Booster seats are a safe way to transition children from forward-facing car seats to adult seat belts. According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, booster seats are 60 percent safer for children than seat belts alone. Seat belts that do not fit properly can cause severe injuries to the head, neck and abdomen. Understanding the height and weight requirements for booster seats can help you make the best decision to keep your child safe.
Minimum Requirements
According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, or NHTSA, children should move up to a booster seat once they have outgrown their forward-facing car seat. For most children, this is around age 4 or once they reach 40 pounds. Other indicators that your child is ready for a booster seat include reaching the maximum weight or height allowed for her forward-facing car seat, her shoulders being higher than the top slots for the harness, and her ears being above the back of the car seat.
Maximum Limits
Children should continue to use booster seats until they are tall enough for an adult seat belt to fit correctly. According to the American Academy of Pediatric, this is normally when the child reaches the height of 4 feet 9 inches, usually around 8 to 12 years of age. Before ending booster seat use, you should look for the following signs that your child is ready: Without sitting in a booster seat, the shoulder belt rests comfortably across his shoulder and center of the chest, not against the neck and throat; the lap belt lies snugly over the upper thighs, not his stomach; he is tall enough to lean back without slouching; and his knees are bent comfortably.
State Laws
State laws regulate the use of booster seats for children. Because state laws constantly change, you should check with your state’s Department of Transportation to know the current requirements. It is also important to understand that as of June 2010, not all states have booster seat laws, and some laws are not as stringent as recommendations by child safety experts.
