Installing A Car Seat Using Both Latch And A Seat Belt
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.
Recommendation: In this case, two is not better than one. Install the car seat in approved seating positions with LATCH OR the seat belt. Do not use more than one system unless the car seat manufacturer and vehicle manufacturer permit it.
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The Car Seat Has Been In A Crash
Whether or not you need to replace a car seat after a crash depends on the severity of the crash. In a minor crash, you generally dont need to replace the car seat.
But how do you know if your crash was minor or major? Fortunately, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has a specific list of what a minor accident looks like. If the vehicle and passengers are not hurt or damaged, there is a good chance you can still use the car seat.
Time For A Change: Car Seat Booster Seat Seat Belt
Moving to A Booster Seat. Many parents arent sure when to switch their child to a booster seat. Sometimes parents get pressure to use a booster seat from friends, relatives or the child. We understand that pressure and concern, but it is safer to move from a forward-facing car seat to a booster seat only after your child reaches the weight or height limit of the seat you are using.
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Should You Wait To Switch
If you can wait to switch you should, as kids are safer in 5-point harness car seats than in boosters. The truth is that any step up in car seatsfrom rear-facing to forward-facing, from the harness to boosteris actually a step down in safety. The 5-point harness spreads crash forces over more points on a child’s body, lessening the potential force any one part of the body must take in a crash.
While some high-back booster seats have a minimum weight of 30 pounds, kids should weigh at least 40 pounds before riding in any booster seat.
From a practical standpoint, it is easier to have the child sit properly when in a car seat than in a booster, which is important because it keeps kids safely contained and limits distraction to the driver. In a booster, the child can unbuckle themselves more easily. They can also lean and slouch, which is dangerous. They can’t do that in a car seat when the 5-point harness is properly adjusted.
The seatbelt cannot protect a child who is not in the proper position. Most children cannot be expected to sit routinely properly until at least five years old.
Many parents find that their child is actually much older than four before they can be expected to sit still in a booster. If your vehicle has lap-only seatbelts in the rear seats, keep your child in a harnessed car seat as long as possible. Harnessed seats can be installed with a lap-only belt.
One Of The Most Common Questions We Are Receiving Is: When Is The Right Time For My Child To Change To The Next Car Seat And This Is A Great And Very Important Question Different Regulations Focussing On Weight Height And Age And Can Make It Quite Confusing We Have Therefore Collected An Overview Of When To Change Car Seats For Your Child
At BeSafe, we categorize the different child car seat stages in a childs life into three groups:
3) Car seats for older children
When choosing a seat for your newborn, there are two paths you can choose from: either to use an infant carrier from approx. 0-1 year, followed by a toddler seat until approx. 4 years or to use a 2-in-1 seat from 0 to approx. 4 years.
When using such a 2-in-1 seat, it is only relevant in this article for you to know when to change to a seat for older children. When to remove the baby insert of your 2-in-1 seat is defined by the user manual of your seat.
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Is A Harnessed Car Seat Safer Than A Booster
Graco TrioGrow booster mode
Once a child has outgrown their harnessed car seat, there isnt any scientific information that gives us reason to believe that a harness is safer than a properly used booster seat. The key is the booster being properly used: where the child is of appropriate age and the belt is positioned properly.
NHTSA recommends utilizing a 5 point harness until the child outgrows it. Theres no rush to move to a booster right away, but if your child is nearing the weight or height maximum of their harnessed car seat and is behaviorally ready to ride in a booster, dont feel that you are reducing their safety by moving to a booster.
When Can A Child Stop Using A Booster Seat
Texas law requires that all children use a car seat or booster seat until they are 8 years old or 4 feet, 9 inches tall. Even if your child is 8 and it is legal for them to stop using a booster seat, if they are under 4 feet 9 inches tall, you should continue to use a booster seat to keep your child safe. When your child reaches the height requirement, the seat belt will fit them safely and comfortably.
Children should always travel in the back seat of the car, never the front, until they are 13 years old. They should always have the seat belt on their chest, never around their back. The lap belt should rest against their hips, and the shoulder belt should rest in the middle of their shoulder. If it doesn’t, you should keep using the booster seat.
