 7 year old). I guess it's a case where the laws can't take every individual into account. I wonder if any cop would even notice if a 7 year old under 40 lbs was in a booster. My niece is tall for her weight; I guess it's good that outgrowing every seat is not really a problem any more. I know at 4 she was size 4 by height, but barely size 2 by weight.
 
S

sparkyd

Active member
Is the child's weight a factor at all in the ELR engaging when using the seat belt? I'm guessing it's not since the belts also lock when you accelerate quickly, but it's something I've wondered about.
 
QuassEE

QuassEE

Moderator - CPST Instructor
I do wonder if weight could be a factor...Though the belt would still lock at higher speeds, since both weight AND speed are a factor.

As to whether or not seatbelts lock when not in use (tree..forest..sound?)--the first 12-24" of the spool is a dead zone...plus, there would be no spooling.

-Nicole.
 

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