Buckling Under Pressure

I burst a first-grader’s bubble the other day. We were all set to go on one of the last water park outings of the summer, and as he was about to climb into our car, I stopped him. “What about your car seat?” I asked.

He gave me a highly insulted look, the kind only a perturbed 6-year-old can muster, but before he could say anything his mom jumped in. “Oh, he’s tall enough,” his mom replied. “He doesn’t need one.”

We stood there discussing it for a bit. She was pretty sure she was right, I was pretty sure she was wrong. I think she gave in only because I’d have been the one paying the $50 citation plus court costs for violating the booster seat law in Missouri – and because our destination was Illinois, I could potentially have been set back another $50 on that side of the river.

So what are the rules?

In Illinois, it’s very clear-cut. Kids under 8 must be in a child safety seat.

In Missouri, it’s a bit complicated, and that’s where the confusion arose in our situation. My friend was right that the law is under age 8 OR under 80 pounds OR under a certain height. However, that height is 4 feet 9 inches – and her son definitely was not there yet.

When I got home, I googled it and forwarded her the link in order to save her $50 should she ever be pulled over. (I haven’t asked, but I’m pretty sure her son was not impressed.) She would have stood a higher-than-normal chance of being pulled over this week – it’s National Child Passenger Safety Week, and some police jurisdictions, including St. Louis County, are actively looking for child restraint violations.

Here’s the rundown on what they’re looking for:

In Illinois, the laws around child restraints aren’t very specific. Children under age 8 need to be properly secured, but beyond that, parents are encouraged to follow National Highway Transportation Safety Administration recommendations.

In Missouri, children age 4 to 7 need to be secured in a child convertible or booster seat unless they are over 80 pounds or 4 feet 9 inches. Children under age 4 and weighing less than 40 pounds need to be in a “child passenger restraint system.” Children under 16 must wear seat belts.

Babies younger than age 1 and weighing less than 20 pounds should be in a rear-facing child seat. This is not explicitly part of Missouri’s law; it’s an NHTSA recommendation that most pediatricians and safety experts go by.

If your kids are in the right seats at the right ages, congrats. But the safety experts have one more question: Are the seats are actually installed correctly? Don’t know?  You can find out without an appointment at several locations around the St. Louis area. Visit the NHTSA Child Seat homepage to find a site near your ZIP code.

By Amy De La Hunt, Health Blogger for SmartParenting