What do y'all think of keeping your kid in a car seat until age 9-10?

Question

I think its absolutely absurd. I'm reading an argument on GabeandJesss' (teen mom blogger on YouTube) Facebook page and all these rediculous extremeist mothers are getting their panties all in a bunch over car seats. One girl tried to suggest its normal to keep a kid in a car seat until they were 85 pounds, another girl said she is glad her 9 year old daughter is still in a car seat... I think that's bizarre and ridiculous. I was front facing by age 3 and out of car seats by age 5 and a half. Some moms on that page are saying that they are keeping their kids rear facing until age 6 then front facing until age 10. The thought of a 10 year old in a car seat is absolutely bizarre and just creepy. What is your guys thoughts on this?

Answer 1

Oy. Let me begin by saying Gabeandjess is one of the most obnoxious, self-righteous mothers I've seen online, especially considering her rather poor decision that resulted in 3 children before age 20.

Now to answer your question: depending on your child's height and weight, they may need to be in a booster seat until that age. My son is 6 and sits in a booster.

Answer 2

It does seem a little strange, but then again, drivers are getting worse and worse (like all these self-entitled idiots who think they have the right to text and drive and put everybody else at risk) and making the roads so much more dangerous. Unfortunately, with the invention of some of this technology, it really has made driving way more unsafe than it was when you and I were kids, because people won't use their common sense and put them down while they drive. So I can see why some parents would still be putting older kids in carseats because they probably don't want their kid killed in a car accident. And I think many places even have laws stating that a child has to be in a carseat up until a certain age or until they reach a certain height/weight. And some of those laws would require at least some 9-10 year olds to still be in a seat. Not only do the parents probably want to keep their child safe but they could also get a ticket or be in trouble with the law if they get caught driving their child around in no seat.

Answer 3

My daughter is 6 and nonetheless makes use of a booster seat whilst she rides in my motor vehicle. yet i don't constantly make her have one for short journeys with somebody else. (Like whilst she rides some blocks down the line along with her ultimate chum to church.) i think of the criminal age right here is 3. even whilst my daughter substitute into 4 years previous and in pre-ok, very few of her pals nonetheless used a booster seat. Now that she is in first grade - i think of she is the only one! i will in all danger permit her change to a regularly occurring seat whilst she is 7 years previous. She's attending to the element now the place her legs are see you later that they get sore on long journeys from not being precise supported. ... i will could see that the regularly occurring seat suits her nevertheless until now I formally permit her make the change. could wait until she's 8. ... ... ... ... ... ... You did not point out how vast your daughter is. I even have seen some 8 12 months olds that are fairly 4 ft tall. They nonetheless belong in a booster seat regardless of their age. i think of whilst your daughter turns 8, you are able to proceed to have her experience interior the booster seat as long as she is the final length to greater healthy it. yet whilst she desires to bypass on a quick trip with a chum devoid of it - No biggie.

Answer 4

I think it's bizarre that you choose to ignore all the information about how to safely transport a child just because YOU were out of a car seat that early. You parents probably weren't in car seats at ALL, EVER. Is that any reason to claim that car seats are ALWAYS ridiculous and absurd?



Safety guidelines change for a reason you know. It's because we'd quite like to avoid kids dying in car crashes.



Exactly what is "absolutely bizarre and just creepy" about a 10 year old being loved enough by her parents to be transported in a safe fashion?

Answer 5

Car crashes are the leading cause of both disability and death for children in the United States- and they are that way for a reason.



The video below is about a child who was 8 years old and was in a crash. He was in an adult seat belt and is now paralyzed from the neck down for the rest of his life because his seat belt was improperly positioned on his body. Something so simple as using a booster seat could have prevented his terrible disability.



http://www.boosttil8.org/



If you lost a child in a crash, you wouldn't think it is creepy any longer.



Contrary to the popular belief, it is not the shoulder belt that is dangerous. If it is resting on the child's neck, the only thing that is dangerous if the child places that shoulder belt behind their arm or underneath their back. The lap belt is very dangerous when on the child's stomach- it needs to be on their hips at all times while riding in the car.



