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A Parent’s Guide to Buying and Using

Booster Seats

STEP

Booster seats are sold 

at toy stores, 

department stores, and 

other retail outlets.

For more information about booster seats

and other child passenger safety issues,

go to the National Highway Traffic

Safety Administration (NHTSA) Web site at:

www.boosterseat.gov

or call the DOT Vehicle Safety Hotline at 

1-888-327-4236.

WHY WE USE booster seats

Safety belts are not designed for children.

Beginning at around age 4, many children 

are too large for toddler seats but too 

small for adult safety belts. A booster seat 

raises your child up so that the safety belt 

fits right – and can better protect your 

child. The shoulder belt should cross the 

child’s chest and rest snugly on the 

shoulder, and the lap belt should rest low 

across the pelvis or hip area – never 

across the stomach area.

Need help with your booster seat? 

Visit a child safety seat inspection station near you.

To find one, go to 

http://www.nhtsa.dot.gov/cps/cpsfitting

or call 1-888-327-4236. DOT HS 809 503

September 2005
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rear-facing seats in the 

back seat from birth to at 

least 1 year old and at least 

20 pounds.

forward-facing toddler 

seats in the back seat from 

age 1 and 20 pounds to 

about age 4 and 40 pounds.

booster seats in the back

seat from about age 4 to at 

least age 8, unless 4’9” tall.

sAFETY belts at age 8 and 

older or taller than 4’9”. All 

children age 12 and under 

should ride in the back seat.

When do you use 

a booster seat?

After your child outgrows 

the child safety seat. 

Children who have outgrown child

safety seats should be properly

restrained in booster seats until

they are at least 8 years old,

unless they are 4’9” tall. 

- National Highway Traffic 

Safety Administration

TYPES OF BOOSTER SEATS YOU CAN USE

HIGH-BACK BELT-POSITIONING BOOSTER SEATS

Two types of high-back belt-positioning booster seats are

available. Both types “boost” your child up so the vehicle

safety belt fits better.

1 One type provides head and neck support for your child if 

your vehicle seat back does not have a head rest. It must 

be used with the vehicle’s lap/shoulder belt, never with the 

lap belt only.

2 The other, a combination seat, converts from a forward-facing 

toddler seat to a booster seat and comes equipped with a 

harness. This type can be used as a forward-facing toddler 

seat when your child is age 1 and at least 20 pounds to 

about age 4 and 40 pounds. When your child outgrows the 

toddler seat, remove the harness and use the seat as a 

booster seat with the vehicle’s lap/shoulder belt.

No-Back Belt-Positioning Booster Seat

3 This type also “boosts” your child up so the vehicle safety 

belt fits better. This booster seat is used with a 

lap/shoulder belt. It should only be used in vehicles 

with built-in head rests.

All booster seats are required by law to comply with the same safety standards as child safety seats. 

Your booster seat must have a label stating that it meets Federal motor vehicle safety standards.

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safety 

tips for 

booster 

seats

Q The shoulder belt should never be

placed behind a child’s back or

under the arm. If this is done, your 

child could be seriously injured or 

killed in a crash. 

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Because many State laws only 

require children to be in a 

safety seat up to age 4 or so, 

many parents assume older 

kids are safe in just an adult 

safety belt. However, all 

children need to be restrained 

correctly whenever they ride 

in a motor vehicle – 

every trip, every time.