When children out grow their convertible car seat, they are still not yet ready to ride in the car without a safety seat. This is when a booster car seat is needed. Booster car seats are designed to provide protection and safety for your child for years after they have outgrown their regular car seat and they are an essential element for child car safety.

Check out reviews for booster car seats like the Maxi Cosi Rodi and the Recaro ProSport.

Until about the age of eight, most children are too small to be safely buckled into the backseat of a car with only a regular seatbelt. Due to a child’s short height, and the fact that seatbelts are designed for adult passengers, the position of the seatbelt will sit incorrectly over a child’s shoulder and lap. Booster seats are designed to help position lap and shoulder belts across a child’s torso without falling incorrectly across the belly and neck—something that can cause injury in the event of a car accident. This is why booster seats are so important. Until your child is of the right height to sit with the seatbelt positioned correctly, a booster seat is an absolute necessity. However, despite the importance of using a booster seat until your child is of the right height to properly fit a car seat belt, most parents neglect to install a booster seat in their car.

When To Use A Booster Car Seat

Booster car seats should be used when your child outgrows his forward facing car seat, usually around the age of four, or 40 lbs, depending on the car seat. Many boosters come with the safety features found in regular forward facing or convertible car seats, like EPS foam, side-impact protection, or headrests. They also often come with added features like child cup holders and snack trays. Some seats are even designed to expand in height to adjust to the ever growing child and can be used for children weighing up to 120 lbs.

It is a good idea to purchase a booster car seat that will also convert into a backless booster later on for when your child only needs some added height to properly fit the car safety belt but no longer needs a full car seat. 3-in-1 booster car seats are convertible car seats that transform from a forward facing car seat (which allows your child to sit in a 5-point harness longer), to a belt-positioning booster car seat (which provides protection found on regular car seats—like side impact protection, but which also helps to position the seat belt correctly across the lap and torso), to a backless booster seat (which just allows a child to sit higher in the car to help position the seat belt correctly). This means you can purchase a high weight capacity infant car seat and then a 3-in-1 booster car seat as the only car seats you will need for your child’s entire life. Or you can purchase a convertible car seat and then a regular booster car seat.

Learn more about your booster seat options and check out our booster car seat reviews like the: Maxi Cosi Rodi, Graco Nautilus 3 in 1, Evenflo Big Kid booster and the Britax Frontier.

**California State Law now requires that all children remain in a booster car seat until the age of eight.