A booster seats is the next big step in kiddos car seat adventure. Usually they are thrilled to finally child car seat to get the "big seat." The booster seat helps raise your child so that the vehicle's seat belts fit properly. Booster seats are necessary when a child outgrows his or her child safety seat top weight or height, usually after 40 pounds or age 4. Children do not fit in adult shoulder/lap belts (without a booster seat) until they are 58 inches tall (with a sitting height of 29 inches) and weigh 80 pounds, according to the CDC.

Booster seats should always be placed in the back seat of the vehicle. There are several types of booster seats, including:

• High back booster with five-point harness. A booster seat that helps protect the head and neck in back seats that do not have head restraints. The five-point harness can be used up to a weight of 40 pounds, after which the harness can be removed to convert the seat to a belt-positioning booster.
• Belt-positioning booster. A booster seat that uses the vehicle's lap and shoulder belts to restrain the child.
• Shield booster. A booster seat with a removable shield to convert to a belt-positioning booster seat. Shield booster seats should not be used for those children over 40 pounds.

Make sure your child uses their booster seat to the maximum weight and height that the booster allows.  If you’re child is 4’9” or 57” they should be tall enough to safely sit in a seat belt without a booster. The shoulder part of the seat belt fits on the correct part of the shoulder. Also look at the lap portion of the seat belt, you want that to be on the child’s hips NOT up in their stomach. The number one cause of preventable death for booster-aged children in Utah is motor vehicle crashes. This is because when children are not sitting in a booster seat, the seat belt rides up into their abdomen. This is preventable!  Keep your child in their booster seat until the seat belt fits right without it!

WATCH Kyle’s story at http://boosttil8.com/

Learn how to do a seat belt fit test at http://clickitutah.org/children/

Child Seat Safety

As many as 85 percent of child safety seats are found to be improperly installed and/or used when vehicles are stopped and checked, according to studies from National SAFE KIDS Campaign Car Seat Check Ups. Some of the most common mistakes in installing or using child safety seats include the following:

• Safety belt not holding the seat in tightly and/or not in locked mode
• Harness straps not snug and/or routed correctly
• Harness retainer clip not at armpit level
• Locking clip not used correctly
• Car seat recalled and not repaired (includes booster seats)
• Infants placed rear-facing in front of an active air bag
• Children turned forward-facing before reaching 2 years of age

Parents and caregivers should carefully read their vehicle owner's manual and the instructions that come with the child safety seat to ensure proper installation and use of the seat. The NHTSA recommends doing the following quick safety seat assessment:

• Is your child riding in the back seat? (The back seat is the safest place in a crash.)
• Is your child facing the correct way? (Infants up to age 2 should face the rear.)
• Is the child safety seat held tightly in place by the seat belt?
• Does the harness buckle snugly around your child?
• If your child is between 40 and 80 pounds, is he or she in a booster seat for better seat belt fit?
• Does your older child fit properly in the vehicle's seat belts? (The shoulder belt should rest over the shoulder and across the chest, and the lap belt should fit low and tight over the upper thighs. The child should be tall enough to sit with knees bent at the edge of the seat--at least 58 inches tall and 80 pounds.)