Harness-to-Booster
A belt-positioning booster seat helps to position the adult’s seatbelt correctly over a child’s body. Unlike with the 5-point harness, in a booster, a child can move freely. If a child moves out of the proper belt position, the seat belt can potentially fail to protect them in a crash or sudden stop.
The decision to move from 5-point harness to booster is rooted in the child’s behavioural maturity – the ability to sit correctly for the entire ride, 100% of the time. For most children, this happens somewhere between 5-7 years of age.
Moving a child to a booster seat gives them freedom to lean sideways, slouch, pick up something off of the floor, etc. If a child is out of the proper position at the time of a crash, that leaves them vulnerable to serious injury.
The best practice minimum recommendation for moving to a booster seat, is when your child is:
- At least 5 years old.
- Meets the weight and height minimums for the booster seat you’re considering.
- Responsible enough to sit properly 100% of the time, even while asleep.
- Gets a safe belt fit in the booster seat.