Is a 5-point harness safer than a booster seat?

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asked Jul 12, 2022 in Safety by assgang (900 points)
Is a 5-point harness safer than a booster seat?

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answered Jul 16, 2022 by Chambliss (46,100 points)
A 5 point harness is much safer than a booster seat.

A child should stay in a 5 point harness as long as possible even if they are old enough to move to a booster seat.

In the event of a crash the child will be much safer in a 5 point harness car seat than they would be in a booster seat.

A 4 year old should use a 5 point harness for safety.

Although the 4 year old could in some cases move up to a booster seat it's best to keep the 4 year old in the 5 point harness to keep them safer.

A child can stop using a 5 point harness once they reach at least 5 years of age.

By 5 years of age the child can move up to a booster seat whether a backless booster or a high back booster seat.

A child should be in a harness car seat until they reach at least 5 years of age and then they can switch to a booster seat.

Kids can switch from using a harness car seat and use a booster seat instead once they reach the age of 5 years old and they typically stay in the booster seat until around 9 years of age.

Your 5 year old can sit in a backless booster seat as long as they are able to sit and act appropriately at all times.

Backless booster seats are safe.

A backless booster seat is safe and safer than no booster seat at all.

However a booster seat with a back is much safer for kids to ride in and will protect the child better in a crash.

The high-backed boosters are safer than backless ones because they do a better job of properly positioning the seat belt across the child's chest, hips and thighs.

A child can ride in a backless booster seat once they are at least 5 years of age and before then they should be in a toddler card seat with the harness.

Signs your child are ready to sit in a backless booster seat include.

    Your child is at least 5 or 6 years old.
    They can sit still without leaning forward or to the side, slouching, fooling around, etc.
    Your child is at least 40 pounds.
    Your child is at least 38-43″ tall.

Backless booster seats are often preferred by older children, since high back boosters and car seats with harnesses may seem “babyish.”

They're also lightweight, compact and inexpensive, making them a good choice for families with smaller vehicles, multiple children in car seats, or that need to move car seats between vehicles.

High-back and backless are 2 standard types of booster seats.

They do not come with a harness but are used with lap and shoulder seat belts in your vehicle, the same way an adult rides.

They are designed to raise a child up so that lap and shoulder seat belts fit properly over the strongest parts of the child's body.

While high-backs are the safest choice, backless boosters are still much safer than no booster at all, and we can see some legitimate reasons parents might choose a no-back model.

For one thing, backless boosters are generally less expensive, some costing as little as $14.00

Not having your child in a child car seat or booster seat when required is not only unsafe but also can get you a fine if pulled over.

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