Moms Talk: Should Children Use Car Seats At Age 8?

Each week in Moms Talk, our Alpharetta-Milton Moms Council of experts and smart moms take your questions, give advice and share solutions. And then you get to chime in through the comments' section below.

As soon as children are old enough to talk, they are asking when they can get out of their car seats. Some babies scream the entire time they are in the car because they despise the restraints so much. But, we know that restraining children is the safest way for them to ride in vehicles, and it is the law.  

Q: Georgia legislators are considering a new bill. The bill would require car booster seats for children up to age 8 or under 40 pounds and 4 feet 9 inches tall. 
The current law contains those measurements, but waives them if a child is 6 years old.What is your opinion on this? Do you think children should be in a booster seat until they are 8 years old or over 40 pounds and 4 foot 9? 

A: I am well past the car seat stage with my kids.  I thought it was painful waiting until they were 4 years old to move them out of a booster seat!

The average 5 year old is about 40 pounds, so I suppose this would only affect smaller or lighter than average kids. Perhaps those are the kids they're finding have more serious injuries when not in a booster, in which case, parents of these kids may need laws to help them understand when its safe to move out of the booster seat.  

But I'm no expert on what is safe and what is not, so I hate to leave it to my opinion and what is convenient to the parent. Having said that, there is always a safer way to do every thing and at some point you need to strike a balance between safety and practicality. 

Sorry, I'm not one to buy into the "Don't tell me how to raise my kids" campaign.  I think every kid deserves to benefit from the latest science. 

Audrey Greenwood, mom of 3

A: I have 3 children. My oldest child is 10 and obviously I do not require him to sit in a booster seat. My other two are 6 and 8.

My 6 year old weighs in at 49 pounds so by weight, he qualifies to be out of the booster. Height wise, he does not make the cut with the new law. I am perfectly all right  with this. He complains, but I just tell him its the law, not me.

My daughter is 8. She weighs 50 pounds and I do not think she qualifies to be out of a booster seat height wise either, but she would because of the age. I still make her use a booster seat. She has low tone in her muscles and is weaker than other children her age. She is more like a rag doll. I want her as secure as possible in the car if there ever were a problem. She does not complain simply because she knows she will not win the argument. I do not feel that the regular car seat strap fits on her shoulder at the correct spot to hold her securely. This is especially true if she falls asleep.

I think that stronger laws for car seats should be enforced. I see too many children riding in the front seat at a young age or jumping around the back while their parents drive down the highway. If parents are not going to protect their own children, the government should.

Tammy Bester, mom of 3