Seeking Booster Seat Recomendations

i bought a fantastic one at wal-mart. It has cup holders on both ends, lights at the head on each end (which my son loves) and u strap them in like u would a child of age with the belt across the chest. This booster has been fantastic and other children in my family just love it too. It cost me $60, and well worth it.

I have gotten a booster seat by Safety 1st that has just been okay at best. the seat has a plastic frame on it and sometimes I have a hard time fitting it in between the seat belt buckles. Also, if my son's bottom slides forward with his weight sometimes the seat moves forward with him (not a lot but it seems uncomfortable for him to hav a gap between the seat and the car backseat). If I were to get another one then I would probably get one of those that has the back on a booster seat too.

Hi S. I was just reading another email about this same subject check it out and good luck! If you would like me to send it via email let me know it may be easier to read that way. A. busymomsworkathome.com

Car Seat Safety for Kids
From Teresa Plowright,
Your Guide to Travel with Kids.
Stay up to date!
- are you buckling right?
Every parent knows how important it is to get babies and kids buckled into the car, in the right gear, for a road trip - or any time.

Think you've got it covered? Think again. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) finds that most child restraints are used incorrectly: 86 percent of rear-facing infant seats, 88 percent of forward-facing toddler seats, and 85 percent of safety belts.

Parents of babies and toddlers, take note: more than half the time, seat belts aren't getting clicked-in right!

Parents of older kids using seat belts: don't let them flip away the shoulder strap! Not only will your child not be protected in an accident, the strap can cause injury.

There's also the matter of booster seats: kids 4 to 8, or between 35 and 80 lbs, should use these so that the shoulder belt fits right.

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Actual use, in that age group? 10%.

Details on Problems Buckling Up
As of 2007, here are the numbers from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), showing what goes wrong with kids and car-seats and safety belts:

For Rear-facing Infant Seats

Safety belt not tightly locking the seat in vehicle - 61.5%
Harness straps not snugly restraining child - 65.3%
Harness retainer clip not positioned at armpit level - 42.1%
For Forward-facing Toddler Seats
Safety belt not tightly locking the seat in the vehicle - 66.2%
Harness straps not snugly restraining the child - 66.7%
Top tether strap not used correctly (if supplied) - 46.2%
For Belt-positioning Booster Seats
Top tether strap not used correctly (if supplied) - 46%
Lap and shoulder belt not correctly positioned - 19.9%
Safety belt not routed correctly - 9.8%
For Safety Belts
Shoulder belt not over center of shoulder 78.9%
Child's legs do not bend over vehicle seat without child slouching - 75.1%
Lap belt not over upper thighs - 70.6%
For the infant and toddler group: parents of these ages are very conscientious in using the right gear, with useage well over 90%. So the message is: double-check that you're getting that seat belt clicked in! See detailed photos and tips about Car Seat Safety at About's Pediatrics site.

For kids using seat belts: that 78.9% figure for "seat belt not over center of shoulder" surely means a lot of kids are flipping their shoulder belt behind them, or below their arm. Which they naturally want to do because it's uncomfortable.

But the message is clear: "Never allow your child to position the shoulder belt under the arm or behind the back. In the event of a crash, seat belts worn like this will not be able to do their job and can even cause injury to your child!" (Kids Safety First.)

Booster Seats
Also: should that kid, who's so uncomfortable with the seat belt, maybe still be using a booster seat? Boosters raise kids higher so the seat belt fits. The NHTSA recommends that only when kids are over eight, or 4'9" tall, should they ride adult-style.

Many parents are unaware that booster seats are required in most states. Many states require use up to age eight; some use a lower age. Interestingly, Britain made headlines in 2006 by requiring the use of booster seats for kids up to age twelve (weighing 33 to 80 pounds.)

Food for thought. Meanwhile let's not forget that motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of death for kids, from age four up. And "Booster seats have been shown to reduce injury risk by 59% compared to safety belts alone, for children ages 4 to 7 years".*

* source: CDC, quoting a 2003 study.

--This article was written in 2007--

More:
Car Seat Safety - from About's Guide for Pediatrics
Kids Safety First
NHTSA site
...
States with Booster Seat Requirements
State Requirements
BoosterSeat.gov

Me too...did you get any good responses to this? I am new to mamasource and not sure how all this works yet!

I bought a Kangaroo Booster seat online...it was expensive but lasted through all three of my children and still looks brand new. It is basically a re-enforced high back cushioned seat with a zip-off washable cover. It lifts the kids up high enough to see out and you use the car seatbelts. It doesn't buckle to the car so it's easy to move to different vehicles.

I just purchase a set at Kmart day before yesterday. Baby days sale. We got 2 Cosco Booster seats for 26.99. They have removable padded seats and arm rest covers, and something I know we couldn't live without, a flip down cup holder, that has a round shape and rectangle in the middle for juice boxes. Great price and they are working well.

Hi S., I got one from Target that just sits on the chair to raise them. It is easy to fasten down and compact for travel.