It's a law in every state that children need to be in a safety car seat until they are 4 feet and 9 inches tall, or about 8 years old. That's when you can use the car's safety strap. But if your infant has gotten to big for their baby safety seat what type of seat should you get next? And how can you tell if your child has outgrown their safety seat? This article is about choosing the right booster seat for your child. There are many choices and you want to make the right one. So let's get started.

Age is not the best determining factor but a good rule of thumb is about age 4. Size is a better judge, so at 40 pounds your child should be using a booster seat.

The different types of booster seat you will most likely run into are:

? High back booster seat
? No-back booster
? Convertible seat
? Overlap seat
? Integrated seat

When picking a booster compare it to the models side by side so you can see the differences. Remember safety is your number one concern so never buy used. Also make sure you understand the directions and that it is put in correctly.

Make sure it fits in your car. And that the child is conferable in it. A crying kid in a car can be tuff for parents and the child.

A booster chair can last until the child is 8 or about 4 feet and 9 inches tall before they use a safety strap. So your investment will be for 4 years. The cost can be anywhere from 50 to 200 dollars. we have seen leather ones that can cost as much as 290. How much should you pay? I would pay as much as I could for safety. 300 dollars over 4 years is about 8 bucks a month that?s less than the coffee you get at your local coffee hut in a week.

Just do your research and make sure you have a 30 day return on anything that you buy just in case the child hates it.

Remember all new baby car seats sold in the U.S. have to pass safety tests to be sold. That means that if you buy new you will be getting a seat that has passed the standards that the government has put on all child safety seats. That's why we recommend that you buy new and not used. Used you have no idea how old it is or if it was involved in an accident. Safety first should be your motto.

For more information on this article or others go to Articles on baby seats.

Debbie Dee is a work at home mom who has 3 children and 2 dogs. She writes for Articles on babies and runs her own baby shop online.

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