Choosing Booster Car Seats
Children don’t stay tiny forever. At some point, they get bigger and outgrow their infant seats. When this happens, it is time to look at booster car seats.
The toddler stage is an in-between stage for traveling. Your little one is too big for an infant car seat, but not yet big enough to sit in the vehicle’s car seat and have the seat belts protect him properly. Most states have laws that specify the height and weight for which your children can legally ride in a vehicle without using booster car seats.
Here are some tips to help you choose the right one that meets your needs.
Type Of Vehicle Seat Belts
The first thing that you need to consider when shopping for booster car seats is what type of seat belt system that your vehicle has. This will determine which type of booster seat that you will need. For example, if you have a lap belt only, you will need a booster seat with a back and harness system.
Type Of Back
Will you need a booster car seat with a back or without a back? Backless booster seats are designed for use in vehicles that have a shoulder and a lap belt, but only when your child is tall enough to use the belt system in your vehicle. They also require that your back seat has a headrest to protect from whiplash in an accident. If your child is still on the shorter side or your vehicle doesn’t have a headrest, you will need a high back booster car seat that has a harness system. These booster car seats use the seat belts of your vehicle to hold it in place, but the harness holds your child in the seat.
Convertible Or Not?
If you want to keep yourself from having to buy two different booster seats, there are two different kind of convertible ones to choose from.
The first type of convertible booster car seat starts as a rear facing infant seat, transitions to a forward facing seat for older babies, and then converts to a backless booster seat.
The second type of convertible booster car seat starts out as a high back booster with the harness system, and then converts to a backless booster when your child is tall enough. The Britax Roundabout car seat is a popular example of a convertible car seat.
Features
What types of features are you looking for from booster car seats? Do you want one that has cup holders? What about extra padding and cushioned side impact protection? Your options are almost limitless. Other than colors and patterns, you can get booster car seats that have padding on the harness, and extra safety features like a lap belt anchor that holds your vehicle’s lap belt in place and prevents your child from sliding under during an accident.
With so many options, there is no reason why you cannot find a selection of booster car seats that are near perfect for both you and your child.