If a child is using either a toddler only car seat, or a convertible infant/toddler car seat, its time to transition the child into a booster car seat when he or she has outgrown the existing car seat restraints (usually at about 40 pounds), but is not yet ready for just seat belts (the minimum height recommended for a child to start using just seat belts is 4 9 ). Booster car seats can typically accommodate a child from 30 to 100 pounds (usually 4 to 8 years of age). Child car seat manufacturers are bound by very strict guidelines, and you may be surprised to find that some of the more expensive car seats don t provide any better level of protection than those which are more moderately priced.
Many State laws require children to be in a safety car seat only up to age 4 or so, and many parents assume that children who are older than this will be safely restrained by just an adult safety belt. This, however, is not the case. An automobile s seat belt system is designed for use by adults, not small children, and it usually will not fit a child properly. A booster car seat is designed to improve the fit of the vehicle s safety belt system across the child s body, for greater comfort and safety. (A booster car seat should never be positioned in front of an air bag, as deployment of the bag can cause serious (even fatal) injuries to a child.)
Booster car car seats are available with either a high back or a low back . High back car seats should always be used in cars without headrests, or with low seats, both to provide the child with a comfortable place to rest his or her head, and to provide protection against whiplash in an accident. Low back car seats are generally cheaper than high back car seats, and are easier to move from car to car, but should only be used in cars with headrests and high seat backs.
High back car seats are often available with a 5 point harness (when car seats are not being used with a harness, they are considered being used in the belt positioning mode). Using a harness is generally the safest way to restrain a child, and it is recommended that, if a harness is used, it be used until the child outgrows it (usually at about 40 pounds). There are also convertible toddler/booster child car seats available. These car seats can be used for children from the time they are ready to start using a toddler car seat until they are ready to start using just the car seats belts.
Booster car seats are designed to raise the child up so that the lap and shoulder seat belts fit properly. Belt positioning car seats must always be used with a car s lap and shoulder belt (never with a lap only belt). The car seat will raise a child so the lap belt goes over the child s pelvis and hips (instead of his or her abdomen), and the shoulder belt crosses the middle of the child s chest and shoulder (the car seat may have a clip that can be adjusted to ensure that the shoulder belt does not cross the child s face or neck). |
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