poll: what's the normal car seat use in your area?

normal car seat/booster usage in your area

  • disregard this poll, realized that we'd be picking all of the options.

    Votes: 12 100.0%
  • everyone follows the car seat rules in my area

    Votes: 0 0.0%

  • Total voters
    12

AnnieW625

New member
I am in Southern California (15 miles south of Los Angeles).

It's rare that I see kids older than 12 months old rear facing. Besides my DD2 (who just turned 1 on Friday) I can think of three other kids I see on a semi regular basis who I know who are older than 1, but less than 3 who are rear facing. I know of no one over the age of 3 who is still rear facing. I have a friend whose daughter is almost 2 and weighs barely 20lbs (and has spina bifida) so she'll most likely eventually be the longest rear facing child I know of.

Booster wise most kids 4+ are in either Frontiers or Nautilus' harnessed or non harnessed Turbo Boosters or Nautilus', and the non harnessed kids are the taller 44"+ kids. One kid at my DDs daycare is four and is in a low back booster. The only other thing that drives me batty more than almost any of that is people who let their tiny <than 8 or 9 yr. old kids ride in the front seat of the car. Boosters are required until 6, and or 60lbs in California, however I have run into a number a CHP officers (one is a friend, and the other have been at work health fairs) that state that a booster and or harnessed seat is needed for most 6 yr. olds who are heavier than 60lbs.

(I should add that I turned my DD1 around too at 12 months and 22lbs because that was all I knew around here. Now with DD2 I plan on rear facing until at 3).

Forgot to add that I have seen 3 yr. olds who weigh less than 40lbs in low back boosters here.:confused::thumbsdown:. A 40lb 4 yr. old or 5 yr. old in a low back while not the best choice is still better than no seat and in an emergency I'd be fine with.
 
Last edited:
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love-pink

Well-known member
I live in Central Michigan and all I ever see are badly used Sceneras. Nothing wrong with the seat choice just why bother with a seat if your not going to use the shoulder straps or even buckle the dang seat in. :( My facebook is filled to the brim of friends who put 3 year olds in backless boosters and my SIL has her just turned 2 in March child in nothing but a seat belt with the should portion routed around his back.

I have seen a couple Britax Regents when I was in Saginaw this past summer that looked to be installed right :D I didnt see the children though.

I know no one at all in real life who has a rear facing child over 10 months old. I had a friend ask me to check their Baby Trend bucket and make sure their baby was strapped in right. I did and then the very next time I see them they are sporting the after market giant strap covers, Bundle Me and pretty loose straps again. All because their 4 month old "likes" them. :rolleyes:

I honestly cant think of anyone around me that even bothers to tighten the carseat straps remotely tight enough :thumbsdown::thumbsdown:
 

Laurelz

New member
In my area (not including me)

Rf'ing: until 12mo then ff'ing. Sometimes younger! :(
FF'ing harnessed... until 2.5-3yrs old
Booster/HBB or LBB... 3yrs-5yrs
Seatbelt only...5yrs.

No car seat at all... 2yr+ for some.
Putting your kid in the car seat but not buckling the car seat ALL of the above!

I have a friend who has a 6mo old in a bucket, but she just lay the child in it. Why buckle the child when you're only going 3 blocks everyday, right?! The problem is that we live in a town of 2000 or less. No stop lights, maybe 5 stop signs, and the whole town is literally 12 blocks long. People just don't feel the need for car seats here. I'm probably the only one with a child over 1yr of age rf'ing and or my 2.5 in a Fronter. Which most people think is silly for him to be harnessed at his age and here I am bitting my lip when he's in it. It's his pt seat for now. It's PATHETIC here.
 

featherhead

Well-known member
Around here carseat use is horrendous. Babies are rear-facing until 9-12 months. Forward-facing for a few years maybe. Rarely do people move carseats if they are going in someone else's car. Just use the seatbelt, or sit them on your lap. Boosters often by 2 or 3, and out of them by 4 or 5. Kids sitting in the front seat all the time, especially after being picked up from school (kindy kids too). Straps are rarely tight, or harnesses at the right height. I could go on and on!
 

christineka

New member
In my area, most car seats I see are dorel brand- sceneras, cosco hbb and cousins, and 3 in 1s. Most hbbs I see are evenflo big kid, but I see some turboboosters around. As for use, rfing in convertibles is becoming more popular, though I haven't actually seen a verifiable 12 month+ baby rfing.

Generally, there are two popular ways of transporting kids these days.

Option 1- infant seat, rfing convertible to around 12 months, ffing seat until 4, then use the seat as booster until about 6, backless booster until 8th birthday.

Option 2- infant seat until 20 pounds or till 12 months when it is very outgrown. Ffing scenera until age 3. Hbb or backless until age 5 or so, except when they don't feel like using car seats.

There are a lot of expired seats seen in either one of the above scenerios.

There are others who are much worse (jumping kids in the back or the front, boosters at age 2, you know) and I know there are a select few that erf, eh, and extended booster (past the law requirements), but I've only learned about these people on the internet, not seen in real life, though they live in the same town.
 

jennzee

Active member
On a VERY rare occasion, I'll see a child ERF. Most babies are turned at 12 months.

