Question What Booster seat for 25 mo and 40 lb?

Question:
My daughter is only 25 mo but shes a BIG girl 95% for height and weight shes 40 pounds and shes very tall not sure how tall but shes mistaken for a 4 year old alot. ANd is in size 5T. I live in Pa.

Answer:
Child restraint requirements in PA are that children must be restrained under 7 yrs. Your daughter should drive in a Booster Seat in the back seat, until age 8, unless taller than 4' 9". The Children's Hospital from Philadelphia has researched that children in booster seats travel with 45% more safety than belt-restrained children.
Look for 5 point harness models and there are models for 40 up to 80 lb weight. Evenflo has a booster seat model for bigger kids.
Britax has another booster seat. Graco has a third model booster seat. All these are good brands and the prices vary. I would not get a used booster seat unless I know the previous owner enough to make sure that the booster seat has not been in an accident. Some internal parts could be damaged and we want the seat to be comfortable and safely built for a good sitting position.

Booster Seats Better Than Seat Belts Alone

Research at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia.
The researchers found that children restrained in child booster seats were 45% less likely to experience a severe injury compared with seat belt-restrained children.
I found the following article very educational, by Amy Spangler and published by Baby Gooroo.
Booster Seats Better Than Seat Belts Alone

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When to upsize the booster seat & Child Restraint Regulations

I have been reading a fair amount of questions from parents asking when is the time to change from the harness seat to a booster seat. To answer those questions, I have put together the following information, based on information from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

As your child grows up, there are 4 Steps, according to their age and size:

1 - REAR FACING SEATS in the back seat from birth to at least 1 year old and at least 20 pounds.

2 - FORWARD-FACING TODDLER SEATS in the back seat from age 1 and 20 pounds to about age 4 and 40 pounds.

3 - BOOSTER SEATS in the back seat from about age 4 to at least age 8, unless 4'9" tall.

4 - SAFETY BELTS at age 8 and older or taller than 4'9". All children age 12 and under should ride in the back seat.

Restraint requirements change for each State. Here is an extract from DMV Answers:

Child Restraint Requirements
Alabama
Younger than 1 or less than 20 pounds in a rear-facing infant seat; 1-4 years or 20-40 pounds in a forward-facing child safety seat; 5-6 years in a booster
Alaska
Younger than 1 or less than 20 pounds in a rear-facing infant seat; 1-4 years and more than 20 pounds in a child restraint, 4-8 and shorter than 57 inches or 20-65 pounds in a booster
Arizona
Under 5
Arkansas
Under 6 and less than 60 pounds
California
Under 5 and less than 60 pounds
Colorado
Younger than 1 year and less than 20 pounds in a rear-facing infant seat; 1-3 years and 20-40 pounds in a forward-facing child safety seat; 4-5 years and less than 55 inches in a booster
Connecticut
Younger than 1 year or less than 20 pounds in a rear-facing restraint system; 1-6 years and less than 60 pounds in a child restraint system
Delaware
Under 7 and less than 66 pounds
Florida
Children under 3 should be in a separate car seat or a car seat that is integrated into the vehicle; children 4- 5 can use a separate car seat, integrated car seat, or seat belt
Georgia
Under 5 and less than 57 inches
Hawaii
Under 3 in a child safety seat; children 4-7 must be in a booster or child restraint
Idaho
Under 6
Illinois
Under 7
Indiana
Under 7
Iowa
Younger than 1 year and less than 20 pounds in a rear-facing child seat; children 1-5 in a child restraint
Kansas
All children 3 and younger must be in a child restraint; children 4-7 who weigh less than 80 pounds and are less than 57 inches tall must be in a child restraint or booster
Kentucky
40 inches or less in a child restraint; under 6 and 40-50 inches tall in a booster
Louisiana
Younger than 1 year or less than 20 pounds in a child safety seat; 1-3 years or 20-39 pounds in a forward-facing child safety seat; children 4-5 or 40-60 pounds in a booster
Maine
Less than 40 pounds in a child safety seat; 40-80 pounds and less than 8 years in a booster
Maryland
Under 7 and less than 57 inches or 65 pounds
Massachusetts
Under 7 and less than 57 inches
Michigan
Under 7 and less than 57 inches
Minnesota
Under 7 and less than 57 inches
Mississippi
3 years and younger must be in a child restraint; children 4-6 and either less than 57 inches or less than 65 pounds must be in a booster
Missouri
Under 3 or less than 40 pounds must be in a child restraint; children 4-7 years who weigh at least 40-80 pounds and are under 57 inches must be in either a child restraint or booster
Montana
Under 6 and less than 60 pounds
Nebraska
Under 5
Nevada
Under 6 and less than 60 pounds
New Hampshire
Under 5 and less than 55 inches
New Jersey
Under 7 and less than 80 pounds
New Mexico
Younger than 1 year in a rear-facing infant seat; children 1-4 or less than 40 pounds in a child safety seat; children 5-6 or less than 60 pounds in a booster
New York
Children under 8 should be in either a child safety seat or booster seat
North Carolina
Under 7 and less than 80 pounds
North Dakota
Under 7, less than 57 inches, or less than 80 pounds
Ohio
Under 3 or less than 40 pounds in child restraint; 4-7 years, over 40 pounds, and less than 57 inches in booster
Oklahoma
Under 5
Oregon
Younger than 1 year or 20 pounds or less must be in a rear facing child safety seat; 40 pounds or less must be in a child safety seat; more than 40 pounds but 4 feet and 9 inches or less must be in a safety system that elevates the child so that an adult seat belt fits properly
Pennsylvania
Under 7
Rhode Island
Under 7, less than 57 inches, and less than 80 pounds
South Carolina
Younger than 1 year or less than 20 pounds in a rear-facing infant seat; 1-5 years and 20-39 pounds in a forward-facing child safety seat; 1-5 years and 40-80 pounds in a booster secured by lap-shoulder belt
South Dakota
under 4 and under 40 pounds
Tennessee
Younger than 1 year or under 20 pounds in a rear-facing infant seat; 1-3 years and over 20 pounds in a forward-facing infant seat; 4-8 years and less than 57 inches in a booster
Texas
Under 7 and less than 57 inches
Utah
Under 7 and less than 57 inches
Vermont
Younger than 1 year or less than 20 pounds in a rear-facing infant seat; children 2-7 and more than 20 pounds in child restraint
Virginia Under 7, unless there is a physician exemption
Washington
Under 7 and less than 57 inches
West Virginia
Under 7 and less than 57 inches
Wisconsin
Children younger than 1 and all children who weigh less than 20 pounds are required to be in a rear-facing infant seat; children 1-3 years who weigh at 20-40 pounds are required to be in a forward-facing child safety seat; children 4-7, less than 80 pounds, and less than 57 inches tall are required to be in a booster
Wyoming
Under 8
Washington DC
Under 7

