Booster seats you should NOT use to keep your kids safe

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) has issued new booster seat ratings.  Their report is another tool that parents and caregivers can use to find the safest seat for their kids, so they are not serious injured in an auto accident.

Finding the right booster seat for your children and your vehicle is very important – and booster seats are the law in Texas, until a child is 8 years old or over 4 feet 9 inches tall.  However, finding a good booster seat can be difficult, especially with so many different kinds of seats on the market in a variety of price ranges.

The IIHS evaluated a number of seats, and chose to specifically call out a number of seats that it does NOT recommend.  They are:

1. Harmony Secure Comfort Deluxe backless with clip
2. Combi Kobuk dual-use highback
3. Evenflo Express highback (combination)
4. Eddie Bauer Deluxe highback (combination)
5. Evenflo Sightseer highback
6. Safety 1st Alpha Omega Elite
7. Alpha Omega Elite
8. Eddie Bauer Deluxe 3-in-1
9. Safety 1st All-in-One
10. Alpha Omega Luxe Echelon
11. Alpha Omega.

Problems with these seats include lap belts that are too high on the abdomen and shoulder belts that are too far out on the shoulder (shoulder belt fit was the main problem).  Both of these can lead to serious injuries.  One seat’s arm-rests pushed the lap belt away from the child’s hips onto the thighs.

Your child’s safety is too important – make sure you research the safety seat that you choose carefully, and drive safe.