Car Seat Boosters Are Not For All Children

There are some children who should NOT be placed in boosters.

Any child below 40 pounds and under 4 years of age should not be seated in a booster seat but remain in a 5 point harness at all times while travelling in a car.

A harness restrains a chile while the booster does not. What as booster does is to simply "boosts" the child up in order to make the adult safety belt fit a child-sized body. Children under 4 years of age do not possess the ability to sit perfectly at all times. Children who move about in the car, leaning forward to pick up a dropped a toy or who turns around to see something from them will not be protected in a crash and therefore is at risk of serious injuries and possibly death.

A child of this age would easily fall asleep in the car. The slumping that occurs causes them to be improperly positioned and therefore should remain in a 5 point harness for that trip.

The 5 point harness should be used for children until at least when they reached the age of 5 years old.

Improving the Performance of Child Seats

First of all, only use approved child restraints. They must meet meet the federal guidelines where they are sold. Ideally the child seat chosen should for the child, the vehicle and the budget of the family.

Take time to read and understand the car seat manual thoroughly. Do install the seat exactly as directed in the manual. Doing so ensures proper function on the child seat plus does not violates warranties associated with it.

Ensure the seat is installed tightly and only allowing limited movement, if necessary. Do not place heavy blankets underneath the harness. In some unfortunate instances, children have been reported to have been ejected from the seat in an accident due to the harness becoming slack due to overtop bulky clothing.

Care seats do have expiry dates so please make sure you check them carefully. Due to varying temperatures within the vehicle after time hairline fractures could possibly occur within the child seat itself. Most car seats expire after 5 to 6 years from date of manufacture (not purchase). Keep this in mind when purchasing child car seats that are on sale!

Should the child seat be involved in any auto accident, discontinue use of the seat. This is mainly due to stresses towards that car seat that may have occurred during the incident which may have weakened the structure somewhat.