When To Move From Carseat To Booster
Under three, use a car seat. The guidelines for transporting infants and toddlers are deeply embedded in parental mantras. It gets a little fuzzy though when your youngster hits hyper-drive and grows out of his front-facing car seat.
Today, less than 10% of children ages 4 - 8 use a booster seat when riding in cars. National traffic and safety organizations have confirmed that your child needs to be restrained appropriately when riding in a car. This means supplementing the standard adult-sized seat belts with additional equipment to keep your child safe.
The child restraint system you use changes as your child grows. You started with the rear-facing infant seat, then graduated to the front-facing car seat after your child was one year old. Some state laws only require a car seat up to the age of three and parents may assume their child is safe in just a seat belt, but this is not the case.
When your child outgrows his front-facing car seat, he is still not big enough to fit properly in an adult seat belt. To keep him safely restrained, you will need to use a belt positioning booster seat. Any child who cannot sit with his back straight against the seat back and have his knees bend over the seat edge is not big enough to be restrained with just an adult safety belt.
There are two types of booster seats available:
No-Back Belt-Positioning Booster Seats. These seats are used with a lap/shoulder belt and are for use in vehicles with built-in head restraints.
High-Back Belt-Positioning Boost Seats. These seats provide head and neck support for your child if your vehicle seat back does not have a head restraint.
When a booster seat is not used, the lap and shoulder belts end up being positioned in dangerous areas on a young child and may cause serious or fatal injuries in the event of a crash.
A booster seat lifts your child up so the seat belt fits right and protects your child. The lap belt should fit low across the hip area. The shoulder belt should cross his chest and rest snugly on the shoulder. Your child's ears should not be higher than the seat back cushion or the back of a high-back booster seat model.
Important things to remember about using booster seats:
- Always use both the lap and shoulder belt.Do not tuck the shoulder belt behind your child's back or under his arm. He could be seriously hurt if you are in an accident.
- Replace a booster seat that has been in an accident. It may have defects that you cannot see.
- Have your child safety seats inspected by a certified child safety seat technician in your community. You can contact your local police or fire department or call the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's toll-free hotline at 1-888-DASH-2-DOT.
About the Author
For more great information about expecting and parenting, visit MomRecommended.com, a site for moms by moms. Annie Valle is a freelance writer, web designer and a mom. You'll find product reviews, recipes, baby names, free projects and more, when you visit http://www.momrecommended.com.
MORE RESOURCES:
New books with local ties Seattle Times Faull, a former Seattle Times parenting columnist, and her co-author examine ways to expand your baby/toddler's mind, "working in synch with your little ... |
The Web DailyFreeman.com Kingston Daily Freeman 9:30 am Baby/Toddler Playgroup, for ages infant to 5 years old, Athens Cultural Center, 24 Second St., Athens. Children must be accompanied by a parent, ... |
Not Politics as Usual, Earl Loses Power and Back to School Patch For fall, many of their standard programs will continue such as baby, toddler and preschool story-times, and programs for school-aged children. ... |
 Cumberland Courier Newspapers | Myles of smiles for mum as baby wins model competition Cumberland Courier Newspapers The winner of each category, cutest baby, toddler and mum, will be announced on November 17 and feature in the December issue of the magazine. |
 Momlogic.com | Skinny Jeans for Toddlers: Would Ya? Momlogic.com Here's the latest skinny on baby/toddler fashion trends: skinny jeans! Yes, before kids are even potty-trained, they can still be on the cutting edge of a ... |
Warm up on cool days Calgary Herald A surefire way to bring smiles to everyone is to see a baby, toddler or young child dressed in a cute and charming hand-knit outfit. ... |
Revolution Foods and Plum Organics Partner With Kia Motors Presents YO GABBA ... MarketWatch (press release) LDBRAIN Entertainment EMERYVILLE, Calif., Aug 24, 2010 /PRNewswire via COMTEX/ -- The Nest Collective, home of leading baby, toddler and kids food brands, ... |
The Mother of All parentcentral.ca (blog) ... The Mother of All Parenting Books, Sleep Solutions for Your Baby, Toddler, and Preschooler, Mealtime Solutions for Your Baby, Toddler, and Preschooler, ... |
Miss America Brands Launches New Apparel Website Business Wire (press release) Developed by Miss America Brands, the recently launched website offers t-shirts, hoodies and accessories in baby/toddler, kids, juniors and adult sizes. ... |
Essentials Lists Kiddicare Confused about what you need to buy for your baby, toddler or pre-schooler? When you're getting kit for your kids, its often hard to know what's an ... |
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