Belt-positioning booster seats
- From 30 to 40 pounds up to 80 to 100 pounds (and at least age 3 to 4).
- Must be used with vehicle lap and shoulder belt — never with only lap belt.
- Booster without back may be used if child's head is supported (up to the top of the ears) by the vehicle seat back.
- High-back booster recommended if vehicle has a low seat back or does not have a head restraint.
- The NHTSA does not recommend seat belt-positioning devices. In many cases these devices pull the lap belt up onto the child's stomach, which can cause severe injuries in a crash.
- Get more booster seat use and installation tips from the NHTSA.
Riding Safely With Your Youngster
Beginning in September 2002, all new vehicles are equipped with the Lower Anchors and Tethers for Children (LATCH) system. The LATCH system is designed to make installation of child safety seats easier by requiring child safety seats to be installed without using the vehicle's seat belt system. Click here for more on the LATCH system and a list of manufacturers of LATCH child safety seats.
Whichever child safety seat you purchase, be sure to return the registration card to the manufacturer so that they can notify you in case of a recall. Click here to see if your current child safety seat has been recalled. To report a possible defect with your child safety seat or with your vehicle, call the NHTSA Hotline at 1-888-DASH2DOT (1-888-327-4236).
The back seat is the safest place in case of a crash. If your car is equipped with a passenger-side airbag, all children age 12 and under should remain in the back seat. If your child must be in the front seat, investigate having an air bag on-off switch installed in your car. The NHTSA has information on these new devices and where they can be installed.
Set a good example for your child, from the day you take them home from the hospital. An NHTSA study found that when the driver is wearing a seat belt, children are buckled in 87 percent of the time, but when the driver is unbuckled, the percentage of children belted in drops to only 24 percent.
