Anonymous wrote:a 55 lb 9 year old??? Wow, that's tiny. I think my 6 yo may weight that.
I think the law in MD is in a booster until age 8. My kids are average size and wanted out of the booster a few months before turning 8 but I insisted on waiting.
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:I have 53 pounds 10 year old. I think the age portion of the law doesn't really relate to safety only to give kids an out when they get older. She is still in a booster. I am not sure she will be there until she is 4'9 but I have no plans to take her out now at 4 ft tall.
http://fha.maryland.gov/ohpetup/kiss/pdf/New_Booster_Law.pdf
Law is under 8 unless child is taller than 4 ft 9 or weighs 65 pounds
8 on is either child restraint or seat belt.
My child at 8 weighed 80 pounds and was 53 inches so we moved him to the seat belt earlier.(yes he is on the bigger side, he has alwyays been 90th for height and off the chart for weight)
Anonymous wrote:I think you are making a mistake buying a Radian for a 5 year old child. Seriously. I just sold my Radian 65 two weeks ago and my child is going to be 6 this summer. The 5 pt. harnesses ARE safer, but they are less practical as a child ages (THAT's why none of us use them as adults -- unless you are a racecar driver). You need a booster seat, preferrably a highback one that goes up to 100 lbs. (that is the typical weight).
Trust me -- your 7 yr. old is not going to want to ride in a 5 pt. harness. It will be very inconvenient when you drop him off at school in the carpool line or pick him up (parents are not supposed to get out of the car usually). It will be very difficult to move it to another car for carpooling (i.e. scout/sports trips, etc.). If any of the other kids see it, they will wonder why your child is in a baby seat. While I know safety trumps what's fashionable, it's just NOT necessary to keep your child in a 5 pt. harness at 10!
Get a highback booster (which you can get for $30-40) and make sure he knows how to sit still so his shoulder is behind the seat belt. The kid is growing up --- whether you want him to or not. A Booster is the right seat at this age. (However, if you feel compelled to keep him ina 5 pt. harness for another year, go with the Radian 65 -- it's a great seat!)
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:PP here - forgot to add that my 6.75 y.o. is 65 lbs. but he is tall for his age.
Wow. My 12 yr old is 60 pounds. He does not use a booster for sure. He may not reach 80lbs until he is 16.
Do you feed this child?
Anonymous wrote:
My child at 8 weighed 80 pounds and was 53 inches so we moved him to the seat belt earlier.(yes he is on the bigger side, he has alwyays been 90th for height and off the chart for weight)
Anonymous wrote:PP here - forgot to add that my 6.75 y.o. is 65 lbs. but he is tall for his age.
Wow. My 12 yr old is 60 pounds. He does not use a booster for sure. He may not reach 80lbs until he is 16.
Anonymous wrote:My 10 yr old will use the Britax booster (forgot the model name) that has the head rest/side support. But only because I basically won't transport him anywhere without it, and he has no choice. And he knows his mother is safety-crazed. But even I won't go as far as making him use a 5 pt harness, even though he would physically still fit into one. His 5 yr old brother on the other hand, is still in one. So to the PP who said it's not safe: completely wrong, as long as it is height/weight rated appropriately. We'd all be better off in them, but most of us would balk at fumbling around with the clips, dealing with the wrinkles in our clothing, etc.