Safety Mom Corner– Everyday safety questions answered by a professional safety director who’s also a mom.
Dear Safety Mom: I think my four year old is ready for a booster seat but I want to make sure. What indicators do I look for and how do I know if my child is ready?
If you think that your child is ready for a booster seat but you’re still unsure, here are the safety checks to consider before moving forward. Make sure that your child meets these growth markers before “graduating” to the booster car seat:
- Your child is between the ages of 4-8 and is less than 4 feet, 9 inches tall.
- Your child has outgrown the weight and height limit of your forward facing harnessed car seat which is typically when they’re greater than 40 pounds* in weight and 40 inches tall.
- *If your child is over 40 pounds in weight but is shorter than 40 inches in height, it’s safer to move to a bigger forward facing harnessed seat with a higher weight limit than to a booster seat.
- A good height visual test is to see if the top your child’s shoulder is higher than the highest setting of the harness straps in your forward facing car seat.
- Always check the limitations of your car seat by reading the label on the seat and the instruction manual.
If your child meets these growth markers and they’re ready to move into a booster seat, the next step will be selecting the right type of booster seat for your child and vehicle. There are three main types of booster seats:
- High-back Booster Seat- This booster seat is designed for cars that have low seat backs and no headrests. The high-back seat will give the child the head and neck support that they need to protect against whiplash in the event of a collision.
- Backless Booster Seat- This booster seat is designed for cars that have high seat backs and headrests that rise above your child’s ears when sitting. For this type of seat, your car’s seat back and headrest will provide the adequate protection for your child’s head and neck rather than the car seat.
- Combination Booster Seat- This is a progressive seat that will convert from a forward facing harnessed seat into a highback booster seat.
Regardless of which type of booster seat you choose for your child, it must always be used with the shoulder strap and the lap belt with your child properly fitted in the seat. The proper fit is for the shoulder strap to fit tightly across the center of the shoulder and not across the neck or the upper arm of the child. The lap belt should lie flat and snugly across the upper thighs and not across their stomach. If your child is in between the car seats, it is safer for your child to stay with the front facing harnessed car seat because each time you advance to the next car seat level, it lowers the level of protection. One last thing to consider is to always buckle the booster seat when driving so that the seat does not become a projectile in the event of a sudden stop.
I hope that the Safety Mom Corner was helpful in making your decision about booster seats. If you have any additional safety questions, send me in for a future column.
Stay safe,
Janet
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Janet Wang has worked in Environmental Health and Safety for over 15 years. For the past 10 years, she worked as a safety director for the biggest health system in New York City. She is the Chief Safety Officer at Honeycomb Safety, a home safety service whose mission is to reduce unintentional injuries (the number one cause of injury and death in children in the US) in your home. She is also mom to B.
Photo by Rowan Heuvel
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