Since most kids are too tall (their shoulders reach the top shoulder strap slot) long before too heavy in their forward-facing car seat, choosing a seat with the highest shoulder strap slots will allow your child to use the 5-point harness for longer. Does the shoulder belt lie snug across his shoulder and chest and not across his neck or face. Where can I find car seat recall information? Do not use more than one system unless the car seat manufacturer and vehicle manufacturer permit it. Boosters help the seat belt start and stay on the bony parts of a childs body during normal driving and in a crash. For instance, did you know that most kids arent ready to be out of a booster seat until at least 10 years of age, sometimes even 12? A child who cannot sit with their back against the vehicle seat with their knees bending at the edge of the seat cushion without slouching. Consequence: If the seat belt or lower anchor connection is too loose, the car seat will not stay put, subjecting your child to greater crash forces. Booster seats are pre-crash positioners that help raise your child up to position the lap portion of the safety belt across your childs hips/upper thighs and the shoulder belt low across your childs chest and collarbone allowing for proper protection. To protect your child, keep them rear-facing for as long as possible, at least until age 2. The old 1 year and 20 pounds milestone is no longer the recommended standard. Backless booster seat requirements Once your child outgrows a forward-facing child safety seat, they are not quite grown enough to properly fit in a safety belt, and should use a belt-positioning booster seat until they are at least 49 and between 8 and 12 years old. Check and adjust the booster seat about every six months. In todays stores, dozens of car seat options line the aisles. Recommendation: When recommended, always use the top tether with both LATCH or seat belt installations. This may subject your child to higher crash forces, or even ejection from the seat altogether. How do I install a car seat in a pickup truck? It is extremely important to make sure all children riding in yourcar be properly secured before every trip. All vehicle occupants need to be properly restrained by seat belts or child safety seats to prevent injury in case of a sudden stop, swerve or crash. All rights reserved. In this article: Click on this link to locate alocal Area Office anywhere in California. And that seat belt? You should always consult with a qualified physician or health professional about your specific circumstances. Pre-school aged children should be restrained in child passenger seats when they ride a school bus. Children with special needs may also need a restraint system. For many car seats, you have two choices when installing your car seat Lower Anchors and Tethers for Children (LATCH) or using the vehicles seat belt with the tether whenever possible.Both are equally safe when used correctly, and should never be used together, unless specified by the manufacturer. Your child is ready for a booster seat when they have outgrown the weight or height limit of their forward-facing harnesses, which is typically between 40 and 65 pounds. There are laws in place regarding the safe use of booster seats, but they vary from state to state. Car seats vary in price. The price you pay for your car seat is not a reflection on how much you love your child. Yet it is important to ensure the car seat has not expired and is not on the recall list. Sounds easy, right? Its harder than it looks! Despite parents best intentions, NHTSA estimates that 3 out of 4 car seats are installed incorrectly. A high back booster seat is more secure. Read your forward-facing car seats owners manual to determine height and weight limits, and keep your child in a harnessed seat for as long as possible. Boosters have design features that help the lap belt start and stay on the lap during a crash. Yes, there are seats that can do double duty starting as car seats and turning into boosters. A child is ready for a booster seat when they have outgrown the weight or height limit of their forward-facing harnesses, which is typically between 40 and 65 pounds. Most boosters have arm rests that the lap belt must go under to ensure that it starts and stays on your childs strong hip bones in a crash, instead of moving up into the childs soft belly. The shoulder belt fits across the collarbone and chest. When can a child graduate to a booster seat? Buckling up is the single most effective thing you can do to protect yourself and your passengers in a crash. 2. Because every car seat is unique, you have to read the manual to know for sure that youre strapping your child in correctly. A social issue your child may encounter while riding in a booster seat could be the embarrassment of still using a car seat in front of their peers. A few measures can be taken to help eliminate negative feelings towards booster seat usage. External link, AAP Recommendations On Car Seats For Children - September 2018 = Excellent features on this child restraint for this category. Consequence: Most vehicles do not support LATCH installations in the center rear seat. Many 40 pound children are not mature enough to use a booster seat. But booster seats remain a bit of an enigma for many parents. Recommendation: In this case, two is not better than one. 3. Recommendation: Keep your children in booster seats until the seat belt fits them properly. 