"I don't need a booster. Can't I sit up front?" Get the facts.

Older kids, Car seats. Does it go by height or weight? When can they stop using a booster with a back? When can they stop using a backless booster. I just let my son stop, because he is finally over 70 pounds. My sisters daughter is 10, she is the same height as me, weighs much less. She is sitting in the front seat. Am I right? Or is my son right, and I am a crazy over protective mother? You get so much information about baby & toddler car seats. People stop educating you when your kids age.

Laura, in Pennsylvania

What an important question! Not that last one – if you’re a crazy overprotective mother, you can’t tell by this question (your son’s opinion notwithstanding!). Infant and toddler seats are based mostly on weight (although height plays a role). For booster and front seat decisions, the issue is height and age, and most parents are unsure about the guidelines, Laura. You're not alone! Booster seats save kids in two ways. First of all, they provide back and neck support in a crash. Even more importantly, they make the seat belt fit correctly so that the bones and organs inside the body are protected. All the recommendations I am about to mention are fully endorsed by the American Academy of Family Physicians and the American Academy of Pediatrics. Laws vary state to state but if you follow these you can’t go wrong, and will be obeying the law as well.

Out of toddler seat, into booster:

Lower age limit

: 4 years old. AND

Height

: when your child’s shoulders are above the top harness slots OR his ears are above the back of the seat.

Backless booster depends on the car, as well as the child

:

Car

: has seat and/or head rest that is taller than your child

Child

: tall enough that (even when slouching) the shoulder strap of the seatbelt hits her shoulder and never her neck or throat.

Out of a booster and into just a lap/shoulder seat belt:

Lower age limit

: 8 years old AND

Height

: when your child is 4 feet 9 inches tall. NOT when your child is old enough to beg and plead and fuss that he isn’t a baby. Your toddler didn’t like his car seat, and you strapped him in anyway, right?

Sitting in the front seat:

Lower age limit

: 13 years old AND

Height

: At least 4 feet 9 inches tall. Why can't a big 11 year old sit up front? His skeleton is not ready for the impact of airbag or dashboard in the same way as the skeleton of a (smaller) adult is. The BIGGEST KILLER of children between the ages of 4 and 16 is motor vehicle accidents. And for every child that is killed each year in a car accident, there are another 18 that are hospitalized after a crash. I know kids hate this. They want more proof that they are growing up. Don’t cave in to the whining, pleading or demanding. Be firm and save their lives. Even if it isn’t your child, imagine how you’d feel if anything happened to a kid in your car. Please, spread the word.