Booster Seat - What Is the Purpose

Honestly at just 4yrs old he needs to be harnessed. He may be a big boy but he doesn't have the maturity to sit properly in a booster seat. That means no playing with the seat belts, leaning over to get a toy, moving the belt behind his head, etc. It means sitting up completely straight and still. My 7yr old still has problems with that sometimes in dh's car. He still is harnessed in my car as is my 4.5yr old.

Have you thought about getting him a different harnessed seat that turns into a booster later on? Like a Graco Nautilus or Britax Fronier? Check out what car seat techs have to say online. You can find them at http://www.car-seat.org/ or on Babycenters car seat board. HTH!

A booster seat is a safety device and there are guidelines that need to be met other than age to determine if the child is ready for a booster or should still be harnessed. The child should be at least 40 lbs and 40 in.

Also, for a child that young, you should use a decent quality high back booster like a Graco Turbobooster. The Turbobooster is relatively inexpensive. I paid around $50 for one.

IMO, a four year old is too young and small to just sit in the seat with a seat belt. The seat belt will not fit them or protect them properly. A high back booster will position the seat belt correctly.

The law is that they must use a car seat or booster seat until age three. At that time, it is not requred as long as the shoulder belt fits properly with no "adjustments". The shoulder part must lay over the should and not across the neck. It can not have the little strap adjuster you can put on for use with booster seats.

My 4.5 yo is 50 lbs and 48", so we moved her to the Graco Turbobooster, with seatbelt adjusting harness/tether. It was only $22 at Walmart. It's perfect becuase it keeps the seat belt positioned over her hips (where it should be) and the seat-belt strap keeps the upper strap over her shoulder (where it should be and not her neck). Just make sure you re-install the car's headrest if you took it out.

Also, the Graco Turbobooster was rated #1 booster seat by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety:

http://www.parenting.com/gear-gallery/Gear/10-Safest-Boos...

All booster seats do is raise them higher so that the seatbelt fits. I (and many other moms out there) feel strongly that at 4 years old, they should still be harnessed. There are a lot of newer seats out there that allow bigger kids to stay safely harnessed up to 80 pounds. We have the Britax Frontier for my almost 5 year old. He will use it as a harness seat for another year, or two or three if I can keep him in! Then it converts to a booset up to 100 pounds. Graco makes a similar seatthat is a little less expensive too, called the Nautilus. If you are interested, check out elitecarseats.com for many in depth reviews about the other non-booster options.

Car seats and seat belts are built for an adult-sized body. The booster seat is made to adapt the kid's body to the seat and seat belt so they are better protected and in proper seating position for the seat belt to work properly.

i know this wasn't part of the question, but if he doesn't come with the seat, you can find great deals for them on craigslist. (i'm sure you know but...

for safety of course. it helps prevent getting choked by the seat belt. ( it puts his neck/head at the proper level. it also helps keep them seated better when traveling in the car.

There is some excellent info on boosters here:
http://www.cdc.gov/ncipc/duip/research/boosterseat.htm

No the booster seat is not just to let them see out the window. Seat belts are made for teens and adults they are not made for kids! Your child needs to be 4'9" in order to safely fit in the seatbelt. The fire dept just did a car seat survey of our school and found most children that needed to be in boosters were just riding in seat belts, they had a whole program to inform the parents that it is a safety issue not to put your child in a car seat increases their risk of serious injury by 33%. Contact your local fire dept and they will tell you the same. Ours just gave out hundreds of free booster seats. BRAND NEW booster seats to boost awareness of this very issue. Be safe and buy a booster be safer still and get a convertible car seat that has a 5 point harness until your child grows out of it (most last til 60-80 lbs.)

Here is a link to a website that explains a bit more about safety and car seats / booster seats (from the Florida Highway Patrol):

http://www.flhsmv.gov/fhp/CPS/4Steps.htm

Hope this helps!

My son will be turning 5 tomorrow and we put in in a booster seat a couple months ago because he was to big for his car seat. Without the booster seat the seat belt would not lay across him the right way and will not work if we had an accident. My son is 41 pounds and about 40 to 41 inches tall so I think he is the perfect size now for it.

The purpose of the booster seat is to align the child's height and size with the seatbelt for safety. Many people don't use it correctly, so read the directions for the one you choose, and set it up correctly. Right now if you put a regular seatbelt and shoulderbelt on your four year old it will probably go against his neck, or he will duck under the shoulder strap, both leave him unprotected in an accident.

I chose the type with a removable back just because it has reading lights in it, but one advantage is with the strap guides built onto the back it makes buckling in very easy and my daughter can do it herself. The ones with just a seat are a bit more difficult to use properly and children need help every time. Mine wasn't very expensive, it was around $60 two years ago and still going strong, so I am happy.

As for the maturity of sitting in a booster seat, only you know if your child is ready. My 5 year old has been in a booster seat since she turned three, and by age 4 all of my grandchildren were in booster seats.