5. High back booster seat height requirements: From when kids surpass their car seat limits until they are at least four feet, nine inches tall. Using lower anchors intended for outboard seats could cause the system to fail and the car seat to be thrown in a crash. Consequence: Installing a car seat with more than one system may put unnecessary stress on the car seat and affect its performance in the event of a crash. Keep your child in each stage for as long as possible. External link, The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, Videos, and Information: Car Seat Safety by Ages External link, American Academy of Pediatrics Recommendations, Video, Rear Facing to Two Years of Age External link, California Department of Public Health, Car Seat Basics, Choosing and Using a Car Seat External link, Parents Central From Car Seats to Car Keys: Keeping Kids Safe External link, Child Car Seat Inspection Station Locator External link, Safe Kids Worldwide, New Resources to Keep Children Safe In and Around Cars During COVID-19, SeatCheck.org Depending on your childs growth and development, a seat belt typically fits correctly between ages 8 12. The lap belt is the hidden danger. A seat belt placed under the arm can cause fragile ribs to break which can in turn cause additional injury. The AAA Exchange was designed to foster communication between AAA and the 61 million members it represents. What is a Child Passenger Safety Technician? But across the country, the following is true: Children should be moved to a booster seat only when they have outgrown the height or weight limit of their forward-facing car seat with a harness, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). Your child is ready to ride with a seat belt after passing the Five Point Test. When a retainer clip is too low, a child can come out of the harnesses or the hard, plastic retainer clip can cause internal damage to their abdomen. It also has a headrest. Recommendation: Always read your vehicle owners manual and only use lower anchors in seating positions that are approved by the vehicle manufacturer. For kids who like to sleep in the car, choose a high-back booster that has a recline and a well designed head rest. When should I switch from a rear-facing to forward-facing car seat? Copyright 2022 AAA. Children in the second year of life are five times less likely to die or be seriously injured in a crash if they ride in a rear-facing car seat. Turning a child under age 2 to a forward-facing position can result in head, neck or spinal cord injuries in the event of a crash. Babies under age 2 simply arent yet strong enough to withstand strong crash forces without the extra protection that a rear-facing car seat provides. Why is rear-facing safer than forward-facing? A backless belt-positioning booster may be used in vehicles which have a head restraint present for your child. High-back boosters can be used in vehicles with or without head restraints present. Thousands of children are injured or killed every year because their child passengersafety seats are not installed properly. Dont rush! Forty-eight states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico require kids who have outgrown their car seatsbut are still too small to safely use an adult seat beltto use a booster seat; the only states that dont are Florida and South Dakota. Youre not alonewhich is why were here to explain everything you need to know about booster seat safety. = Poor features on this child restraint for this category. A booster positions the vehicles safety belt properly on a child. They come from hospitals, police departments, fire departments, health departments, and traffic safety advocates like AAA. Kids need a booster seat until the seat belt fits properly on their body without the help of a booster (the lap belt is on their lap and the shoulder belt is between the neck and shoulder) AND their body fits properly on the vehicle seat (they can sit back with their knees bent without having to slouch). Be sure to secure all loose items in a vehicle trunk or storage space. But every child and every car is different, so make sure your vehicles seat belt fits the child in question before ditching that booster seat. You may be trying to access this site from a secured browser on the server. It looks like your browser does not have JavaScript enabled. The safest car seat is the one that fits your child properly, is easy to use, and fits in your vehicle correctly. What AAA recommends: Make sure children wear their seat belt properly with their booster seat and remain in proper position the whole trip. Does your child sit all the way back against the seat? Dont rush! Some boosters are cleverly designed to eliminate this type of misuse! Prices, featuresandstyles can vary dramatically. Each time you graduate your child to the next seat, theres a reduction in the level of protection for your child. This should only be used as a last resort. It also allows kids to safely snooze during the ride, thanks to the head supportso if your kid tends to nap in the car, a high back booster is the way to go. The vehicle seat refers to either the seat itself or the head restraint (if the vehicle has one there); some part of the vehicles structure must support up to the top of the ears. When it was time to get baby the perfect car seat, you were all over it. To learn how to properly install your seat in your vehicle, enlist the help of a professional. If the belt is across the stomach during a crash, it can dig into the kidneys, liver, uterus and lower spinal