@Jane Lookda: You are correct in that using a car seat when it is outgrown is not safe; however, there are some small children at age 6 who could still fit in a rear facing child seat by weight and height. For example, my cousin's child is 6 years old roughly 40 inches tall and 28 lbs. She is petite and she is healthy (as what her doc said), and she could fit in some rear facing convertibles.



Also, in the United Kingdom, the law says that children need to ride in a car/ booster seat until they are 12 years old or are 135 cm tall. The United States is very behind in car seat safety.



Edit again: I cannot believe that I recieved 4 thumbs down to my response. It all comes down to the survival of the fittest.

Answer 6

My children are entering their teen years and a lot has changed in regards to car seat safety and laws since they were born. What do I think? I think that parents should follow the laws for their state, and prepare in advance when travelling to other states.



My oldest was turned forward facing on her first birthday. In fact, we turned the car seat in the parking lot at the pediatrician's office after discovering that she weighed 34 pounds and her car seat was only rated to 30 rear facing. The nurse who assisted us pointed out that our daughter was also taller than the guideline for height limits on the rear facing seat. Our state laws were six years and/or 60 pounds when she hit that point. I kept her in the seat until she was almost eight because we travelled through states that required she be in a seat until then. By the time she was eight, she was very obviously too tall for the booster.



Our youngest was rear facing until he was about 18 months, mostly due to the fact that he seemed much more happy and comfortable in that position. I turned him before he exceeded the weight limit, but after he was considered too tall. As our son grew, so did the car seat laws and he was required by law to stay in the car seat until he was nine. He had not grown as fast as our daughter, so he actually enjoyed sitting talled until he was almost ten. The reason he quit was because he was teased by a peer, not because he had exceeded limits or was uncomfortable.



Our state has bantered around the idea of adding 90 pounds over the last two years. At nearly 13, our stick of a boy would still be required a car seat and I do think that is going a little too far. We have several adult friends, one a 75 year old female, who would also fail to meet the 90 pound requirement. How would the state justify saying that a perfectly healthy 5'3", 90 pound thirteen year old must sit in a car seat while a frail 5'1", 80 pound woman can choose her comfort level.

Answer 7

I think that it's normal to keep a child in a rear facing car seat until the age of two, two and a half, or three. Then typically at the age of three or four they should be moved to a forward facing seat. By the age of seven or eight a child should be in a booster seat (which looks like this if you're not familiar with it http://www.meijer.com/s/graco-affix-backless-youth-booster-seat-sailor/_/R-246187;jsessionid=B60D83E53593CFA45D091A5BF2B14BA7.instance01?CAWELAID=1800131838&cagpspn=pla&cmpid=Google-G_US_Meijer_eCom_PLA_Baby_Toddler&kpid=1852663) A booster seat isn't really a car seat and it is customary for a child to stay in this until the age of eleven or twelve depending on how big they are. A booster seat may be what the mother with the nine year old may have been talking about. To be honest, I have to agree with you that it's a little weird to for a mother to keep a child rear facing until age six. In fact, those mothers who are keeping their children rear facing for that long may think they are doing the best thing for their kid, but in reality they are actually sabotaging their child's safety because they aren't following the height and weight guidelines for the car seats. It's actually unsafe to keep a child in a car seat that not meant for people their age because it won't protect them properly in the event of a crash.



Here are the official guidelines for car seats:

http://www.safercar.gov/parents/RightSeat.htm



...but it's really about how big the child is and not how old they are.

I have to say, though, I certainly support mother's keeping their children in a car seat until they fit properly into the seat belts. No one should be taking their child out of a car seat too early and increasing the risk of possible injury or death if they get in a car crash.

Answer 8

It is the law in most states for a child to be in a car seat until 80lbs because the seat belts do NOT fit them correctly and will not give the child the proper protection. My 8 year old daughter is 57lbs and in a booster car seat and my 5.5 year old son is 35lbs and in a front facing seat with a 5point harness. There is no way either of them are big enough physically for the seat belt made for and adult to keep them safe in case of an accident. When it comes to the safety of your child, then its not bizarre or creepy.

Answer 9

Age doesn't have anything to do with a child fitting under a regular seat belt... It's all about size.