It's a safety issue. Regular vehicle seat belts are designed for adults and don't properly restrain a child until their about 8 years old. If your child has a regular vehicle seat belt on and you're in an accident, you risk them getting head, shoulder and spinal injuries because the belt is not at the right position to keep them secure.

Little ones are too small to use just the seatbelt. The booster seat makes up for the inches that a 4 year old just doesn't have so the seat belt fits properly. Otherwise you have the problem of the seat belt not fitting properly around his hips and his shoulders which is very importat to avoid injury from the seat belt during an accident. The fact that they can see out the window is just an added benefit but not the real reason for it. It's all about safetly. Some states (I know TN) requires a child to be in a booster seat until 8 or 9 years old depending on their height. You really should get one.

Boosters are often called "belt positioning booster". They are often used because seat belts are difficult to fit properly in size ranges from children to full size adult. Children often times take the shoulder restraint and put it behind their shoulder. My husband used to be a law enforcement officer and has had much training, and witnessed many things first hand. He is also a race car driver, and performance driving instructor, and has a race car shop. Children who put the seat belts behind them for neck comfort are at great risk of suffering major injury if involved in an accident. Let's face it, they aren't called "on purposes", it's not like you can plan to be properly belted on that one day when it's going to happen.

Anyway, please please please, watch this video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=azgBhZfcqaQ

One of the seats mentioned in the video is BRITAX REGENT. We just bought the seat and couldn't be happier. We travel to race tracks on the weekends alot due to my husband's business, and my daughter spends a lot of time in the seat. She says that it is very comfortable and she loves loves loves it.
I had been wanting the seat for her for a long time, but the timing $$ never seemed right. I just found it in a TARGET ad for $179 reduced from $279!!!! It was an online promotion only, and they had another promotion for free shipping on orders over $50! The seat installs very easily with the latch system, is super comfortable, and is good up to 80 lbs! Watch the other seats that say "up to 80 lbs" as often times they say in small print - "40 lbs as a 5 point car seat, and then converts to a booster to 80 lbs".
If the you tube link above doesn't work, go to you tube, search "5 point harness" and watch the first video that comes up posted by kcmillerfamily. I can't stress how important it is for people to know this!
Good luck!

Booster seats raise your child to the appropriate height for the cars seatbelts to work. In adults we have no problem - it's the little kiddies that need that extra boost up so it can work correctly.

Hi, P.O. The booster seat is absolutely necessary because seat belts are not made for kids, but for adult-sized people. The booster seat lifts the child up to the height needed for the seat belt to fit properly. Otherwise the seat belt will hurt the child in a crash, if the small child does not use a booster seat. The shoulder belt is an even greater problem without a booster seat -- the shoulder belt can choke the child or even cut off his head in a crash if the child is not in a booster seat while wearing the shoulder harness.

It has nothing to do with looking out the window. It has everything to do with keeping children safe while riding in a car.

I hope this info is helpful.

Peacce,
Syl

chiming in late but would like this on record, in case anyone else finds this post later on:

It you MUST get a booster, get a HIGH BACK BOOSTER.
or, go for a 5-pt harness booster, the Safeguard Go seat.
Little ones are too LITTLE for backless boosters!

read here:
http://www.mountnittany.org/wellness-library/healthsheets...

Your child must be in a approved childs seat to meet the requirements of the law. Based on your income you could possibly get a free seat to fit your child at the Local Police Department or at the Spring. There are also several other agencies that give away free child protective seats. If you take him into the Spring they will fit him in the seat that is correct for his age, height and weight.

Ditto to what everyone else has said so far... plus it's not just a good idea to keep them safe-- it's the law

The child needs to be in a car seat or a booster seat by law. It is there to protect the little one and their body.

I wish you the best. Have a wonderful Thanksgiving.

= )

This information is in Buckle up, everyone, everytime. The brochure was provided by the Florida Department
of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles and funded by
the Florida Department of Transportation.

Booster Seats:
Once children outgrow their forwardfacing
seats, (usually around age 4 and
40 pounds) they should ride in booster
seats in the back seat of the car. They
should continue riding in booster
seats until the vehicle safety belts fit
properly. Safety belts fit properly when
the lap belt lies across the upper thighs
and the shoulder belt fits across the
chest (usually at age 8 or when
the children are 4'9" tall).

The booster is for safety reasons, so that the seat belts fit properly on the child in case of an accident, NOT just so they can look out the window. Please call your local Health Department to ask about Child Seat Safety Classes, they are usually free -$10 and they will give you a FREE carseat or booster (1 for however many children you have, and which ones are needed) FREE FREE FREE!!! And it is priceless information that you will have the rest of your life to keep your children safer while in your car! ((THIS GOES FOR ANYONE RADING THIS MESSAGE TOO! CALL YOUR LOCAL HALTH DEPARTMENT FOR FREE child safety after you take a valuable class))