Travel Baby

If a child is using either a toddler only seat, or a ‘convertible’ infant/toddler seat, its time to transition the child into a booster seat when he or she has outgrown the existing 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″). These 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 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 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 seat is designed to improve the fit of the vehicle’s safety belt system across the child’s body, for greater comfort and safety. (These seats 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 seats are available with either a “high back” or a “low back”. High back 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 seats are generally cheaper than high back 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 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 seats available. These 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 seats are designed to raise the child up so that the lap and shoulder seat belts fit properly. Belt positioning 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 seat may have a clip that can be adjusted to ensure that the shoulder belt does not cross the child’s face or neck).

By: Tom Littlepage