I see LOTS of kids in the 3yo range riding in boosters.

Dropping ds off at school, I would say that 95% of the cars I can see into have no boosters for the school-age kids being dropped off. Probably due to carpooling, so the percentage is likely lower in regards to how they typically ride within their family.

It's not uncommon at all to see kids riding in the front seat at 7 years old.
 

miraclebabies

New member
I'm in Indiana and it's rare to see a 12m old and older rear facing.... I did see a little girl about 2-2.5yr rear facing at a stop light ystrdy and I had to take a triple look. I don't know what seat it was but I was happy she still fit and was rear facing still. There are some family or friends that rear face till 18m but not much past that. It's really hard when I see a friend or family member that ff at 9m cuz well the pediatritian said they have good head control. Or seeing young, small 2 or 3 yr old in boosters cuz they weigh enough. I could go on and on but there aren't many around me that I see using seats properly.
 

Stelvis

New member
I'm in PA and I'd say it varies widely among socioeconomic groups -- for example at DS's preschool there are a ton of Volvos and BMW's, and a ton of kids in Britaxes that are turned forward at a year "he's in a Britax -- how much safer could he be?" but basically used more or less correctly and not illegally. Kids are probably in boosters by 4-5 for the most part.

In a different part of town, you'd see a lot of Crappysports and expired 3-in-1's being used poorly.

We have a lot of Amish here and they do use car seats when they ride in a car with someone. They pass baby equipment around the family and probably don't believe in expiration dates for the most part, but for sheer buckling skill, you see the Amish babies at Costco buckled in their seats more securely than a lot of the non-Amish babies. I talked an Amish lady at Target into buying a MyRide over a Comfortsport last year, I explained how rear-facing was safer for their necks, and it made sense to her.
 

MommaWhitney

New member
Im in southwest Louisiana and Id say most kids are FF by 1yr regardless of weight. Id say a good portion of those kids are FF once they are 20lb regardless of age. And of course there are some that FF before hand no matter what, for whatever reason they come up with and then the very very few that will RF past then.
Harness is about the same. If they out grow the seat no matter age they will booster and typically booster at 4 regardless of size. Then there are those that just skip booster all together. And I see A LOT of children in the front seat under age 13. In the car pool lane at school its mostly PreK-2nd grade kids. Very few use boosters and a whole slew of them get in the front seat. Its very sad. I wish there was some sort of school program or SOMETHING to help in this. I feel car seats are so cultural and most people will just do what their friends and peers do. If the normal use of a booster for many years became the norm people wouldnt even question it. Unfortunately it takes time to change behavior.

And surprisingly I see LOTS of Britax.... used improperly though. Youd think if you spent $200+ on a car seat youd at least use it correctly?
 

Mysweethoneybee

New member
I live in Southwest Missouri. Mostly kids ride in the cheapest bucket available until about 9 months then if they are lucky they rf in the scenera or they go forward facing in it until 2-4 years of age when they are put in boosters. My youngest had a graco safeseat 1 until he was almost a year and then had an evenflo titan (hated it) and an evenflo triumph until almost age 2 then went with britax seats. Even his pediatrician thinks I am crazy wanting to keep him harnessed past the age of four because he is well within the height and weight limit for a booster seat.
Oh and our local school district sent a district wide news letter telling parents of preschool and elementary school kids to not harness their kids for school drop off and pick up because it was causing the line to be too long and that if the child couldn't buckle their own booster seat to just leave the child unbuckled until after they had exited the pick up line. I kind of want to strangle the elementary school principal for that. There is no such thing as erf here though if my son was small enough I would gladly do it.
 

mlohry

New member
I would say that people here in MN are slowly catching on to ERF, maybe thanks to me :) I have made a difference among friend's, but sure not all. I do see random drivers with kids RF, so hopefully. I think it's really common for kids to be done with boosters REALLY early here. This is super sad, but yesterday at a garage sale I did, I saw a mom put a 1 year old into a no back booster, honestly I don't know if she buckled him. He was little, smaller than my DD and she is little! I didn't say anything, because mom did not speak good English, but I should have called the police :(
 

luvsviola

New member
At DD's preschool, I see mostly good seat usage. Lots of ERF til at least age 2. Most moms have Britax seats, but few have the chest clips adjusted right. A few have Nautis/Frontiers. One mom has a Priori, but her kiddo is a peanut (still fits in it at 4.5 years old!), and it is adorable. I see very few boosters, which is refreshing. Most either are still in their convertibles, or have Frontiers. One mom in DD's class has a ProSport.

In public, it is another story, though. When I'm at work, I see mostly expired buckets with the straps too loose and chest clip in their lap. I teach middle school in the inner city, and most buckets I see parents bring in are handed down from the older siblings, which often makes them 12+ years old. I also see a lot of Comfort Sports and 3 year olds in no-back boosters.
 

jourdysmom

CPST Instructor
90% bad to atrocious. I am giving a lot of leeway with that 10% being good installs.

