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OVERVIEW The last car seat you'll ever need - and thankfully the cheapest! -- booster car seats give big kids (generally ages 4 - 9) a boost in the car, raising their bums so the vehicle's seat belts cross their chest at the correct place. There are 2 types of booster seats: those with backs and those without. Booster car seats with backs come in two varieties: with restraints and without. Booster seats with restraints include their own strap system and function much like a convertible car seat. Meant for smaller children not quite ready to use a car's seat belt, the booster seat itself is strapped into the car, and the child is strapped into the seat. Booster seats without restraints are simply high-back chairs that comfortably position a child and sport guides that lower the vehicle's seat belt for little guy use. Booster seats without backs look much like a booster chair you'd use in a restaurant. Free floating, they are tiny padded seats that kids sit upon while using the regular seat belts. The most important features of any car seat are safety, installation ease and vehicular fit. There is no perfect seat for all children or all cars. Pick one that best suits your child and your vehicle. And because not every car seat fits perfectly in every vehicle, you should save all packaging and receipts until you are sure you have a good fit. Since all car seats sold in the United States must meet stringent government safety standards and are closely regulated, more expensive models don't necessarily mean a safer buy. In many cases, the extra money is for luxury conveniences like fancier fabric or child cup holders. But thanks to a higher class cache and deeper product development pockets, the more expensive car seat brands have historically been ahead of the curve for offering extra safety features that go above-and-beyond government requirements, like side impact protection. Children are our most precious cargo, so if you can afford it, we recommend getting a seat with the most safety features available. Thankfully, the newest safety features trickle down to the less costly seats rather quickly, as we've recently seen with side impact protection. Other important features of a booster car seat include making sure the seat positions your vehicle's seat belt correctly and comfortably on your child's body. Every child is different and not every booster will correctly accommodate your child. Note the height and weight limits of your booster as it pertains to your particular child. And make sure to pick a seat that is easy for your child to use. Nothing is more annoying than having to revert to buckling in your independent-minded kindergartner. Booster car seat features include armrests (some even fold up -- a lifesaver for first-time bucklers!), plush padding, cup holder and even reading lights. While the use of booster seats are generally dictated by the height of a child - the government's safety recommendation is that any child under 4'9" needs a booster seat - 38 states require the use of booster seats by law and those requirements all include an age limit. Some states require the use of a booster seat up until age 9! Check the government's booster seat site for more information and the specific laws for your state: www.boosterseat.gov. Great Car Seat Safety References:
A NOTE ON SAFE INSTALLATION Because the safest seat in the world won't do its job if it's not installed correctly, we highly recommend stopping by child passenger safety seat inspection location to check your seat. Think you've got it down? Think again! The NHTSA estimates that eight out of 10 children riding in car seats are incorrectly buckled in. For a listing of inspection locations near you, visit: http://www.seatcheck.org/. FEATURES TO CONSIDER:
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