When Is Your Child Ready for a Seatbelt?

September 23rd, 2010 - 11:11 pm ICT by Angela Kaye Mason  

Sep 23 (THAINDIAN NEWS) It is actually pretty easy to decide when a child is ready to make the move from a booster seat to just a seatbelt. By following a few guidelines, you can be sure your child is properly restrained in the car, to provide adequate safety.

Children need to remain in a booster seat until they are at least four foot nine inches tall, and weigh around 80 pounds. This is usually around 8 years old. The booster seat helps to lift the child up in order to be sure that the seat belt fits correctly.

A simple 5 question quiz can help you to know if your child is ready.

1. Can your child sit all the way back against the auto seat?

2. Do your child’s knees bend with ease at the edge of the seat without slouching?

3. Does the lap belt fit snugly across the top of the thighs, not up on the tummy?

4. Does the shoulder belt come across the center of the shoulder and chest?

5. Can your child sit like this for the whole trip?

If the answer to any of these questions is “no,” then your child needs to remain in the booster seat for a bit longer.

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