Do you know the requirements for booster seats in your state? Here in Michigan, the law is 4’9″–are your kiddos riding safely?

This post was sponsored by The Michigan Office of Highway Safety Planning as part of an Influencer Activation for Influence Central and all opinions expressed in my post are my own.

It’s that time of year again: back to school. This also means early mornings and battling the carpool line. Shockingly, many of the kids I see hopping out of their parents cars are NOT in booster seats. My kids notice this too and ask “why do we still have booster seats?!”.

I totally get it–growing up quickly seems fun when you’re younger. My 4th grade twins don’t want to seem like babies among their peers. The problem is: they’re not at the right height! I’m actually planning on booster seats until at least middle school.

Since they’re twins, they’ve always been on the smaller side. They’re growing right on track for their growth curve–but not at a size I feel comfortable riding without a booster seat. Their younger sister Gabby, 7, is catching up quickly, but will also need a booster for quite some time still.

We take quite a few road trips and I always emphasize how much more comfortable a booster seat is. They have arm rests, a cup and snack holder and they can comfortably read, plus enjoy longer car rides. If they ever complain, I always pull the “I’m the adult and I know what’s best” card–ahh, they joys of motherhood!

Our little guy Liam, 13 months, is far from 4’9″…and he’ll be staying rear facing as long as possible. When the twins were little, we turned the car seat around at 12 months–but research changed that in 2011. In the car, safety is my #1 concern!

A quick refresher of Michigan laws for Booster Seat safety:

Your child must ride in the car with a booster seat until they are 4’9″. Adult seat belts do not protect your kiddos properly when they are shorter. SAFETY FIRST, right?
Many parents stop using booster seats too soon, which increases the risk of injury if an accident occurs. A shocking 49.7% of parents use boosters properly for kids aged 4-7. If you ever have any questions or concerns, this website has a lot of great resources for you.
For children aged 4-8, proper use of a booster seat can reduce the risk of serious injury in a crash by 45%. Totally worth it!