Let’s face it, traveling in the car with kids can be a bit of a mission on some days. When it comes to moving your child from a car seat to a booster car seat, you’ll immediately benefit from how much quicker it can be to secure them in their seat.

If your child is approaching the age of four, you might be gearing up to move them into a booster seat soon. It will help to keep them safe and secure as they grow, when you’re out and about in the car.

But what is a booster seat?

Booster seats are kids’ car seats that either have an inbuilt harness or are used in combination with the car’s regular seat belt. They have side impact protection to help keep your child safe, as well as keeping them restrained in the vehicle when traveling.

They help to secure and elevate your child and, in the event of an accident, help to prevent serious injuries.

It’s essential that your child is always seated in the right car restraint seat for their age and size. You’ll need to consider their age and height when choosing the right car seat for them.

What are the laws around booster seats?

Depending on their seated shoulder height by approximately the age of four, a child must be sitting in a forward-facing approved child restraint, such as a booster with an inbuilt harness, or an unharnessed booster seat with a properly fastened and adjusted seat belt.

Then, they must remain in it until at least seven or eight years of age, subject to their shoulder height.

Booster seats are comfortable, as well as safe for your child and they have features and benefits that make give you added peace of mind when traveling in the car with your child.

Harness vs unharnessed booster seats

A harnessed booster seat can provide added protection by keeping your child’s torso restrained. This means that in the event of an accident, the risk of injury caused by forward movement is greatly reduced.

The harness helps to hold your child in position, preventing the risk of them slipping down.

At Mother’s Choice, we offer both harnessed and unharnessed booster seats, starting at just $99.

The Dawn Unharnessed booster seat is a comfortable booster seat that keeps kids safe in the backseat once they have outgrown their first car seats. It’s affordable and it would also be a great choice as an additional seat for use in a grandparent’s, or other carer’s, car.

Our Journey Harnessed Car Seat offers the security of an internal harness for your child from approx. 6 months up to approx. 8 years of age.

It features large side wings for maximum side protection, an easy-to-adjust six position headrest and padded belt mates to make it extra comfortable for your child.

The Trinity Unharnessed booster Seat has a narrow seat design, covered armrests for comfort and a six position adjustable headrest.

For larger families, this seat solves the issue of space as three can fit across the back seat comfortably.

What features do booster seats have?

Our range of booster seats come with a variety of added features and benefits that not only keep your child safe, but also add to their comfort while traveling in the car. Plus, they can help to make a parent’s life a little easier too!

These features include:

  • Adjustable headrests

As your child grows (alarmingly quickly!), being able to easily adjust the headrest will help the seat to grow with them.

  • Swing out cup holders

We get it – you’re focusing on driving safely as your child yells for a drink. Swing out cup holders are ideal for keeping their drink in arms reach for them so you can concentrate on the road.

  • Wicking fabric

For additional comfort, wicking fabric helps to draw moisture away from your child and keep them cool and comfortable in their seat.

The Mother’s Choice Tribe AP booster seat provides continued safety for your older child with our revolutionary AirProtect TM Technology. This unharnessed booster seat is suitable for children from 4 to approximately 8 years of age, or until your child’s shoulder reaches the upper height marker.

The easy to access cup holders means no more drink spillages on your vehicle seats, the removable cover is also machine washable making everyday maintenance a breeze for you!

It’s a narrow, yet comfortable seat that allows for up to three seats across the back in most cars, making it another great choice for larger families.

Our range of booster seats also includes machine washable covers because we understand just how messy and sticky kids can sometimes get in the car! Simply remove the seat cover, throw it in the washing machine, dry and replace.

You can read our guide here on the features you need to look for in a booster seat.

How to install a booster seat

Fitting a booster seat correctly is as important as any baby or child car seat and before you choose a booster seat, check that it will fit properly into your vehicle.

Ideally, you’ll want to have your booster seat fitted professionally to ensure it’s been done correctly. This will give you added confidence when you’re out and about in the car.

Always ensure to follow the guidance that comes from the booster seat manual, when it comes to installing your child’s seat.

We know you want to ensure that you choose the best seat for your child and vehicle and we want to help to make this process as easy as possible for you.

Booster seats come in varying sizes, with many different features and benefits. We want to help to make traveling with your child easier by offering a range to fit your individual family’s needs and budget.

When you’re ready to choose a booster seat for your child, you can see our wide range of booster seats here.