What is correct/safe age to put a child in a booster seat with a 5 point harness? I thought it was 40 lbs. and 4 years of age, but packaging says they can start as early as age 2? I get conflicting info. when I look up online. Thanks for any input!
Thanks for all of the great info! I found some that will be safe and that can let my kids be in a 5 point harness up to 65 pounds. Not cheap buying a set for the twins, but worth it in safety.
Depends on the seat. You might look up the exact model that you have for requirements. Ours started at 22lbs. We put my oldest one in her chair when she was 2 1/2 and she stayed in it until she was 5.
4 yrs and 40lbs(whichever comes last) is when you can put them in a booster using the cars belt system and stop using the 5 pt harness. As far as switching them from an infant seat to the car/booster with the harness, I would look at your current seat and its specifications. If in doubt, when my kids were little the fire dept was trained in carseat safety. You could go there and they would tell you if it is proper for your child and if it is properly installed in the vehicle.
We have been wondering the same thing and checked on Consumer Reports. They say that although there are boosters with 5 pt harnesses, it's for those children who are above average weight. They say it's not safe to keep a child in a 5 pt harness after 40 lbs unless they have not met the age requirement of 4 years old. They say that once a child reaches both of those, it is important to not use the harness but to use the car's safety belt. Our son doesn't turn 4 until Dec, so we haven't gotten one yet. But we found that the highest rated booster is a backless one that is, fortunately, inexpensive.
Good luck!
just thought I'd add, you can actually get a 5 pt harness seat up to 100 lbs, you just have to look for it. I think there are at least 3 or so good, reasonably priced ones out there. I read or saw a story on booster seats a couple years ago that convinced me to go this route. I'd JUST purchased a new booster (his first) for my 5 year old when I saw this story -think it was a 4 or 5 yr old girl killed in a car accident from a very minor accident because she was in a booster. The claim was that had she been in a 5pt harness, she would've survived. I immediately put it up and bought this 5 pt harness that he has now. It was about $100, but will last until 100 lbs (I won't keep him in that long obviously). I can't remember the website where I got the info, but shouldn't be too hard to find. I know this wasn't your question, but thought I'd share...I was glad to know. I actually think I got it off mamasource! Good luck to you...gosh w/twins, I bet it gets expensive!!
AWESOME resource:
