What is the best choice for transporting a child in a car: a booster or a car seat?

A child car seat in the modern world is a necessary element of safety when transporting a child in a car. If a child has appeared in your family, immediately after his birth you should think about how to buy a car seat for its safe transportation. Indeed, it is a special car seat that is responsible for protecting children during the trip, protects against injuries during braking, sharp turns, and of course, in the event of an accident.

Armchairs are different, including they can be divided into two large classes: car seats and boosters. And many parents often argue which option is better to choose. Let's look in more detail how they differ among themselves and what advantages and disadvantages they have.

What is the best choice for transporting a child in a car: booster or car seat

Purpose, advantages and disadvantages of car seats

Externally, a child car seat is similar to a car seat. The installation of this design in the passenger compartment is carried out by fixing using a special base, an isofix system or a standard seat belt. It is very important to properly secure the car seat, it should not stagger and hang, it is very important for the safe transportation of babies.

All seats are divided into several groups, which you need to choose, focusing on the weight of the child. There are 5 main categories: (0+ (up to 13 kg), 0 +/I (up to 18 kg), I (9-18 kg), I-II (9-25 kg), I-II-III (9 -36 kg)). As a rule, the group is indicated on the case of a specific model. This is a very important parameter, which directly affects not only the comfort of transporting the child in the chair, but also its safety. So when developing different models, the weight and height of children of different ages are taken into account so that the design matches them as much as possible. And transportation, for example, of a newborn in an armchair for older children is not permissible, since it will not be able to reliably protect him. You can’t banally fix a baby in it so that it doesn’t fall out.

Car seats can also be divided into two types according to their design type: classic frame and frameless.

Frame car seats

The first category has a rigid base, which provides additional protection, creating a kind of cocoon around the child. Such chairs have certain advantages:

Easy to install. Frame car seats can be fixed in different ways: base, Isofix, regular belt. The easiest and most convenient is the base, which is installed once and then the chair is attached to it in a matter of minutes, using special built-in mounts. Isofix allows you to install a car seat directly on car seats equipped with special guides, this also does not take much time. If the machine does not have an Isofix system, then the chair can be installed and secured using a standard belt. All three options allow you to install the seat in just a few minutes and provide a secure fit, as the design of the chair is rigid and stable.
Reliable fixing of the child in a chair. The seat itself also usually has its own additional 5-point safety belt, it provides reliable retention of the baby in the car seat, not allowing him to fly out at the time of impact.
Security. When using the car seat frame, the driver can be sure that it will protect the small passenger in the event of a collision. These chairs pass tests and crash tests, which determine their level of protection. Many models have additional side protection and other systems that increase reliability and contribute to maximum safety.
Original design and stylish appearance. Manufacturers offer a huge range of models. It is easy to choose a car seat so that it looks beautiful, fits into the interior and is as pleasant and comfortable as possible for a child.

There are, of course, and they have some disadvantages: large dimensions and weight of the structure. Especially in comparison with frameless chairs and boosters.

What is the best choice for transporting a child in a car: booster or autookreslo

Frameless car seats

Frameless car seats do not have a hard base, they are simpler and more affordable and have such features:

Secure hold of the baby. The kid in this chair is fixed with a belt that holds him well and does not allow him to move and move around the cabin. And in the event of an accident, the child will not fall out, will not hit his head on the windshield or the front seats, as it will remain tightly fixed.
Light weight and small dimensions. The peculiarity of such chairs is that they can be easily folded, they do not take up much space. The design can be stored in the trunk and always take on trips or various trips.
Relatively small price. You can buy such a car seat inexpensively. They can be several times cheaper than wireframes

But these seats have some serious drawbacks:

The low level of security, since there is no hard base, there is no need to talk about any protection in case of a side impact.
In the event of sudden braking of the machine or in a collision, there is a risk of the structure falling over.

Purpose, operation features, advantages and disadvantages of automobile boosters

Booster-is a slightly simplified version of the car seat. This is a backless seat. The peculiarity lies in the fact that such designs can only be used for older children, whose weight ranges from 15 to 36 and from 22 to 36 kg. Some manufacturers now offer models of car seats that can transform into a booster due to the presence of a removable backrest.

The purpose of the booster is to provide the optimum height of the child's seat so that it can be fastened with the help of a standard car belt. That is, this is a kind of special stand that lifts the baby’s body so that when it is fixed with a belt, it does not overwork his neck and in the event of an accident does not strangle.

Boosters, like children's car seats, can be divided into several classes, in particular, they are:

Foam. This is the most budget option with a low level of reliability. They have only one plus-low weight.
Plastic. They belong to the middle price segment; they are stronger and slightly heavier than foam models. Provide good protection and reliable child retention in the event of an accident.
Metallic. They are considered the most durable and durable due to the fact that they have a rigid metal frame. These are good, reliable models that provide the best protection.

If we consider the general advantages of boosters, as a class of child car seats, they have the following advantages of operation:

Affordable price. Boosters are noticeably cheaper, full-fledged car seats with a back.
Good level of protection. The child is fixed securely, with the help of a standard car belt, which ensures that it is held in the seat, does not allow to fly out at the time of impact.
Small overall dimensions and weight. Boosters are easily placed in the trunk of a car, quickly installed, so they do not cause inconvenience during their operation.

Among the shortcomings are the following:

They are only suitable for adult children aged at least 4-5 years old, and then only on condition that the child is of sufficient weight and height.
They don’t have a back, when transplanting a baby from a car seat to a booster, he may not like it, since not everyone is comfortable right away.
Sitting in the booster is uncomfortable to sleep, since you can not accept a lying position.

What to choose: a car seat or a booster?

If you care about what is best for the child: a car seat or a booster? That is a definite answer, alas, no. All individually. Naturally, newborns and babies weighing up to 15 kg should be transported unambiguously only in the car seat. Boosters are not suitable for them.

If we are talking about choosing an option for an older child whose weight exceeded 15 kg, then here you can take into account the opinion of the child that he is more convenient and comfortable. But for very adult passengers from 8 years old-definitely a booster is definitely better. In this case, he has more freedom, nothing will interfere, and there will be more space in the cabin. The main thing to remember is that you need to choose high-quality models that meet modern safety standards.

Only safe and certified models from leading manufacturers are presented in our store. If you want to buy a car seat or booster in Kiev, Odessa or Kharkov, then the managers of the 130.com.ua online store will always help with the selection of the best option, taking into account the age, weight of the child and the make of your car.

TOP-3 children's car seats

Best car seats for children

Looking for a quality and the best children's car seats? This rating of children's car seats is made on the basis of such parameters as: high demand with positive feedback from our customers, high-quality manufacturing — absence of factory defects and service calls, and official warranty and post warranty support in Ukraine.

Universal child car seat HEYNER CapsulaProtect 3D Pantera Black (795 100)

Features:

★ High-quality 3-D design for maximum collision safety
★ Easy seat tilt adjustment
★ Reliable fixing of the child in a car seat

HEYNER MultiRelax AERO Fix Pantera Black Universal Car Seat with ISOFIX (798 110)

Features:

★ Designed for children from 9 months to 12 years old
★ It is installed both using ISOFIX system connectors and using a standard car seat belt
★ Provides the highest level of comfort and safety