Does a 7 yo need a car seat?

[Neera]

I am watching my nephew today for a half a day. He is 7. My brother and wife think it should be ok but they are not sure. I know reading the age was 8 and I forgot the weight part. But, he is skinny so I think he doesn't make the weight.

thanks.

[Ragana]

I am no expert, but doesn't height matter, too? There were people who wanted to put my DD in a booster when her head was over the headrest when she sat in it. That didn't seem safe (no head support), so we took her out of the booster at that point. I am pretty sure she hadn't met the weight requirement. Correct me if I'm wrong!

[SweetSilver]

A good car seat can accommodate a child up to 48" and 65lbs.  (But I find that my dd's legs are already a bit long and often complains about legs falling asleep.)  For booster seats, a child needs one until they can sit buckled in and have the belt cross their bodies without crossing the neck.   There's not so much a weight requirement as a weight limit for car seats.   And a height limit, too.  Each one will have a different maximum.

     So, the issue is your son's height, not his weight.  Is he taller than 48"?  If so, he needs a booster seat, not a car seat.  And he needs it all the time.  (Oh, gee, sis, I know for a fact that I'm not getting into an accident today!)

     Forgive me if I repeated myself.  I need coffee!

[4evermom]

It'll depend on the car, too.  There was a time when ds was about 8 1/2 when he needed a booster in my mom's little neon but not our minivan.  The minivan seat was shallower so his knees bent at the seat edge and the shoulder harness was mounted lower so it went across his shoulder, not his neck.

[LynnS6]

Is he 4'9"? 80 lbs? 8 years old? Can he meet the 5 point test?

The 5 point test

1. The child should sit all the way back against the seat.

2. The child's knees should bend comfortably at the end of the seat.

3. The lap belt should be touching the top of the thighs, and not the stomach.

4. The shoulder belt should be centered on the shoulder and chest. It should not cut across the neck.

5. The child needs to stay seated like this for the whole trip.

He should be these things before giving up a car seat. So in reality, most children are somewhere between 9 and 11 before they're tall enough to give up a car seat. Our son actually fails the weight part (he's 4'11", 10 years old and 71 lbs after a good meal), but he meets the 5 point test easily (we've got a smaller car), and the booster was raising his head so far that it was above the headrest and I was worried about whiplash (my kids have got looong torsos).

The other thing is that even if he passes the test, his hip bones may not be strong enough to withstand the impact of a crash at 7. A 9 or 10 year old's bones are stronger. (FYI, ds, who's in the 90th-95th percentile for height didn't move out of the booster until he just turned 9.)

I would get a cheap belt positioning booster, or insist on using his seat.

[Maedze]

Unless he is astronomically tall (only 50% of ELEVEN YEAR OLDS are tall enough to ride without a booster), a 7 year old MUST have a belt positioning booster.   

You cannot drive the car without him in one.   In most states (assuming USA here) it's illegal.  And internationally, in a crash it could be deadly. 

A backless booster is a fine option for this scenario.  He must be in a vehicle seating position with a lap-shoulder belt (lap-belt only is very dangerous), and either vehicle seatback or vehicle head rest support to the *tops of his ears* minimally.   The Harmony Literider is an inexpensive option (13.50).  Also consider the Cosco Ambassador, the Graco Turbobooster, and the Evenflo Amp. 

Originally Posted by Neera 

I am watching my nephew today for a half a day. He is 7. My brother and wife think it should be ok but they are not sure. I know reading the age was 8 and I forgot the weight part. But, he is skinny so I think he doesn't make the weight.

thanks.

[LynnS6]

Originally Posted by Maedze 

Unless he is astronomically tall (only 50% of ELEVEN YEAR OLDS are tall enough to ride without a booster), a 7 year old MUST have a belt positioning booster.

Wow, really! I was way off in my estimate of when most kids are able to get out of a booster. I guess I must know tall kids! (At dd's current rate of growth, she'll be 9 or 10 too by the time she's out.)

[bandgeek]

He'll likely need a booster.  You can get one for as little as $13.50 at walmart.  You may want to convince his parents to continue using it in their car.

