View Full Version : Children up to 11 still need child seats
Sarah
28-02-2006, 09:17 PM
Taken from the Mothercare website:
Children up to 11 still need child seats
Currently the law allows children over the age of 3 to travel without an appropriate restraint. As a result, 63% of parents stop using car seats by the time their child is 6, and 74% of 10-11 year olds travel without a car seat. (Source Department of Transport News Release 2004/2005.)
But the law is about to change - by May 2006 it will be illegal to let a child under 11 travel without a car seat. Children under 5ft/150cm tall (approx. 11 years old) aren’t sufficiently developed to travel without a child car seat or booster seat. Using an adult seat belt before a child is sufficiently developed may put them at higher risk of internal injury, particularly if the belt does not fit properly across the pelvis.
Mothercare supports this move by offering an extensive range of highback booster seats designed for children right up to 36kg/79lbs (approx. 11 years).
we only have one still in a booster seat, the 10 year old is much too big for a booster seat, height and weight so it won't affect us. However I'm not sure that any one will take much notice that that does not use a car seat already tbh .
Personally I can see the sense of it !
L xx
Patti odoors
28-02-2006, 09:45 PM
we only have one still in a booster seat, the 10 year old is much too big for a booster seat, height and weight so it won't affect us. However I'm not sure that any one will take much notice that that does not use a car seat already tbh .
Personally I can see the sense of it !
L xx
Its true, those people who have half a dozen kids, loose in the back of the car are not going to worry about this. Read a similar article in the Daily Mail today although height restriction was different {I think it was 4ft 5in} because my husband measured Emily to check {She was 4ft 2}. How will the police have time to monitor it when they have to spend so much time doing other things. Also does this mean that adults under 5ft if Mothercare are correct have to sit on a booster seat.SIL is a squirt and uses a cushion which i don't think is safe but can't wait to tell her she has to have a booster seat :hysterica
essexgirl
28-02-2006, 10:39 PM
my dd 7 and she has a booster seat i agree with the law i think in my dd case she is to small for a adult seat belt
Sarah
28-02-2006, 10:43 PM
I think they should bring in a law banning the use of lapstraps for children too, they are lethal. We have Isobel's big car seat in the lapstrap, I won't ever let mine use it. I think most modern cars don't have them now.
Sarah x
Tinkabell
28-02-2006, 11:04 PM
OMG I need a car seat I am only 4ft 11. Our car has booster seats built in and if eldest dd (9) uses them her legs are too high up and she cannot sit properly.
Lap belts can case more damage then not wearing one, dh had do a course on this and he said it was horrible to see what damage a lap belt can do.
essexgirl
28-02-2006, 11:20 PM
I think they should bring in a law banning the use of lapstraps for children too, they are lethal. We have Isobel's big car seat in the lapstrap, I won't ever let mine use it. I think most modern cars don't have them now.
Sarah x
i agree my car has got proper seat belt in all three seats in the back i think thay should ban lapstraps dd sit in the middle but i would never let her sit in middle in just a lapstrap there just not safe
I hope they are going to design some car seats that don't take up as much space as all the ones I have at the moment because according to that 5 of my kids need seatbelts and its almost impossible to fit two car seats next to each other,
I think its a good idea on the whole though if I had my way my kids would all be in car seats till the age of 12 unfortantly its not always that practical
Sarah
28-02-2006, 11:28 PM
Azzi "5 of your kids"?? How many do you have!!
bikemad
28-02-2006, 11:30 PM
:laugh: :wacko: Id love to see sd in a booster seat!!!!!:smiley-fa She is not 5ft yet but is a size 12-14 n fat n would break a booster seat.:laugh:
Lap belts are lethal-refuse to let either of ours use them.
Azzi "5 of your kids"?? How many do you have!!
6, 7 if you count my angel
Sarah
28-02-2006, 11:40 PM
Gosh!
As my ds is short for his age he'll probably need one later than 11 but i know that quite a few of the kids in his class (he's inyr3) haven't been on a booster seat for a few years.
kathyhinsh
01-03-2006, 11:27 AM
Well I'm going 2 have 2 go out & buy 1 now 2! Ds hasnt had 1 in 3yrs I think?
& I agree about lap belts, cos also they NEVER fit right either!
inchtwinkle
01-03-2006, 01:30 PM
OMG I need a car seat I am only 4ft 11.
pmsl, bless my poor mum just passes then shes 5ft 1",
we got jake his bigger car seat from argos cost £30, but you can remove the back, and it is a booster seat, quite glad we chose that one now, plus you can remove the covers and clean it,
Sarah
01-03-2006, 01:32 PM
I think you are classed as 'substantially developed enough....' Kerri :)
bikemad
01-03-2006, 02:50 PM
As my ds is short for his age he'll probably need one later than 11 but i know that quite a few of the kids in his class (he's inyr3) haven't been on a booster seat for a few years.
Same here ds is tiny so he wil prob still be in one age 15.:hysterica
Tinkabell
01-03-2006, 03:46 PM
I think you are classed as 'substantially developed enough....' Kerri :)
but I wanted one for if I start my driving lessons again, I normally have to sit on a cushion.
we have one of these http://store.babycenter.com/product/discontinued_gear/1715
bought it when I was using an estate car with a middle lap belt as I was NOT going to put any of the girls into a belt that could cause more harm that it was meant to prevent
If you contact Britax they can send details of UK sites that stock these, there are not many and at £50 its not a cheap alternative BUT it is worth it.
Newer cars do seem to have 3 point harnesses in the middle now which is much better - but I do think it's time for manufacturers to stop using car seats as an accessory item - the bigger and more fancy the better and concentrate on practical and able to fit more than one in a mini !
L xx
wish there was something like that for older kids to use on a lapbelt
it says up to 60pound so how old would that be then ??
Seren
02-03-2006, 10:04 AM
I hope they are going to design some car seats that don't take up as much space as all the ones I have at the moment because according to that 5 of my kids need seatbelts and its almost impossible to fit two car seats next to each other,
I think its a good idea on the whole though if I had my way my kids would all be in car seats till the age of 12 unfortantly its not always that practical
we panicked when we saw this as we only have 3 children but would not be able to use the car with all 3 in the back ! Evidently if you have more than 2 that fit the criteria you will be given consideration depending on your car size and how many you have under the age of 11. Not sure where Dh got this info from but I hope it's right.
Ds is 8 and I have always had him in a car seat a lot of my friends discard it as soon as the child goes to school.
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