cord, leading to potentially devastating injuries. Make sure the belt lies across the lap, not the tummy. Also a high back booster is more likely to keep the childs body better positioned and the seat belt on the proper parts of the body during pre-crash maneuvers like swerving and hard braking than a backless booster. Not only is it unsafe, but it may also be against the law in your state. Consequence: Without the top tether, your childs head and neck will be subject to excessive forward movement in a crash or sudden stop. To find the right fit for your child, visit AAAs Car Seat guide for up-to-date recommendations based on the age, height, weight and maturity level of your child. Properly restrain pets with approved devices. Copyright 2022 AAA, All Rights Reserved. Is the lap belt as low as possible, touching the thighs? When can I put my child in the front seat? Once your child outgrows a rear-facing infant seat, switch to a rear-facing convertible car seat with higher height and weight limits. Is my child tall enough to sit in the vehicle seat without slouching? Does the belt cross the shoulder between the neck and arm? These features are especially important if your car has low seat backs or seats without head restraints, since a childs head and neck should always be supported. While high back booster seats are the more secure of the two, backless booster seats tend to be smaller and lighter, making them easier to travel with. The seat belt typically stays better positioned on the childs body when in a high back booster, since kids dont tend to lean sideways as much both while awake and while sleeping when in a high back compared to a backless booster. External link, Top Tips to Keep Kids Safe, The Ultimate Car Seat Guide This misplacement is exceptionally dangerous because it puts the lap belt on the childs belly, where it can cause terrible injuries in a crash. Slouching also makes the seat belt very loose, which allows the whole body to move more than it should in a crash but in particular the head moves a lot farther forward and is much more likely to hit the back of the front seat which causes both brain and neck injuries. Boosters that earn a Best Bet from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety are the most likely to provide good lap and shoulder belt fit for typical 4-8 year old kids in almost any vehicle. Please note: The Bump and the materials and information it contains are not intended to, and do not constitute, medical or other health advice or diagnosis and should not be used as such. Please enable scripts and reload this page. When is my child ready for a booster seat? Children under the age of 8 must be secured in a car seat or booster seat in the back seat. = Does not contain any features that require a rating. Healthy Children, Car Seats: Information for Families, AAP Recommendations On Car Seats For Children - September 2018. = Above average features on this child restraint for this category. Once your child is sitting in the seat will fasten the lap/shoulder belt around him/her. Remember, the safest place for all children 12 years old and under is the back seat! Kids can stop using a booster seat whenand only whenthe car seat belt properly fits them without the help of a booster seat. The booster also makes sure that the shoulder belt rests between the childs shoulder and neck. Certified Child Passenger Safety Technicians pass rigorous training and will help teach you to install your car seat correctly. To find a free inspection near you visit seatcheck.org. To keep them as safe as possible, children under 13 should ride in the rear seats, even if they have graduated from a booster seat to a seat belt. If you can answer Yes to ALL the statements below, your child is safeto use a booster: Young children under age 5 or 6 are safer in a 5-point harness car seat. Make sure that there is enough room to install a car seat by checking the manufacturers instructions. All car seats rated by NHTSA meet Federal Safety Standards & strict crash performance standards. You dont need to check it every day, but you do need to adjust it as your child grows, so her head and neck is properly supported at all times. In the interest of safety, do not rush to move a child into a booster seat before theyre ready. LATCH, required as of 2002, was designed to increase the likelihood that caregivers could achieve a correct car seat installation more often than when using the seat belt. However, according to research from the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety, thats not always the case. Where can I find a Child Passenger Safety Technician near me? Dont leave an empty booster seat loose in the back seat. Passengers who are 16 years of age and over are subject to California's Mandatory Seat Belt law. AAA When is my Child Ready for a Booster Seat? Can your child stay seated like thisfor the whole trip? The booster makes sure that the lap belt rests on the childs lap, over the strong hip bones and nowhere near the soft belly. School buses are one of the safest forms of transportation in the United States, as they are designed with different safety features than other passenger vehicles. In fact, the U.S. Department of Transportation school buses found that school buses are approximately seven times safer than passenger cars or light trucks. Many models offer safety belt positioners to help keep the shoulder portion of the belt positioned correctly. If you answered no to any of the above questions, your child should still ride