A Graduation of Sorts - Saying Goodbye to My Daughter's Car Seat
My daughter has achieved another milestone in her young life. I have just installed her brand new lavender-with-flowers booster seat into the back seat of my car. She's five and a half and is now apparently as cool as the rest of her kindergarten-age friends.
Letting go of the five-point harness was a tough one for me, as a mom and as an injury lawyer, and I probably kept her in a car seat for longer than most parents would. In fact, she had out-grown one LATCH system, and I insisted on buying her the largest Britax 5-pointer I could find out of concern for her safety (and over her protests of uncoolness.)
Time to grab another Kleenex as I realize just how quickly my kid is growing up. In the meantime, here is a summary of the current New York State Law with respect to Child Safety Seats. If you have a child and are considering switching to a booster, please make sure that you are complying with New York State Law regarding age, size and weight requirements:
- Any child under four must ride in a federally-approved child safety seat that's properly secured by a safety belt or a universal child restraint anchorage system.
- Any child under four, but who weighs more than 40 pounds, may be secured in a booster seat with a lap and shoulder belt.
- Any child who is four, five or six years old must be secured in a child safety seat or a booster seat with a lap and shoulder belt. However, any child more more than four feet nine inches, or who exceeds 100 pounds, can instead use a seat belt equipped with both a lap belt and shoulder harness.
- If all safety seats are occupied, a child who would normally require a booster seat should instead be secured by a lap belt.
- Every rider under 16 must use a seat belt.
You can find the complete section of the Vehicle and Traffic Law here.
My recommendation: Assuming they haven't outgrown it, try to keep your child in a five-point harness for as long as possible and resist the temptation of the booster seat. Periodically check the LATCH points and make sure that the seat is snug and stable per installation directions.
And hey, while you are at it, pull out your vacuum and clean up the Goldfish crumbs. They really do get everywhere.