My oldest child was out of her booster seat when she was 8. My youngest was a bit shorter and stayed in the booster until she was 10. If the seat belt doesn't fit properly, it can cause internal injuries to the child in case of a crash or the child can slip out and get thrown from the car. Keeping children in a car seat until the seat belt fits properly is neither "creepy" nor "bizarre". It's just common sense.

Answer 10

I think that if you follow whatever the current safety recommendations are, you can't go wrong. My kid was still in a booster at age nine. Age has nothing to do with safety, that would be based on height and weight. I get what you're saying though. We didn't even have seat belts when I was a kid, no helmets for riding bikes, none of that stuff. We as a society have learned more, a society moves forward by using that new knowledge, not fighting it.

Answer 11

I think it greatly depends on the child's size. For example, when I was a child, I did not need to be in a car seat or a booster seat starting at the age of seven or so because I was on the taller side. But it is etter to be on the safe side though because accidents do happen. But a rear facing car seat at 6? That is very odd and dangerous. My pediatrician told me to have my daughter in a front faced on by the time she was two.

Answer 12

It seems ridiculous to me, too, in a way. BUT - car seats are not based on age, but on size. If my child was small enough that a car seat would keep him or her safer, I would have kept them in a car seat until they were 20. My son died in a car crash at 17, and I would have done anything to prevent that - but he was a normal sized 17 year old, and they don’t even make car seats for someone that big. If I had had a dwarf child, or my child was incredibly small because of some other medical condition, I might have used a car seat, no matter what their age was.



>

Answer 13

Keep a kid in a car seat until the belts fit properly, or have your child killed in a car accident? I know which one I would prefer.



I don't find protecting my children "bizarre" or "creepy" in any fashion. I kept them in their carseats until they were both big enough to sit without them. My son is very small for his age, so he was, in fact, ten years old before he could sit without a booster of some sort. Otherwise, the strap cut across his throat. My daughter is 8, and just now big enough to sit without a booster.

Answer 14

They didn't have car-seats (or seat belts) when I was a kid. I sat in Mom's lap while Dad did the driving. The good 'ol days. From I've been told, when was two, we were hit from behind and my head smashed into the dashboard. That must have hurt!



But yeah...I think it's a bit silly to be sitting in a car seat at that age.

Now I have a weird image of seeing a car pull up next to me at a red light. I glance over and see a big 10 year old kid strapped into one of those things while sucking his thumb! Lol



Edit -

I was driving by the age of 12...accompanied by a 10 year old riding shot-gun ;)



Edit -

Lol at all the Thumbs Down. I thought the R&P section was bad. Perhaps a few people need to loosen the straps on their car seats?

Answer 15

That is... insane. I distinctly remember being three years old with a lap-belt as a child. The level of restrictions went from way too lenient to being absurdly strict. There isn't enough room for growing bodies to be cooped up by a car seat, my son is three and his car seat, which says until 50lbs, is far too big, he can't extend his feet all the way and it makes for an uncomfortable ride.



-EDIT-

WOW 5 thumbs down for such a mild opinion? You can't be serious, I have to say you all need to loosen your car seat straps a bit.

Answer 16

If that's how long it takes before the seat belt fits correctly, darn tootin' I'm keeping them in that long. It's not bizarre and creepy, nor is it extremist. If you've ever seen a child fly out from under a seat belt that doesn't fit right... THAT'S creepy.

Answer 17

Keep the child in the car seat to Prevernt accident

Answer 18

I was out of a car seat by age six( I only sat in the back). The seat beat didn't fit me quite right, so I put it under my arm. By age 10, my mom said she was tired of "chauffeuring" me around. I had to sit in the front seat.



I honestly think its ridiculous. I outgrew my car seat, and my parents couldn't find anything bigger. I didn't think they made car seats that big.

Answer 19

It's law people have to have their kid in a car seat until their 13. I've seen it. Clearly people don't follow this. Personally I don't think anyone needs to be in a car seat past 8, that's just my opinion.

Answer 20

bizarre and creepy to be sitting at a height in which a regular seatbelt will actually protect you properly in a crash?



let me guess how many serious car accidents you've been in.

Answer 21

Lol I know I mean its fine if you want to protect your child but those women are so extreme I know what Facebook page your talking about...there so extreme and almost know it alls. Very annoying



Escpecially young mothers that can't take care of themselves but try to take care of a baby!