in a booster seat. If they pass the test, theyre ready for a seat belt. 1. What AAA recommends: Use a booster seat until the adult seat belt fits properly with the lap portion of the belt fitting low across the childs hips and the shoulder belt across their sternum and collar bone. California law does not address graduation time from a five point harness to a booster seat. See here for a very in-depth discussion of exactly how and why boosters work so well for children. Safe Kids provides course materials, registration and customer service to CPS technicians and instructors. By raising the child up (boosting them!! Teach your child the importance of safety at a young age and that booster seats are cool, perhaps pretend that it is a race car driver seat. Remember, each time you graduate your child to the next seat, theres a reduction in the level of protection for your child, so keep your child in each stage for as long as possible. If your child still fits in his 5-point harness car seat, leave him there! Download The AppDaily pregnancy & newborn updates with our FREE app. ), boosters help the shoulder belt fit properly between the shoulder and the neck. Car seat limits vary depending on the model, so check your instruction manual to see when your child should start using a booster seat. A child who does not fit properly in the vehicle belt system. Recommendation: Harness straps should lay flat and not have any twists. First of all, lets make sure were on the same page a boosteris a seat where the child sits on it anduses the vehicles seat beltas their restraint. Yes! Is my child able to keep his back flat against the vehicle seat? Booster seat requirements It is an extension of AAAs long history of public service and provides a look into important safety, consumer, automotive and travel issues. Belt-positioning boosters must be used with a lap/shoulder belt. A lap belt only does not provide upper body protection for your child. Shoulder belt retrofits can be completed in most vehicles that have lap belts only, contact your dealer for more information. With either installation method, its important to remember the tether strap. This tether reduces forward movement of your childs head and neck in the event of a crash or sudden stop. Visit, Blind-Spot Monitoring and Lane-Departure Warnings, AAA Center for Driving Safety and Technology, Prescription & Over-The-Counter Drugs & Driving, Additional Substance Impaired Driving Resources, How to Pay for Roads, Bridges, and Transit, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration . (California Vehicle Code Section 27360.). Recommendation: Only use products that come with the seat or are recommended by the seat manufacturer. Does the lap belt fit snugly across her upper thighs and not her stomach? (Curious to know what your individual state law says exactly? But they dont come with head supportsso if your car doesnt offer headrests or if the back of the seat isnt high enough to reach your childs ears (thereby protecting the bottom of the skull), this isnt the best type of booster seat for your child. Counterfeit Car Seats Are Flooding the Market, Heres How to Spot the Fakes, 11 Best Toddler Car Seats to Keep Your Traveling Tot Safe, Target Is Bringing Back Its Popular Car Seat Trade-In Program, 8 Best Booster Seats to Keep Kids Safe While on the Go, Parents Are Still Making These Key Car Seat Mistakes, Survey Says, Australian Dad Hopes His Simple Device Will Help Prevent Hot Car Deaths, Parents Are Transitioning Their Kids From Car Seats Too Soon, Survey Says, 8 Car Seat Mistakes Most Parents Are Making, What to Look for When Picking Out a Car Seat, Governors Highway Safety Association website. Kids need booster seats to help the seat belt fit properly on the strong, bony parts of their body (their hip bones, sternum, and collar bone) and to help their body fit properly on the vehicle seat. You understood why it was important to have one, and what could happen without one. NHTSA uses a five-star rating system to help consumers evaluate the four basic ease-of-use category ratings: Search NHTSAs Ease-of-Use Ratingshere. What AAA recommends:Dont compromise safety for convenience. Install the car seat in approved seating positions with LATCH OR the seat belt. In fact, studies show that using a booster seat can reduce risk of injury in a crash by 45 percent over a seat belt alone. Never install a car seat on a trucks side-facing jump seat, as car seats and booster seats are crash tested on forward-facing seats. Place the booster seat on the vehicle seat. For peace of mind, have your installation checked by a professional. Visitseatcheck.orgto find a Certified Child Passenger Safety Technician near you. Dont rush to graduate your child to a booster seat. If your over-40-pound child is not mature enough to sit properly in a booster i.e. Interesting in becoming a technician? You can find more informationhere. Recommendation: A child should remain in a rear-facing seat as long as possible until they reach the upper weight or height limit allowed by the car seat manufacturer. To protect your child, keep them rear-facing foras long as possible, at least until age 2. Babies under age 2 simply arent yet strong enough to withstand strong crash forces without the extra protection that a rear-facing car seat provides. Turning a child under age 2 to a forward-facing position can result in head, neck or spinal cord injuries in the event of a crash or a sudden stop.
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