I am glad if this clarifies some of your questions about when to switch to a child's booster seat.

KCTV5 NEWS published an article on Booster Seats on Dec 22 2009

KCTV5 NEWS has published the results of a research from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety that has examined 60 booster seat models. According to the belt positioning, the IIHS has named 9 belt-positioning "best bets" and 6 more as "good bets".

Also the IIHS considers that 11 booster seats do a poor job of fitting cars' safety belts.

Click on the links Booster Seat in this blog, that will take you to the article on KCTV5 NEWS.

Sylvia Giussani

Watch it all on DVD

* Is the booster seat the same for a baby than for a toddler?

* Should the strap go across the shoulder?

* And should it go across the stomach?

It is better to consider all these questions before deciding which car booster seat you will buy. 

I could obtain some profit from many different products related to booster seats, but I chose this video, in case you prefer watching, rather than reading. Click on the link: Simple Steps to Child Passenger Safety, Produced By Living Legacy Productions
Sylvia Giussani

USEFUL CONSIDERATIONS WHEN BUYING A BOOSTER SEAT - WHAT WORKED FOR ME

I live in LA and I'm used to hours of driving. This is partially because of the distances, but also because of the increase of after school activities: ballet, karate, play dates, etc.

The booster seat,  not only keeps children safe, it is the place for their sippy cups and snaks, their toys, their story books.

I'd like to consider some facts that stood out for me when buying a booster car seat.

There are many booster seat brands in the market with a wide range of prices - $ 40 to $ 250. Everyone likes saving, but evidently, as the booster car seat is softer and more comfortable, the price goes up. One of the first things to look at, is that the booster seat be spacious enough to be comfortable, sturdy and durable.

Some models have nice side pockets, big enough that your child will be able to reach out for his sippy cup and snack. In relationship with this, I also look into easy maintenance: a nice looking fabric with colors I like and easy to clean.

Something primary to check at the moment of purchasing your Booster seat is that when you tye it down, it buckles well.

I would consider buying two booster car seats. One will be permanent in your car, the second booster seat - maybe at a lower price - will be for a second family car, will go to playdates with your child when dad or someone else will pick him up, for the nanny, etc.

There have been recalls, and as possible, I would recommend researching the brand and model you choose for recalls, before purchasing the booster seat for your loved one.
Sylvia Giussani