They grow up so fast don't they? It seems like yesterday your kid was in an infant carrier and then the rear facing seat and now he's in a forward facing seat and expressing his independence about wanting to ride like the big people.
Well his desire to be free of the car seat, coupled with the fact that he has now outgrown it, means you're in the market for a car seat booster.
The whole idea of car seats for kids is to provide them with the same safety as adults by adjusting their position in the vehicle seat to take advantage of the restraint system, namely seat belts.
When your kid outgrows the child car seat he or she is still too short to safely use the lap and shoulder belts meant for adults.
The solution, make the kid taller with a booster seat.
Booster seats work in conjunction with your seat belts, they have no separate harness.
Again the idea is to boost your child up so that he or she can safely wear the belts.
Boosters are designed for kids 30 to 100 pounds and up to 57 inches high.
Like anything else associated with kid gear, seats can come with a bunch of features and options.
All of them should be adjustable to allow for proper positioning of the shoulder and lap belt as the child grows.
Some are designed so you can do that with just one hand and that can be a real convenience.
And if the kid is drinking coffee, you can get models with armrests that have cup holders molded in along with a foldable snack tray.
Always travel first class I say.
You can get these boosters with a back or without a back.
Smaller kids may fit better with a seat that has a back attached.
If you get a back model, make sure you can remove it later when the growth spurt kicks in.
Typically the backless models should not be used by kids that are less than 40 pounds.
The one possible drawback to a booster seat system is that unlike a children's car seat, boosters can not be reclined.
That means if you child dozes off in the car, their head is likely to bob around as the boosters are pretty much a sit up straight chair.
So if you're in the market for a car seat boosters take heart.
This is the last specialized seat you are going to have to buy.
The bad news is your child is one day closer to asking you if he can borrow the keys.
Well his desire to be free of the car seat, coupled with the fact that he has now outgrown it, means you're in the market for a car seat booster.
The whole idea of car seats for kids is to provide them with the same safety as adults by adjusting their position in the vehicle seat to take advantage of the restraint system, namely seat belts.
When your kid outgrows the child car seat he or she is still too short to safely use the lap and shoulder belts meant for adults.
The solution, make the kid taller with a booster seat.
Booster seats work in conjunction with your seat belts, they have no separate harness.
Again the idea is to boost your child up so that he or she can safely wear the belts.
Boosters are designed for kids 30 to 100 pounds and up to 57 inches high.
Like anything else associated with kid gear, seats can come with a bunch of features and options.
All of them should be adjustable to allow for proper positioning of the shoulder and lap belt as the child grows.
Some are designed so you can do that with just one hand and that can be a real convenience.
And if the kid is drinking coffee, you can get models with armrests that have cup holders molded in along with a foldable snack tray.
Always travel first class I say.
You can get these boosters with a back or without a back.
Smaller kids may fit better with a seat that has a back attached.
If you get a back model, make sure you can remove it later when the growth spurt kicks in.
Typically the backless models should not be used by kids that are less than 40 pounds.
The one possible drawback to a booster seat system is that unlike a children's car seat, boosters can not be reclined.
That means if you child dozes off in the car, their head is likely to bob around as the boosters are pretty much a sit up straight chair.
So if you're in the market for a car seat boosters take heart.
This is the last specialized seat you are going to have to buy.
The bad news is your child is one day closer to asking you if he can borrow the keys.