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Securing a child in a belt positioning booster
 Correct Installation of Backless Belt Positioning Booster Seat
1. Select an appropriate seating position for the child safety seat (CSS).
- Read the vehicle owner’s manual. Some seating positions have seat belts for adult use, but are restricted from using a CSS in that position.
- Choose a seating position with a lap and shoulder seat belt. All belt positioning boosters must be used with this type of seat belt system. Lap belts only cannot be used with belt positioning booster seats.
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Child properly positioned in belt positioning booster with lap portion of seat belt lying snuggly across the upper thighs and the shoulder portion across the center of the chest. Image provided by the NHTSA |
- There are restraint options for children who weigh more than 40 pounds, but must sit in a seating position with a lap belt only. Click here to find a certified child passenger safety technician who can discuss these options with you.
- Take all passengers into consideration when deciding the safest seating scenario.
- Statistically, the back seat is much safer than the front seat. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration recommends that all children, 12 and under, ride in the back seat.
- The center-most seating position, typically the rear middle, is the safest position in the vehicle. A belt positioning booster will have to be used either behind the driver or passenger seat if there is not a shoulder belt in the middle seating position.
2. Place the CSS in the vehicle facing the front.
3. Place the child in the seat with his back and bottom flat against the seat. Nothing should be placed behind or under the child. In a crash, padding can compress and the safety belt may be too loose to keep the child properly in the seat. Thick winter coats should also be avoided for this reason.
4. Buckle the vehicle seat belt and give it a tug. The belt should be snug and not twisted.
5. If there is a shoulder belt guide on the booster, adjust the shoulder belt so that it lies directly between the child’s neck and shoulder. A properly fitting lap/shoulder seat belt will lie snugly on the upper thighs and will cross the collar bone and the center of the chest.
6. A child will be ready to graduate to the seat belt alone when:
- he can sit with his back against the vehicle seat without slouching and
- his knees comfortably hang over the edge of the vehicle seat, preferably with his feet touching the floor and
- the lap belt fits low on the hips or on the upper thighs and
- the shoulder belt does not cross his throat.
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Older child graduated to vehicle seat belt.
Image provided by NHTSA | This is usually when the child is about 4’9”, about 80 pounds and 8-12 years old.
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