When it comes to our children, parents are always worried about every little detail of their lives. From are they eating enough, should my child be sleeping more (we all wish this) to whether they are warm enough and have enough layers on. Some of the bigger decisions in their lives are generally around safety. From ensuring that we have safety gates up for them, the right pushchair to carry them whilst they are out and about to car seats. The latter, however, can be a minefield of conflicting information depending on where you look and who you speak to.
The early days of children’s lives and car seats seem to be quite straightforward. Parents realise that they need to be in an infant carrier before moving up to a five-point harness. It seems to be that when children reach the milestone of moving from a five-point harness that it goes awry. All the protection from a car seat is replaced by a booster seat which offers nothing more than a boost in height for the child in the hope that the car seat belt fits then a little easier.
Current Legislation
The current UK law states that any child needs to travel in the correct car seat until they are 12 years old or 135cm (whichever they reach first) but once the law is changed towards the end of this year, children will be required to travel in a high back booster until they are 125cm or 22kg and backless boosters will only be approved for older children.
#BinTheBooster
The new legislation regarding the use of booster car seats has been postponed until March 2017. Originally it had been thought to come into effect in December 2016. Just because the legislation hasn’t been pushed through as yet, there is no reason why you shouldn’t bin the booster. Take a look at the video below, imagine that test dummy is your child, your grandchild or a child who travels within your car. I am not trying to shock you, I am attempting to open your eyes to the real possibility of what could happen in a collision.
Switch to a high back booster seat
The evidence supporting the use of high back booster seats is clear for all to see. It provides the addition protection and safety should you, unfortunately, be involved in a collision. There has been a stigma over the use of high booster seats within children especially when they get to the tween years as their peers often ask why they are sitting in a baby seat. A high back booster seat is not a baby seat, it is a safety feature within your car and will hopefully aid in saving your child’s life. This is something that needs to be communicated to not only educate parents but children too.
It’s time to #binthebooster and install a high back booster seat for any children within the height/weight category. With prices starting from around £40 you will be thankful that you paid that little bit extra.
Disclosure: This is a collaborative post, however,
I am very passionate about car seats for children and dislike booster seats.
No Comments