[CarrieMF]

It depends on where you live legally.  here they don't need a carseat or booster at that age.

As for where the seatbelt is positioned on them I don't think there can be a rule on that.  Seat belts don't go across my hips & they always come across my neck no matter where I adjust the seatbelt to & I'm well above the age, height and weight limits.

[Ragana]

Originally Posted by CarrieMF 

It depends on where you live legally.  here they don't need a carseat or booster at that age.

As for where the seatbelt is positioned on them I don't think there can be a rule on that.  Seat belts don't go across my hips & they always come across my neck no matter where I adjust the seatbelt to & I'm well above the age, height and weight limits.

Same here about the driver's seatbelt.

[Maedze]

"legally" is completely irrelevant.   The consequences of not using a booster can be paralysis or death.   

An adult with a poor fitting seatbelt is at risk, but not nearly the risk of a undeveloped child without a booster.

The 'rules' of physics are that 7 year olds do not fit in seatbelts.  Therefore the 'rules' that PHYSICS (not 'they') make is that seatbelts can injure or kill children, if they are not using boosters. 

Originally Posted by CarrieMF 

It depends on where you live legally.  here they don't need a carseat or booster at that age.

As for where the seatbelt is positioned on them I don't think there can be a rule on that.  Seat belts don't go across my hips & they always come across my neck no matter where I adjust the seatbelt to & I'm well above the age, height and weight limits.

[Maedze]

Originally Posted by LynnS6 

Wow, really! I was way off in my estimate of when most kids are able to get out of a booster. I guess I must know tall kids! (At dd's current rate of growth, she'll be 9 or 10 too by the time she's out.)

4'9" is 50th percentile (dead average!) for both eleven year old boys and girls 

[Neera]

Thanks for the information. I got dd to go to her grandparent's and had my nephew use her car seat.

[Maedze]

Good work!    Did your nephew meet the height and weight restrictions for your child's seat? 

[MJB]

My 8 year old is 4'6" and still in a booster for now but I have let him ride without a booster on occasion in his grandma's VW bug where he passes the 5-step test. I would not feel comfortable driving a 7 year old without a booster even though legally kids don't have to be in a booster at 7 in my state. 

[Neera]

I don't know about height as I don't know where the info. on the car seat is but I know he met the weight. Also, I was just driving him locally to drop him off not v. far from where we live.

 

Originally Posted by Maedze 

Good work!    Did your nephew meet the height and weight restrictions for your child's seat? 

[Maedze]

Originally Posted by Neera 

I don't know about height as I don't know where the info. on the car seat is but I know he met the weight. Also, I was just driving him locally to drop him off not v. far from where we live.

 

Do you know the name of the seat? what kind of seat was it? (convertible, comination in harness mode, combination in booster mode, high back booster, backless booster.)


A seat that is inappropriate for a child's body type can be just as dangerous as no seat at all.

[Neera]

it's a forward-facing toddler harnessed car seat

 

Originally Posted by Maedze 



Do you know the name of the seat? what kind of seat was it? (convertible, comination in harness mode, combination in booster mode, high back booster, backless booster.)


A seat that is inappropriate for a child's body type can be just as dangerous as no seat at all.

[SweetSilver]

Car seat or booster seat?  I think most height limits on *car seats* (seat belt is used to secure seat, a harness is used to secure child) is around 4'.  You cannot be safe in a car seat above this height.  Yes, check the manufacturer's website for info.  The instruction tag is supposed to be left attached to the car seat, or the info is printed on a sticker on the side or front (or somewhere, you might even have to take it out).  A *booster seat*, which uses the seat belt to secure the child, is appropriate for those over the *height limit* of the car seat.  The weight limit on the car seat is intended for those kids who exceed the weight limit before exceeding the height limit.

[insidevoice]

I wouldn't have a seven year old out of a booster- at the very least.  My nearly 10yo very tall 73lb DD is just moving out of a booster in our van.  She does still need it in other vehicles though.  She's in that awkward in-between point where the booster lifts her too high in our car to have head support, but in other cars, a backless booster puts her at the right point.

Unless the seven year old is HUGE, I just don't see them being big enough, and I certainly don't see enough hip bone development to keep them safe.