Almost 2 years old and in a backless booster Seat

My sister was telling me today that my nephew is in a backless booster seat at less then 2 years old . My sister said that my nephew is 38 pounds and that is was ok. I told her that in Washington State they have to be at least 4 years old and 40 pounds right? My sister said that my nephew does not fit in any regular 5 point harness because he is really a big boy(he is really big). I told my sister that I would look into some different options for him and let her know. I was thinking that the 5Y thing might be an option for my nephew. They do not have much money to get a car seat at this time.

I don't think Washington state specifies anything about harness vs booster age.

Would she at least consider a high back booster? If he's tall enough for one.

I can't actually imagine any 38lb child who wouldn't fit in a Graco Nautilus, except a nearly impossibly tall and skinny one. My local Fred Meyer has them for $140 in the store right now today. Where in Washington are they located?

You are right you do not have to be 4 years old in Washington State to use a booster seat. I cannot believe that is legal. This family does not have hardly any money so I am trying to go with the least expensive route(less then $100.00 dollars).

i do not know if money is an issue but i would definately go with the regent for someone that is large. I am a plus size woman and i could sit in dds regent today when we were parked. I was about way over the back, but width wise it fit me. And since her ds is young and big, and needs to be in a five point for awhile i would definately go that way.

I agree with you on the Regent but I do not think that they will pay that kind of money for a car seat. Maybe I could ask KyleDavidMiller for some help.

if not the regent i would say the nautilus. it fits a wide variety of kids. t isn't to expensive you cn get coupons for babies rus or baby depot and mak it a little better. or walmart has them for 142 here near me.

It's not all that surprising that WA law does not specify 4yo minimum to use a booster seat; in fact, most state laws do not specifically say a minimum age for a booster seat; most state laws regarding child restraints are pretty generic, requiring a child restraint (any kind of child restraint) up to age 4, and many states have booster laws beyond that, but most of these laws don't specifically mandate a harnessed restraint up to a certain age, only an appropriate child restraint. Since most boosters have woefully low minimums (30 pounds for most highback boosters, and even for some backless boosters; 3yo minimum for some boosters, 1yo on some others ), unfortunately it's perfectly legal in most places to have a 2yo, 30# child in a booster seat.

My state requires a proper restraint up to 40 pounds, and then a booster seat until they are 8yo or 4'9" (whichever comes first, which is almost always 8yo). A proper restraint, even for a 30# child who is 2yo, could technically be certain boosters that have dismally low 1yo/30# minimums. Of course as a tech I always advocate best practice, and try to make folks understand that the minimums are just that: minimums, not what is actually safest.

I would encourage you to encourage them to apply to KDM if they cannot afford a harnessed seat. A child close to 40 lbs at not even 2 needs a Regent!! If they can afford $100, an Apex would work if they have adjustable headrests or high seat backs.

How tall is he? If he is more heavy than tall another less expensive option to get him by for now would be the Evenflo Titan. I would likely go with an Apex over the Titan simply b/c it is taller. If he is a big kid all around, he might be too tall for the Titan.

I would also recommend they get in touch with their local Safe Kids Coalition. I know that our coalition has Apex seats for kids like this. I think there are also some coalitions out there that give away the 50 lb weight limit Titan.

Please post back with where they live. Many areas in WA have excellent resources for helping families who need seats.

spokaneCPST said:

Please post back with where they live. Many areas in WA have excellent resources for helping families who need seats.

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This is what I was going to reccomend. We have a few Apexes here, but I'm not sure how we handle giving those away for families in need since they're more expensive, but I'm sure someone can help. I had a little girl leave yesterday at just shy of 3 in a hbb, it hurt me. I sent her here so hopefully we'll see mom!

I have pics of my 2.5 year old 38lb-er harnessed in a regent, and a nautilus.

Totally possible (obviously)