Frequently Asked Questions
Booster vs. Seat Belt Alone
A booster positions the adult seat belt properly on a child’s body, because a poorly positioned seat belt is a major source of injury to spinal cord & abdominal organs. When a child has outgrown their booster seat and meets all of the following 5 criteria (usually about 10-12 years old and not before age 8), they are ready for an adult seat belt alone.
- Child sits comfortably, all the way back in the vehicle seat, with their knees bent at the edge of the vehicle seat.
- Shoulder belt fits evenly and flush across the torso, not cutting into the neck or face.
- Lap belt is low on the hips, touching the tops of the thighs (not on the abdomen).
- Feet are on the floor.
- Child can remain seated comfortably this way for the entire ride.
All children must ride in the back seat of the vehicle until age 13.
Harness-to-Booster
A belt-positioning booster seat helps to position the adult’s seatbelt correctly over a child’s body. Unlike with the 5-point harness, in a booster, a child can move freely. If a child moves out of the proper belt position, the seat belt can potentially fail to protect them in a crash or sudden stop.
The decision to move from 5-point harness to booster is rooted in the child’s behavioural maturity – the ability to sit correctly for the entire ride, 100% of the time. For most children, this happens somewhere between 5-7 years of age.
Moving a child to a booster seat gives them freedom to lean sideways, slouch, pick up something off of the floor, etc. If a child is out of the proper position at the time of a crash, that leaves them vulnerable to serious injury.
The best practice minimum recommendation for moving to a booster seat, is when your child is:
- At least 5 years old.
- Meets the weight and height minimums for the booster seat you’re considering.
- Responsible enough to sit properly 100% of the time, even while asleep.
- Gets a safe belt fit in the booster seat.
Rear-to-Forward Facing
Rear facing is the safest way for children to travel. It is the best way to prevent brain and spinal cord injuries. It is best practice for a child to ride in a rear-facing car seat as long as possible. Ideally, this is until the child reaches the maximum height or weight limit indicated by their convertible car seat.
If a child has outgrown the limits of their rear-facing-only infant car seat, choose a convertible car seat that will continue to accommodate rear-facing longer, before converting to the forward-facing mode.
Click here to read more about the science of rear facing basics, videos, and FAQs
The best seat is the one that fits your child, your car, your needs and your budget. It is the seat you can use correctly every time.
Need help choosing a seat? Contact us. We would be happy to make a recommendation based on your specifications.
Disclosure: We do not promote specific car seat brands and our recommendations are based on products we use and those which come highly recommended from experience or trusted peers. If you purchase something using our referral links, we may get a small commission at no extra cost to you. How-To-Safety is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by linking to Amazon.com.
Your child may be present, however it is not required.
- It’s best to have the child attend a car seat checkup to make sure the seat fits them properly.
- If your child will not be present during the seat check, we may need to know your child’s torso height (seated shoulder height). Here is how to measure it:
- Sit your child into the car seat and note where the child’s shoulders are relative to the back of the seat (or between which harness slots are the shoulders).
- Alternately, sit your child on the floor against a wall. Measure up from the floor to the top of the shoulder.