Use Booster Car Seats for Children below 80 Pounds

The booster car seat is another type of car safety seat that ensures your child is safely sitting in the car.

While some toddlers are too old for infant and baby car seats, they should still be made to seat in booster car seats because they still aren’t big enough to be protected by regular seat belts.

A booster car seat “boosts” your child up so that the shoulder and lap seat belts fit and protect the child properly. Vehicular accidents are the leading cause of deaths in children. These children are often not properly restrained in the car.

Booster car seats are often used by toddlers between the ages of four to six but for safety reasons, it is recommended that children below 80 pounds be made to use a booster car seat.

While a six-year old child may seem big enough to sit on his own and wear seatbelts and may even be patient enough to sit through the whole car ride, there is no guarantee that the seatbelt with hold the child safely in case of a car accident.

Regular seatbelts are designed to protect adults, not small children. This is why even kids who are a little bit older– about six to eight years of age– should still be made to sit on booster seats.

The booster seat should be used until the child reaches the size or age when the car seat belts already fit the lap and the shoulder of your child.

There are different types of booster seats in the market. There are booster car seats that come with its own harness so that it can be installed properly in the car. There are also seats that do not come with a harness and use the car’s regular lap and shoulder seat belts.

A child may not want to wear the seatbelt properly because they feel uncomfortable with it. Always check that your child is wearing the seatbelt the right way. The shoulder belt should be across the middle of the chest and shoulder.

Make sure the belt does not cross your child’s throat or neck. Do not let your child tuck the shoulder belt under her arm or behind her back.