When Can Kids Move From A Forward-Facing Car Seat To A Booster Seat?

I’ve always found car seats so confusing. When could they graduate to the next type? When can they stop using them? I was always so anxious to get them into a booster seat, because it makes life so much easier, but the reality is that safety needs to come first.

In the grand scheme of things, our kids aren’t in car seats for THAT long.

Soon enough, the days of buckling in a bucking toddler will be a mere memory.

We recently collaborated with our local health unit and car seat safety committee to learn when you should move your child from a forward facing seat to a booster seat and here’s the info they sent us:

When should you move your child from a forward-facing car seat to a booster seat?

1.  Keep your child in the forward-facing seat until he or she grows out of it. Check the labels on your seat to find out when your child will reach the seat’s height or weight limits.
2. Before moving to a booster seat, your child must be able to sit straight and tall without moving around or unbuckling.
3. Your child must be in a forward-facing (5 point harness) until he or she weighs at least 18 kg (40 pounds).

Note: Even if your child weighs more than 18 kg (40 lbs) and the law says you can use a booster seat, your child is safer in the forward-facing car seat as long as he or she is still below the car seat’s weight and height limits and fits in the car seat correctly. Some 5-point harness seats will safely hold a child who is 5, 6 or even 7 years old. Always check your labels. 

How do you know if your child ready to stop using a booster seat?

1. Is your child at least 145 cm (4 feet 9 inches) tall?
2. When your child is sitting all the way back, do their knees bend comfortably over the edge of the seat?
3. Does the lap belt stay low and snug across the hip bones?
4. Does the shoulder belt cross the chest and stay between the neck and shoulder
5. Can your child sit like this for the whole trip without slouching?

Until your child can meet these 5 steps, keep using a booster seat on every ride, and remember that children under the age of 13 are safest in the back seat.

Here is a vlog we recorded to talk more about booster and bucket seats there is also an email in the video if you have ANY questions or concerns it is FREE to set up an appointment or call! 

Thanks again to our amazing sponsor STEVE’S NAPA AUTO PRO for covering the production cost of this important and informative series!