Health Tip: When Your Child Outgrows a Car Seat

If your child has already moved from a car seat to a booster seat and is outgrowing that as well, it's time to make sure she can safely ride in a car strapped in with a safety belt.

For the child to be safely restrained, it's important that the seat belt fits properly and can protect her in the event of an accident.

Here are some guidelines for the proper fitting of a child's safety belt from the American Academy of Pediatrics:

• The shoulder strap of the seat belt should rest across the middle of the shoulder and chest, and never across the neck or throat.


• The lap strap of the seat belt should rest snugly across the thighs, not across the stomach.


• The child should be able to sit comfortably in the seat, without slouching, with her legs bent.