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Booster Car Seat |
When Should Your Child Use A Booster Car Seat?
How do you know it’s time to use a booster car seat? When your child is too big for a regular child
car seat and yet too small to sit in your car's seat and safely wear the car seat belts.
How can you tell?
Generally they are too big if
- your child exceeds the rated weight for their child car seat, or
- their shoulders are higher than the top-most harness slot or
- their ears are above the top of their child car seat.
They are too small to sit in the car seat and use vehicle belts if the lap belt does
not sit across their hips or the shoulder belt crosses their body too high (like their neck).
There are two basic types of booster seats. The convertible, which starts out as a child car seat
using a five-point harness to secure the child. It can then be changed to a booster car seat when your child
gets older. When your child reaches about thirty pounds, this type of booster car seat provides height for
your child to safely wear a standard vehicle seat belt. Some will have built-in guides to help you position
the shoulder and lap belt just right.
The other type of booster car seat has no harness and is strictly for use as a booster.
It is made for children thirty to eighty pounds. It raises your child up and provides safe positioning for
vehicle seat belts. If you need it, you can find a booster car seat capable of supporting children up to one
hundred pounds.
Many child car seat companies make different types of booster car seats, so reading the
manufacturers directions is usually necessary to determine proper weight guidelines for selecting a booster
car seat. When shopping on-line many sites will provide simple and quick ways for you to find the right one
from many different manufacturers.
Booster car seats come in a variety of styles, prints, patterns and colors. You should be able
to find one to fit your car, your style, or your child's preference. With materials from leather to denim,
to cotton and blends you’ll have plenty to choose from. Again, many on-line shopping sites make it easy to
see and compare.
For children ages three to eight, and sometimes older, the best way for them to safely ride in
a car is with a booster car seat.
Remember that all children should ride in the back seat, never the front, with or without a booster
car seat.
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