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The Requirements: Childs Age & Size
The bottom line of all forward-facing car seats, regardless of if theyre a convertible, all-in-one, forward-facing only, etc is that you should only graduate your child from a harness car seat once theyve surpassed the size requirements for the seat, as set out by the car seat manufacturer.
This can vary, pending on the quality and brand of the harness seat. With most seats, you can see if your child fits the following criteria before moving them into a booster seat:
The first point of the criteria is the most important, yet you should be aware that your child is comfortable when moving into a booster seat. Its important to note, also, that whichever age your child moves into a booster seat, they should always ride in the back until the age of 13.
Is There A Booster Seat Age Requirement What About Height And Weight
Does your kid look like theyre going to burst out of their car seat? Must be time for a booster, right? Not so fast, says Jen Shapka, a certified child passenger safety technician with the Child Passenger Safety Association of Canada and a mom of two in Winnipeg. Children are ready for a booster seat when they are over 40 pounds and have the physical maturity to remain seated properly at all times, including when asleep, she explains. Some kids will be ready for the switch to a booster around age five, but most will be closer to six or seven years old.
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What Type Of Car Seat Should I Use
Rear-facing car seat:
- All infants must use a rear-facing car seat. A rear-facing seat provides the best protection for your childs head, neck, and spine in a sudden stop or crash. Once your baby outgrows the infant seat, use a larger, rear-facing seat. As long as your child still fits within the manufacturers weight and height limits, they are safest using a rear-facing seat until 2, 3, or even 4 years old.
Forward-facing car seat:
- Once your child has outgrown the larger rear-facing car seat and is at least2 years old they can move to a forward-facing car seat with a 5-point harness. Keep your child in a 5-point harness until they weigh at least18 kg and can sit straight and tall without moving out of position or unbuckling. This may be at 4, 5, or even 6 years old. If your child outgrows the seat before they can sit correctly, you may need a 5-point harness that will hold a taller, heavier child.
Booster seat:
- When your child is at least 18 kg and at least 4 years old, and has outgrown their forward-facing car seat with a 5-point harness, they may be ready to move to a belt-positioning booster seat. To safely use a booster seat, your child must be able to sit correctly. Keep your child in a booster seat until they safely fit the adult seat belt. For most children, this will be between 9 and 12 years old.
Seat belt:
If your child cannot sit like this for the whole trip without slouching, continue to use a booster seat.
Infant And Convertible Car Seats: Whats The Difference
Parents have the option of choosing between an infant and a convertible car seat when traveling with their baby. Both are safe options if your baby meets the car seatâs height and weight recommendations. You also have to make sure you know how to securely install the seat. Itâs important to choose the seat that works best for your baby and your needs. Here are the key differences between infant and convertible car seats.
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Harness Or Booster: When To Make The Switch
On our and on our , we host a wide variety of questions but one that comes up a lot is: when should my child make the switch from a 5 point harness to a belt positioning booster?
While each child and each situation is different, our minimum recommended age for booster seats is 5 years old.
Wondering if your Little is ready to make this switch? There are a few things to consider in making this move.
Is It Legal To Use An Expired Evenflo Car Seat
Theoretically, you should NOT use an Evenflo car seat if you know it expires most cases are that parents wont check the expiry date all the time and they dont know that the car seat expires.
The car seat laws in most states dont have a requirement for expired car seats. Plus, the traffic police wont stop you to check if the car seat expires or not.
However, the laws in most states DO require parents to use a child restraint system following the manufacturers instructions. If so, youd better not use an expired car seat.
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Car Seat Safety By Age: Booster Seat Safety
Children who reach the highest weight or height of their forward-facing child safety seat should use a belt-positioning booster. There are four types of booster seats. In some cases, choosing a booster seat will depend on whether or not your vehicle has high seat backs, headrests or head restraints.
When To Move From A Harness To A Booster: What You Need To Know
There is no one size fits all decisions when it comes to moving your child from a harness car seat into a booster. What works for one child does not necessarily work for others, and there are many variables within this decision that youll need to consider.
What exactly are these variables, you may be asking? Dont worry, theres a few to consider yet well go through this in-depth, starting on the types of seats themselves, and why theyre important for the different stages of your child.
