Booster Seat Safety

Most parents are aware of the need to use a car seat for
their infants. But, what about booster seat safety for
older children? As of January 1, 2007, 38 states and the
District of Columbia have booster seat safety regulations,
requiring the use of a booster seat for children who have
outgrown the forward-facing child safety seats.
Some states require the booster seats up to age 6, while
some require the booster seats for children as old as 9, as
well as a minimum height of 4'9". Do check your state's
requirements by going to boosterseat.gov.
Which booster seats are safe? The good news is that
all new booster seats currently on the market meet the U.S.
government's crash- and fire-safety standards. This may
not be so for older booster seats, therefore it is advisable
that you do not use a pre-owned booster seat but purchase one
that is new.
ConsumerSearch.com lists several booster seats as being
among the most highly reviewed on the internet. These
include:
- Graco TurboBooster SafeSeat
- Compass B500
- Graco Backless TurboBooster SafeSeat
- Eddie Bauer High Back Booster
Do check the individual booster seats for weight
requirements.
When To Move From Car Seat To Booster
By A
Valle
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.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=A_Vallehttp://EzineArticles.com/?When-To-Move-From-Carseat-To-Booster&id=57559
Synonyms: Ooster, oboster, bbooster, boster, booster,
boooster, boster, bosoter, boooster, booter, bootser, boosster,
booser, boosetr, boostter, boostr, boostre, boosteer, booste,
and boosterr are typos and mispellings for "booster." Eat,
esat, sseat, sat, saet, seeat, set, seta, seaat, sea, and seatt
are typos and mispellings for the word "seat."
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