Don’t Chicken Out
All questions are great questions. Don’t hesitate to ask a Child Passenger Safety Technician your car seat questions today! Learn more about car seat safety and watch installation videos: https://www.cpsboard.org/car-seat-safety/
How about a booster?
Don’t make the mistake of transitioning your child out of a booster too soon. In addition to following your state’s laws, keep in mind the following:
- Can your child keep their back against the vehicle seat without slouching?
- Can your child keep their knees naturally bent over the edge of the vehicle seat?
- Can your child keep their feet flat on the floor?
- Does the lap belt lie snugly across the upper thighs, low on hips, not the stomach?
- Does the shoulder belt lie snugly across the shoulder and chest, and not across the neck or face?
Children who have outgrown their car seat with a five-point harness will need a booster seat to fit properly in an adult seat belt. According to the CDC, booster seat use reduces the risk for serious injury by 45% for children age 4–8, when compared with seat belt use alone. Keep older children riding safely in a booster seat until they can pass this five-step test:
- Back rests against the vehicle seat
- Knees bend at the edge of the seat
- Lap belt is positioned on the tops of thighs
- Shoulder belt sits between the shoulder and neck
- Child can stay this way the entire trip
Remember this teaching aid that CPST-I Sue Emery invented to show kids—and caregivers—the benefits of boosters and proper belt fit? Sue would teach that the weight-x-speed force on a child’s tummy is like squeezing a Twinkie—the outer cake might stay whole, but the insides are never quite the same again. Effective!
A booster seat raises and positions a child so the vehicle’s lap and shoulder belt fits properly. CPS Technicians can help you decide if your child should be in a backless or high-back booster.