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When Shopping for Booster Seats, Fit in Your Car Is Key
In its latest report on child booster seats, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety found that all 23 new booster seat models evaluated provide good belt fit, or properly positioned shoulder belt mid-shoulder and lap belt flat across the upper thighs. This is a significant improvement from the common fails in 2008, when IIHS started this program.
Belt fit is the key to a booster providing the best protection for your child in a crash, but whether that fit can be maintained and how a seat does in a crash are important considerations as well.
What Parents Need to Know
The best booster seat not only fits the child well, but also stays put when kids move around. It works with a variety of vehicle interiors, too.
Consumer Reports provides booster seat ratings for belt fitment, but we go a step further to assess vehicle fit using a 6-year-old, child-sized dummy in a variety of vehicles. Booster-targeted kids, typically ages 4 to 8, have the freedom to move around in a vehicle belt and many do. Therefore, we simulate that activity by moving the belted dummy forward and side-to-side, and then evaluate how well the vehicle belt stays in place on the dummy. In many cases, the belt moves.
Additionally, vehicles have varying rear-seat geometries that influence how well the booster seat fits on the vehicle seat and how easy it is for a child to buckle the vehicle belt on his or her own. Our ratings account for these variances by testing booster seats in a range of vehicles.
While Consumer Reports and IIHS ratings provide a good initial guideline for shoppers, parents should try out any booster seat in their own car before buying to make sure the belts can be properly positioned. If not possible, check a store’s return policy in case you need to exchange the seat for another better-fitting model.
There are many boosters that show up twice on the IIHS list because they are dual-use seats that can be used in highback or backless configurations. Our tests indicate that highback models tend to offer the best potential for providing a proper belt fit. They often provide the added convenience and protection of side “wings” for a child to rest their head against and provide some additional protection in side-impact crashes.
Proper Booster Belt Fit
A well-fitting booster should put the lap portion of the seat belt flat across a child’s upper thigh and the shoulder belt at mid-shoulder. This is a check that you should make with the child in your car when you are selecting a booster seat. (See our Booster Seat Fit Checklist.)
Most states now have laws requiring booster use, although variations in the ages and confusion abound regarding booster seat use. Check your state’s laws for guidance.
Simply put, regardless of age, weight, or your state law, Consumer Reports recommends booster seats be used until the child can comfortably and safely fit the vehicle belts alone. If you’re unsure if your child fits the vehicle belts without a booster, ask the same questions as our Booster Seat Fit Checklist but without the use of the booster.
Child passenger safety experts, including Consumer Reports, advise to transition to only a vehicle seat belt when a child is 8 to 12 years old and 4 feet 9 inches tall. Also, all children under age 13 should ride in the rear seat.
Children are precious cargo. It is worth the extra effort to ensure they properly secured and kept safe.
See the full list of booster seats evaluated by IIHS.
Consumer Reports has no relationship with any advertisers on this website. Copyright © 2006-2015 Consumers Union of U.S.
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