A car seat is one of the most important purchases you make as a parent. By law, all children 4 years and under must be properly restrained in appropriate car seats when they travel. Some car manufacturers add a built-in forward-facing booster seat in a vehicle for an added price. Built-in car seats are convenient, but they have drawbacks and some safety issues.
Convenience and Flexibility
As long as you ensure that the built-in car seat is appropriate for your child's age and weight, it is a reasonably safe option. Before purchasing a car with a built-in car seat, consult the manufacturer for details on the height, weight and age limits for the car seat. Place your child in the car seat, and ensure that the seat is comfortable and not too big or too small. A built-in car seat option probably costs more than a separate, removable car seat. Built-in car seats limit your child's ability to travel in other vehicles, so you might have to invest in a separate removable car seat for this purpose. You will need a separate infant car seat if your child weighs less than 20 pounds.
Comfort
A built-in car seat can be uncomfortable for children because you cannot adjust it as the child grows. Once the child outgrows the car seat, you cannot remove it from your car. You can fold the car seat to convert it to an adult seat, although this seat often is less comfortable for a grown person riding in the car.
Harness Adjustability
Built-in car seats can have harnesses that are difficult to adjust. The harness mechanism keeps the child securely restrained in the car seat. If your child is small and the harness is difficult to adjust, the fit might be too loose and the child might be able to remove the restraint. Also check whether the built-in car seat has a height adjustment option. If you cannot adjust the harness height as your child grows, he might be too tall for the seat before he reaches the weight limit. This reduces traveling comfort because his feet don't have adequate support.
Side Impact Protection
Most built-in car seats are on an outer rear position in the car, which is not as safe as the center position. In the event of a collision, there is an increased risk of impact from the side. One of the main safety drawbacks of built-in car seats is that most of the models offer little or no side impact protection, according to the Consumer Reports website. In comparison, separate car seats generally have plastic or foam cushions on the side that protect the child in the event of an impact.
Transportation of Injured Children
In the event of an accident that involves head or spinal injury, it is important to keep the body immobilized during transportation out of the vehicle. A separate car seat enables emergency personnel to lift out the car seat without disturbing the child's seating position. This allows safer transportation to the ambulance and during the travel to the hospital. A built-in car seat does not provide this option if there is an accident.