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What About Height And Weight
Most booster seats have a lower weight threshold of 40 pounds, though some still have a 30 pound minimum weight. Thats the minimum. We advocate for waiting as long as possible to move a child to the next step in any child restraints. In this case, that means waiting until the child has outgrown their harnessed car seat before transitioning to a booster seat.
For our Canadian readers, all booster seats have at least a 40 pound minimum weight. There is some concern that a smaller child may be able to submarine beneath the lap belt in a crash, however, currently available studies do not have conclusive information for this phenomenon. We do know that a properly fitted seat belt does an excellent job of protecting a child in a crash, reducing the risk for serious injury by 45% for 4-8 year olds.1
The great news is that for most kids, there is no rush whatsoever to move into a booster seat. Not too long ago there were very few 5 point harnessed seats that could hold a child who weighs over 40 pounds. Today, there is a vast array of seats to choose from that can harness the average 5-6 year old some of those options cost as little as $50. Check out our recommended seats list if you need help making a car seat selection!
When To Move Your Child From A Booster Seat To A Seat Belt
Children should continue to use their booster seat until they have outgrown the seats weight and or height limits shown on the seats instruction labels.
Many booster seats today have removable backrests. Removing the backrest allows your child to benefit from the protection of the booster seat for a little longer. Before you get rid of the booster seat, check how your vehicles adult seat belt fits your child.
Stage 4: seat belts has more information on using adult seat belts without a booster seat. If your child grows out of their booster seat before being ready to use a seat belt only, shop for a different booster seat that fits your child and your vehicle.
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Checking The Fit Of The Booster Seat
Even if a booster seat meets Canadian regulations, the seat you choose needs to fit your child, and your vehicle. A booster seat that fits will better protect your child during a sudden stop or a crash.
The lap belt must fit snuggly on the hips. This will help the seat belt bring your child to a stop during a sudden stop or crash and helps protect your child from injuries.
The shoulder belt should sit in the middle of your childs shoulder because:
- this is most comfortable for your child
- this makes it less likely for your child to wiggle out of the belt or put it behind him or her
- this makes the belt less likely to slip off your childs shoulder during a sudden stop or crash
Try the booster seat in your vehicle before you buy it, if possible. Otherwise, ensure that the seat can be returned if it does not fit your child and your vehicle.
Check provincial or territorial regulations to make sure that your child meets the age, height and or weight requirements for a booster seat.
What You Need To Know
- Each year, many children are injured or die in car accidents. An appropriate child restraint is the best protection your child has when theyre travelling in a vehicle.
- Under New Zealand law, the driver is responsible for making sure any child under seven years old is properly restrained in a car seat thats appropriate for their age, size and development.
- Youll know your child has outgrown their car seat when theyre over the manufacturers recommended weight or height restrictions for that model of child restraint.
- Making the move to a booster seat depends on your childs height and weight, not their age.
- Plunket has child restraint technicians around the country you can call on for advice.
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Is It Legal To Use An Expired Diono Car Seat
Parents should not use an expired Diono car seat for their precious kids. Its not illegal to have an expired car seat. No laws in the United States talk about expired car seats.
However, the laws do emphasize that parents should use a child restraint system according to the manufacturers instructions.
The majority of car seat brands have this expiry date or lifespan or manufacturer date on their car seats, its better to follow their advice. Even though the traffic police wont stop you to check if the car seat is expired or not.
When Is It Safe To Move Your Child Into A Booster
If you can answer Yes to ALL the statements below, your child is safe to use a booster:
- Theres a shoulder AND lap belt
- The child is at least 40 lbs
- The child is at least 5 years old
- The child can sit properly the entire trip without leaning forward, slouching, playing with the shoulder belt, sitting on their knees, etc.
Young children under age 5 or 6 are safer in a 5-point harness car seat. Dont rush to graduate your child to a booster seat. If your child still fits in his 5-point harness car seat, leave him there!
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What Is A Booster Seat
Unlike a car seat that uses a five-point-harness, a booster seat allows your child to use the seatbelt restraint of your car. Your child can sit on top of a booster seat to “boost” them up to the right height for the seat belt. The seat belts in your car are designed to fit adults, so a booster seat mimics the height of an adult when your child sits in it.
