The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends waiting until children are 11 months old before allowing them to utilise a car’s seat belt. Booster car seats fill the gap between the age when a child outgrows a forward-facing strapped seat and when they can safely use an adult seat belt.
High-back only and backless booster seats are all tested and reviewed by Consumer Reports. CR has long recommended high-back boosters over backless models due to the better shoulder belt fit and the added comfort that the head wings provide for children, especially if they fall asleep in the car. The head wings are designed to limit the side-to-side movement of the head during a collision.
Correct Belt Size for Shoulder
The child may not have the best shoulder belt fit when a booster seat doesn’t have its back attached. The shoulder belt could not sit properly on the child’s shoulder and chest. Furthermore, kids are active. Thus the shoulder belt’s position may shift as they move. When using a backless booster, the shoulder belt may shift out of place when the child moves since the belt clip doesn’t have a back.
Protection and comfort from side impacts thanks to the wings on either side
The high-back booster’s side wings have several functions. Even though there isn’t yet a need for child car seats to offer any sort of side-impact protection, booster seats with side wings can help keep kids’ sides from scraping against anything inside the car in the event of an accident. In addition to protecting them from the elements, the side wings can be a quiet place for a child’s head to rest as they sleep.
Comfortable Belt for Your Lap
In a backless seat, the lap belt is not in the proper position because the child’s seat is further back against the vehicle’s seat back without the booster seat linked to the booster cushion. While companies do fit-to-vehicle assessments, you frequently find that when the seat is in backless mode, the belt meant for the lap is located at a further distance forward, on the kid’s legs, rather than on the solid bony protrusions of their pelvic. Consequently, child seats intended solely as backless boosters provide a better fit for the lap belt than those with the back removed.
Relaxed Stance
Lacking a booster back allows the kid to sit back on the cushion, increasing the risk that their knees will not bend over the front. As a result, the youngster may hunch for support, which might cause the lap belt to move into an unsafe position across the child’s tummy, increasing the risk of injury.
Chair Placement
Some of the seats in the back of the car lack proper head restraints altogether, while others lack restraints that are tall enough to prevent neck injuries in the event of a crash. A youngster using a backless booster should use a head restraint that grows with them to prevent minishortner whiplash. It is suggested that the middle seat, rather than the window, maybe the best option for the kid. When the vehicle’s head restraint is too low or nonexistent, a high-back booster can still be utilised to protect the child’s head.
You shouldn’t be in a rush to switch your kid to the next seat over, whether using a car seat or booster seat. Also, the shape of your car’s seats and seatbelts and your child’s growing size might affect how well a booster seat fits. You need to keep all of this in mind while buying booster seats.
