Which booster seats are the safest

It's time to use a booster seat when a child outgrows a car seat. Booster seats lift kids up so that seatbelts lie across the strong bones of the chest and pelvis instead of the belly and neck, where they could do serious damage in a crash.

Belt-positioning boosters raise kids to a height where they can safely use the car's lap and shoulder belts. They come in high-back or backless models:. Combination seats are high-back seats with a five-point harness. They can be used with harnesses as forward-facing safety seats or as belt-positioning booster seats with the harnesses removed.

Use a five-point harness for kids who weigh 40 pounds or more. If your car doesn't have shoulder belts in the back seat, talk to your car dealer about having them installed. If that's not possible, the American Academy of Pediatrics AAP recommends keeping kids in a forward-facing seat with a full harness. Kids this age can begin to understand the importance of buckling up and may want to buckle themselves in. Be sure to check their seatbelts and praise them when they put them on by themselves.

Never fasten the shoulder strap of the seatbelt behind a child's back or under their arm. And never buckle two kids or an adult and a child under one seatbelt. Their heads could collide in a car crash. If you carpool or have other kids in your car, it's wise to have an extra booster seat handy, especially if you're unsure about whether a child meets the height requirements. It's always better to be safe than to let a child who isn't tall enough ride with only a seatbelt.

When combined with safety belts, air bags protect adults and teens from serious injury during a collision. They have saved lives and prevented many serious injuries. But young children can be injured or even killed if they are riding in the front passenger seat when an air bag opens.

It works by raising your child off the vehicle seat so that an adult seatbelt fits across his pelvis and ribcage. Booster cushions use adult seatbelts, so it is the vehicle 3-point belt that protects children in the event of an accident. Peter Vicary-Smith, explains why some experts are focusing on in-car safety. They are cheap, very portable and also a great option for a second or third car and occasional lifts home for friends. Without a doubt, using a backless booster is much better than not using a car seat at all.

Some well-established car seat manufacturers still sell backless booster seats in addition to high-backed boosters that can be adapted to a cushion-only version once your child is older. Others no longer do. All car seats sold at Mothercare conform to strict European Safety Regulations and we offer a free Safe Fit service where trained experts show customers how to fit the car seat safely.

Lower Anchor Attachments Used to install the car seat in a vehicle with lower anchors. Used to secure a forward-facing car seat and limit forward head movement in a crash. The tether is located on the top rear of convertible, combination, and all-in-one car seats. Most rear-facing car seats in the United States do not use a tether for installation.

IMPORTANT: Both installation methods are designed to work with the tether to achieve the highest level of safety for child passengers restrained in forward-facing car seats. Lower anchors have weight limits set by the vehicle and car seat manufacturers.

You can determine the lower anchor weight limit by checking the warning label or installation diagrams located on the side of the car seat. Certified technicians will inspect your car seat free of charge, in most cases, and show you how to correctly install and use it.

Some locations now offer virtual inspections. You may be able to find a tech through Safe Kids Worldwide. Congratulations—you chose the right car seat and installed it correctly. Registering your seat makes sense: It gives the manufacturer the ability to contact you about recalls and safety notices. If you would like NHTSA to provide your child restraint registration information to the manufacturer, please fill out this Registration Form and mail it to the address below.

You may also e-mail or fax it if you choose. Washington, DC Fax: E-mail: childseatregister dot. In addition to registering your car seat to receive recalls and safety notices from your car seat manufacturer, you can sign up to receive e-mail alerts from NHTSA about car seat and booster seat recalls to make sure your child remains safe.

Make sure you know the difference between a minor crash and a moderate to major one before deciding to use a car seat after a crash. Thinking about using a second-hand car seat? If you can check off each one of these statements, then it may be okay to use one. Skip to main content. Equipment Car Seats and Booster Seats. Driver Assistance Technologies. Takata Recall Spotlight. Odometer Fraud.