wwyd...friend already put 3yo in a booster w/o harness??

[ctmom]

Her dd is on the small side, I would say 30-32lbs so I know it is "recommended" that she be harnesses until at least 40lbs, but is it a law in NY?? Is the law only to be in a booster?? My biggest problem I have with this is that I have discussed boosters with this friend because when I was looking to put my 4yo in one I turned to her for advice because she has a ds who is now 6 and she told me then that her ds was in a non-harnessed at 3yo/30lbs. When I did some research and talked to my ped and found out the guidelines were 40lbs/4yo I told her and she shrugged it off, but I figured she would go by these guidelines for her dd who was still in a Roundabout when I put my dd in a booster. So my question is, should I talk to her AGAIN about the "guidelines" or if they are "laws" she I tell her that and maybe she will then listen???

Thanks for you advice...

[Joni]

I'm not sure of the laws in NY but I do know that its not recommended. That said, my daughter is 3.5 and 31 lbs and has yet again grown out of another carseat and is now in a booster. You say that the child is small, and the issue with most boosters is where they adjust the shoulder belt. If she is short, I'm sure that the booster isn't working right. My daughter is 40 inches and when she grew out of her convertible 6 months ago, we concidered a booster but she was just a little too short for it so we bought a combo that could keep her harnessed longer. We were hoping for a year but we got six months. I usually suggest keeping them harnesses as long as possible but as long as her booster is certified for someone her height and weight (they vary significantly on their specs) then she's okay. Obviously not the best choice but its better than not using one.
I'd carefully mention that its best to stay harnessed and ask her why she chose to go to a booster. Maybe she has a really good idea. 3 is pretty young but if she's a mature 3 year old it may be okay.
JONI CPST

[Joolsplus2]

Wow, that took a lot of research to look up! But what I found is bad news for your friend's kid...legally, he only needs to be in some kind of seat till age 7, it doesn't matter what. Some states really specify what type of seats and everything, but not New York :(
http://www.hwysafety.org/safety%5Ffacts/state%5Flaws/restrain2.htm (I had to read around a few places, and this was it in a nutshell...)

If she's so resistant to harnessed seats, she probably doesn't use them properly, anyway (99% of them are used wrong, so she's sadly not alone, I hate to say), and maybe he's better off in a properly used booster? (wishful thinking... sigh..I know...).

Just make sure she uses the booster correctly, if it comes up (no shoulderbelt under the arm, seatbelt place properly under the armrests if the seat has them, shoulder belt guide adjusted to his shoulder).
Julie CPS Tech and mom to 2 in seats
http://www.cpsafety.com/articles/RFAlbum/SarahMA.aspx