A LOT of LATCH center install misuse. They figure if they reach, then they are to be used. A belly clip on nearly every seat. Outgrown 3-in-1's everywhere. Loose loose loose installs, TT's are rarely used. :(

I actually saw an RN XTSL today (FF older child age 4ish in a Honda SUV of some kind) I was SHOCKED. It is only the 2nd one I have seen here locally outside of members here.
 

Brianna

New member
Kids around here- Western New York- go straight from buckets to FF, usually around 10 months- 12 months at the most.

All the FF seats I see are the cheapies with 40 pound limits, usually with straps twisted and very loose- sometimes I even see them moving around the back seat with no kid in them.

They move to HBB or LBB usually around 2 or 3 years old.
The oldest I've seen a kid in a booster is my 7 year old cousin in a LBB because her father is a police officer and knows that she must legally be in a booster until her 8th birthday. She's small and regardless of fit will be in an adult seat belt on her 8th bday.
 

jourdysmom

CPST Instructor
We have a lot of Amish here and they do use car seats when they ride in a car with someone. They pass baby equipment around the family and probably don't believe in expiration dates for the most part, but for sheer buckling skill, you see the Amish babies at Costco buckled in their seats more securely than a lot of the non-Amish babies. I talked an Amish lady at Target into buying a MyRide over a Comfortsport last year, I explained how rear-facing was safer for their necks, and it made sense to her.

The Amish here have AWFUL car seat usage. A friend of ours has a 15 passenger van and transports them locally or back to PA as needed. They bring car seats.... seats get buckled in, child rides in lap or on floor. :rolleyes: She said she doesn't care because the parent will get the ticket not her :rolleyes:
 

ketchupqueen

CPST and ketchup snob
Staff member
I live in North Los Angeles. While generally use is... bad... I do see some parents (whom I don't know!) harnessing past 4-5 and rear-facing past 2! :thumbsup: The word is starting to spread. The law is 6 or 60, and sadly I see lots of 6 year olds in the front in nothing. But I also see some 10 year olds in boosters. So... very mixed.
 

sunnymw

New member
For the rich folks... britax, usually a marathon for a newborn and then a frontier for when they turn 1. :(

For middle to lower class, I see the following daily (and keep my mouth shut)
-scenera Ff, for babies under one
-Ff evenflo buckets. If they are rf, the baby is never buckled tightly
-cosco HBB with a barely 1yo in it
-cosco HBB used as a booster from ages 2 to 3
-kids completely unrestrained without seatbelts in the front seat of cars starting at age 4-5.

On the bright side, one of the lowest income women I know from one of the worst neighborhoods in town needed a car seat that fit her 24 weeker who at 4lbs was ready to come home. Told her to go to the health department where they do a class for $10 and give out seats. Five months later they got t-boned. Mom is still sore but her baby came out completely unscathed!
 

mommyfrog

Active member
From what I've seen, people around here use the bucket until the baby can't fit anymore, then ff (lots of 3-in-1's), then low back booster. I see lots of small kids in boosters (or nothing) in the front seat. Lots of kids who are barely (or not) one year old ff. At my dd's preschool most of the kids were in no back boosters. There was a couple in high back, but one of those was very old, and one or two still harnessed. I've seen one car seat in the area I think was probably ERF, hopefully. The harness/headrest was pretty far up and it was rf. Not great around my area. I did know one lady who had her 6 and 9 year olds in high back boosters, even though the law is only 8 here. That is the only person I've ever known IRL, besides me, who has boostered past the 8th b-day. I'm waiting to see what my sister does in September when her ds turns 8, since she told my 8 year old he didn't have to ride in a booster or car seat anymore.:rolleyes:
 

monica-m

CPST Instructor
I see it all around here. We have a large immigrant population and car seats are not part of their culture so they are either not used or grossly misused. I see lots of those kids in NBB at 2 or 3 years old.

The people to do use car seats all FF at 12 months (or 11 months because they're close enough :rolleyes:) I see lots of the Britax bubble in the nicer parts of town. Almost everyone has a belly clip and almost all of them go to boosters at 4 and 40# per state law minimums. DS isn't in school yet so I don't see large groups of children in one place but we have only seen a small handful of ERF kids. As DS gets older, I am preparing myself for the questions.
 

VoodooChile

New member
I'm in TN, and the norm seems to be infants in buckets (sometimes well past the point that they're outgrown), kids turned ff either right at their first birthdays or early. Most of the convertibles are Sceneras or Dorel 3-in-1s (older ones), or OHS seats. Most people booster around 3-4, and I see lots of 4-5 year olds in backless boosters, and riding up front (even in cars that have GOT to have airbags). Plenty of kids without boosters before it's "legal" for them to go without. So yeah, I just don't look anymore. When I first started learning about car seat stuff it made my eyes pop out on a daily basis, but now I just can't let it get to me anymore, or I'll do nothing but freak out about other people's car seat use all day!
 

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