Now your toddler has grown into a child, they need a seat better suited to their needs. When your child is younger, their bones are softer and they need a 5-point harness to better absorb the energy forces from a collision. Once they have reached the correct age, weight and height, your child can move up to a high back booster. It is very important that your little one doesn’t move to a booster too early. Each step up in group stage is a step down in safety – the 5-point harness will accommodate your child until they are 18kg, or until their eyes are level with the top of the seat.
If you have a young child (under age 4) who has reached 18kg, and you would prefer them to still use a harness, group 1,2 rear facing seats and group 123 seats with a 25kg harness limit can be a good option to prolong harness use.
The booster seat lifts your child up so the adult seat belt can fit their body safely. High back booster seats are far preferable to use over booster cushions. High back boosters provide side impact protection, head, neck and torso support, as well as a safe place to rest their head to sleep. ISOFIX boosters are available, along with non ISOFIX boosters. If you don’t have ISOFIX on your booster, be sure to remember to strap it in when it’s not in use, to prevent it becoming a projectile in a collision.
