Is there a booster seat that can be secured with only lap belts?

A lot of parents have this question now that the new car seat laws have taken effect in California. For the record, children under the age of six or weighing less than sixty pounds are required to be restrained in a child safety seat. Furthermore the seat must be installed in the back seat of the vehicle.

Many older vehicles have "lap only" belts in the backseats, and the vast majority of booster seats require a "lap and shoulder" seat belt. The good news is that several options to remedy this problem do exist.

1. Consider retrofitting your vehicle with lap and shoulder seat belts thereby allowing the use of a wide selection of booster seats; or
2. The Britax – Husky and the Nania – Airway seats are both approved for use children up to eighty pounds with a lap only seat belt; or
3. The E-Z–ON Kid-Y Harness and Booster Seat (ezonpro.com) can be installed.

Which option works best for you depends upon your vehicle, your child and your budget.

Getting back to the new California law which took effect on January 1, 2005, there are a few exceptions to the requirements. A child safety seat may be installed in the front seat if:

1. The vehicle does not have a rear seat (trucks and sports cars), has rear seats which are rear facing (Volvo) or has side facing jump seats (trucks); or
2. All of the rear seats are already occupied by children under the age of twelve; or
3. The child has a medical condition which makes it unsafe for the child to be in the rear seat (doctors note is required for proof).

It gets more complicated if a child has to ride in the front seat as it is also illegal for a child under one year of age, weighing less than twenty pounds or riding in a rear facing child safety seat in a vehicle with an active passenger airbag. If the airbag cannot be disengaged, then a child in a forward facing child safety seat should be positioned with the vehicle’s seat all the way back in its tracks. A two to six year old in a child safety seat is going to be better restrained then say a ten year old in a lap and shoulder belt and is far less likely to be injured if the airbag should deploy.

I regret that this may sound a bit complicated, but these are important details that can save your child’s life in the event of a severe crash. The best practice is to go one step further and keep all children under the age of twelve in the backseat. If you need some additional incentive, violations of the new law may result in a $350 fine.