Don’t bypass booster seats
It’s with older children that car seat use really starts to tail off – in fact some states don’t require car seat use for kids over 3 and 4 years of age. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) reckons around 80% of kids who should use a booster seat don’t – and statistics suggest 4-8 year olds are more likely to die an a car crash than babies and toddlers.
The simple fact is that the car seat belt alone won’t protect your preschooler once he has outgrown his toddler car seat. A 2004 study suggested an improper fit in up to 90% of children using the adult seat belt – and if it doesn’t fit, it won’t adequately protect your child from head, spinal and stomach injuries during a collision.
Children who are switched to the adult seat belt too soon are four times more likely to sustain a serious head injury in a crash than those restrained in child safety seats or booster seats
A booster seat (you can get versions that convert to a backless booster cushion once your child is around 8) is designed to raise your child to a height where the adult seat belt routes safely across the tops of his thighs and his chest and shoulder, stopping him from being thrown forward in a sudden stop or if you’re hit from behind. In many states the seats are mandatory (log onto www.boosterseat.gov to check your state’s law) but the NHTSA recommends that all kids use them in the car from when they outgrow their toddler seat, at around 4, until they’re at least 8 years of age or 4' 9" inches tall.
Is your child ready for a booster seat?
Your child should stay in a car safety seat with its own harness for as long as possible, but aim to replace it with a booster seat once he’s approaching his old seat’s maximum weight limit (check the seat instructions for info). Keep an eye on his height too: if his ears have reached the top of his old seat and his shoulders are above the top harness slots, he needs a booster.
When can he do without the booster?
The NHTSA advises that kids can usually switch to using just the adult seatbelt at between 8 and 12 years of age and 4' 9" in height. Use both these recommendations as a guide – and keep your 12 year old in his booster if he’s particularly short. Bear in mind too that all cars are different and your car seat belts may still not route correctly over your child even if he has reached the NHTSA’s recommended age.
You can buy seat belt routers that attach to the adult seat belt and claim to make it fit properly but the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recommends that parents don’t use them. As yet there’s no federal safety standard for the performance of these products, and they may actually make the belt fit more loosely or cause the lap portion of the belt to sit on your child’s stomach. Your best bet to keep your child safe is the correct seat for his size and age. Bear in mind too that if you’re thinking about removing the back from your child’s booster seat, you need to ensure that the rear seat of your car has a head support for your child.
Signs he’s ready to switch
- The lap belt sits across the tops of his thighs, not across his stomach.
- The shoulder belt lies across his shoulder and chest, away from his neck and throat.
- He’s tall enough to sit against the vehicle seat back with his legs bent without slouching.
Extra safe…
Another safety recommendation from the NHTSA is that under-13s should sit in the back. Ignore the whining: he’s safer there. And keep an eye on him to make sure he isn’t tucking the shoulder portion of the belt behind him.