Is She Ready for a Booster

This is the one I use.
http://www.nhtsa.gov
Then click on child safty seats. Good luck.

C.

Both those kids are way, way too young for a booster!
www.car-seat.org is a great site for info on car seat safety.
Here's a page that speaks to booster seats: http://www.car-seat.org/showthread.php?t=9009

Remember that each step up in carseats is a step down in safety. If she will still fit ok in her current seat, no need to spend money now to put her into a seat that'll be less safe, regardless of age.
If she does need a new seat soon - if she's outgrowing her current one - a good seat for a 3.5 yr old is the Graco Nautilus. It is a combination seat, forward facing only, but harnesses to 65 lbs, and then turns into a good booster up to 100 lbs. (high-back and then backless). (Many other seats that advertise as harness, then booster, do not make good boosters. THis includes almost all 3-in-1 seats, that rear-face, then forward-face, then booster - the booster almost always is a poor fit for the majority of kids). ANother good combination seat is the Britax frontier - harnesses to 80, then boosters to 100 - but it costs twice as much as the Nautilus

What's the rush? They are so much more safer in a 5pt harness. I plan on keeping my almost 4yr and almost 2yr old harnessed until at least 65lbs or until they outgrow the height of their seats. A lot of kids have died from being put into booster seats too early. Look up on youtube.com bellas gift, the kyle miller foundation and there's another one the girls name is toni. Each step up in carseat is a step down in safety. Please don't put your child into a booster until the bare minimum of 5yrs AND 40lbs, not or both. I would highly recommend getting a higher harnessed carseat like graco naulitus, safety 1st apex(the cheapest less than $100), britax marathon and learning curve true fit-just to name a few.

Here's a website I like from American Academy of Pediatrics: www.aap.org/family/Carseatguide.htm

Good luck!

For a booster she has to be 5 years old AND over 40 lbs. It used to be 4 years and 40 lbs., but was changed recently. To go boosterless kids must be 6 AND OVER 60 lbs.

Here's some info - http://www.dmv.org/nm-new-mexico/safety-laws.php#Child_Sa...

So if she's 3.5 years, she still has a year and a half in a 5 pt. harness seat. What was confusing to me when buying a new seat for my son was that some car seat manufacturers refer to their 5 pt. harness safety seat as "boosters" if they are front facing only. The law refers to boosters as seats where the child is secured with a car seat belt, not a separate 5 pt. harness.

This site with a car seat terms glossary may help
http://babyproducts.about.com/od/carseatglossary/Car_Seat...

Good luck!

I can't find the website I was looking at, but I remember the guidelines. I have a 3 1/2 year old, too. The booster with a back is just the same as a front facing carseat. So whatever the weight/ height for the booster you want to buy, will apply. I was researching the boosters w/ out a back (because I will soon be traveling w/ two kids and thought it would be less trouble to transport) I came to find out that he has to be 4O lbs to use one of those.

My son is a NM State Police officer so I went to him for info. Go to Google Type in New Mexico State Statutes; click on Conway Greene Co- NM statutes and Rules. when this comes up on the left side you will see 2008 NMSA 1978 click on that. go to Statutory Chapters in NM Statutes. click on Ch. 66 Motor Vehicles. go to Article 7. Click on Part 4 scroll down to 667369 Child Passenger Restraint. It will tell you when she will be ready for a booster and what kind. Hope this helps.

REAR-FACING SEATS in the back seat from birth to at least 1 year old and at least 20 pounds.

FORWARD-FACING TODDLER SEATS in the back seat from age 1 and 20 pounds to about age 4 and 40 pounds.

BOOSTER SEATS in the back seat from about age 4 to at least age 8, unless 4'9" tall.

SAFETY BELTS at age 8 and older or taller than 4'9". All children age 12 and under should ride in the back seat.

This information comes from: National Highway TrafficSafty Administration
http://www.nhtsa.gov/portal/site/nhtsa/template.MAXIMIZE/...

I'm not sure about the guidelines in NM, but I do know the guidelines of keeping my kids safe. I asked my daughter's doctor at her 3-year old check up about whether to switch her or not, but he advised that although she's tall enough to transition (she's off the charts in height & weight), he suggested that I keep her in a 5-point harness as long as she fits in it to keep her safe. Her current car seat fits kids up to 60 lbs, and after thinking about it, I started to realize that I was wanting to change her for my own convenience, not because she was outgrowing what she was in. Keep her safe and leave her in the 5-point harness if you can. She will be out of it before you know it! Good luck.

I would say to call your local fire department. If they don't know they can definitely direct you to someone who should. Also- your pediatrician should know as well.

I Googled child seat laws and found a site that lists all states (iihs.org). For NM is says:

younger than 1 year in a rear-facing infant seat; 1 through 4 years or less than 40 pounds in a child safety seat; 5 through 6 or less than 60 pounds in a booster seat

I hope this helps. We didn't move our kids to booster seat until they were four or five years old.

Thanks you for being a concerned parent who cares enough to do the right thing for your children. Unfortunately there are many who don't.