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When you use a booster seat, are you suppose to lock the seatbelt?

Jen - posted on 02/01/2009 ( 5 moms have responded )

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Jen - posted on 02/01/2009

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Thank you very much; that is what I suspected, but wanted a for sure answer.

Brenda - posted on 02/01/2009

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With a booster seat, you're not supposed to lock it.  All it is is to boost them up a little and is otherwise like using a regular seatbelt.  Locking it will make the seat belt stiff across the child and will hurt them and keep them from being able to move.  It happens accidentally to my son in our van and boy does he get mad at it...

Ally - posted on 02/01/2009

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my husband is a paramedic and a child safety seat installer...he says with a booster seat they are just supposed to use the seat belt normally since the booster seat should position them appropriately. So you would not have to "lock" the seatbelt like you would if you were securing an infant seat.

Kelly - posted on 02/01/2009

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I don't think I answered your actual question. Yes, you would want the seatbelt locked so it doesn't have any "give" in it for the seat to budge.

Kelly - posted on 02/01/2009

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Where we live, if using a booster seat for a small child (under 40 lbs. I think), you strap the child into the booster seat with the seat's straps, and put the seatbelt through the back of the seat and latch it. If the child is over 40 lbs., but under 8 years or 80 lbs., they still have to ride in a booster seat but you can just pull the car's seatbelt over the whole booster seat, child and all, and latch it. They don't need to use the booster seat's straps. It is probably different by state though. Occasionally the fire departments around here will sponsor a safety seat check. If you can find something like that going on, they should be able to tell you for sure.

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