Booster Seat For Overweight Children

Car seats are the need of the day and they come in different types and varieties. The best purpose of them is to protect your child from any sort of accident or collision. Almost all car seats that are existing in the market are approved by different agencies and authorities to make sure they serve the purpose for which they are manufactured.

Booster seats are mainly used for a child over 5-6 years after your child outgrows a forward-facing harness seat and in some states over 6 years, the age limit may vary state to state depending upon their laws. You can get more information regarding the age and weight limit of booster seats from the Centre for disease control and prevention.

Choosing a product for your child is always tricky but when it comes to finding the best booster seat for overweight child it becomes more difficult. Most parents do not pay attention to this particular aspect that it must match your child’s needs while buying a car seat for their overweight child.

If you are not sure whether your child is obese/overweight or not, you must check the Body Mass Index(BMI) levels. If your child has a BMI value equal to or greater than the 85th percentile then you can say your child is overweight/obese.

Alright, coming to the point how to find a booster seat for your overweight child?

The first step is to make sure your child falls in the category of obesity, then you must know what things you must look for in a booster seat to fulfill the needs of your overweight child. Before opting for a booster you must keep in mind the following points in mind:

• Check the obesity level of your child

You should check whether your child is gaining weight at a rapid pace or not, if yes then it is most likely that he will soon cross 120lbs. So keeping in mind this particular point, opt for a booster seat with the weight recommendations over 120lbs, otherwise a booster seat with a weight limit over 100lbs would be nice pick.

• Look for an extra wide booster seat

An overweight child will surely be wider in size than normal children do, Find the extra-wide booster seat depending upon the obesity level of your child. The normal width of a booster is 16 inches.

• Do not buy too heavy seat

Booster seats with high weight and size limits may be heavy in weight but there are a lot of booster seats that do not weigh much despite the fact they have high weight and size recommendations. Keep this factor in mind too.

Apart from the above discussed factors there are certain other parameters that you should also consider, such as; the affordability, warranty, cleaning facility, comfortable stuff, and cup holders, etc.

What are the basic types of booster seats?

There are two types of booster car seats; High back boosters and backless booster seats.

High back boosters are also termed as the belt-positioning booster seats, they are normally used for a child over 40lbs. Backless booster seats are the last car seat that your child can use, it is normally used for a child of 8-12 years.

How to use a booster seat?

Booster seat gives your child confidence to travel with you, it is very easy to install them. Most products have customer guides to help people install and use them, you can follow the steps to connect them with your car. For more information check this video in which Benjamin Hoffman, MD FAAP describes the full procedure and other important things regarding the use of booster seats.

5 Best Booster Seats For Overweight Kids

We have researched a lot and enlisted 5 best boosters for obese and overweight children. All the products are very comfortable and safe from every perspective, every single product has the quality material and approved from different agencies.

For your convenience, we have discussed cons of every single product along with their pros and features to make sure you don’t feel regret after you buy a particular product. As a buyer you must be aware of if any inefficiency or shortcoming a product has.

1. Graco Tranzitions 3-in-1 Harness Booster Seat

It is a very sleek and stylish booster seat along with comfortable padding and quality frame. Its maximum weight limit is 100lbs and it can operate in 3 different modes; front-facing harness mode(22-65lbs), high back booster( 40-100lbs), and backless booster seat( 40-10lbs).

This particular car seat is not suitable for kids over 100lbs, so be sure your child is under 100lbs before purchasing it.

If it comes to its safety and protection, be sure it is NHTSA recommended and offers very smooth and comfortable ride to your child, you can use it for long trips without any doubt.

It is very easy to install in your car, can cause some tightening issues in some vehicles but not of much worry. It has proved to be a life saver in devastating accidents and saved dozens of kids from serious injuries.

Booster seats can take a serious chunk of your budget but this particular seat is very affordable and is under $100.

Healthy kids require a bit more space, this wide seat might be a good option for healthy and obese kids. This seat provides few more inches for the fast growing body of a healthy child.

PROS.

• It is a 3-in-1 harness booster seat
• Lightweight
• 8 positions of the headrest
• Open-loop belt offers ease to adjust vehicle’s seat belt
• 2 easy-access cup-holders
• Portable
• No-rethread harness
• Best for everyday use
• Highly affordable
• Wide seat

CONS.

• Not heavily padded
• Difficult to tighten on some cars
• No removable cup-holders

2. Britax Grow with You ClickTight Harness-2-Booster Car Seat

Britax Grow with you ClickTight is a 2-in-1 car seat( 5 point harness car seat up to 120lbs). It can operate in two modes; Harness mode( 25-65lbs, 34-49 inches), and Booster( 40-120lbs, 44-63inches).

The main feature of Britax is the V-shaped tether which protects your child efficiently absorbing shock during a collision.

Of course, the main purpose of baby car seats is to offer protection and safety, this particular car seat is very safe from every standard. The SafeCell technology offers crumple zones to absorb impact energy in case of an accident. An energy-absorbing shell and padded headrest offers protection to your child’s neck, head, and torso and slows down the forward movement of your child in a crash.

2-layer side impact protection gives your child a soft and comfy ride with safety. Its maximum weight limit is 120lbs, so if your obese child is over 100lbs then this booster seat is a very strong candidate.

If your child is just over 2 years and you feel he is gaining weight rapidly you must consider it because it can serve your child till the age of 8-9 years easily.

As mentioned above this car seat has 49 inches of standing height limit in harness mode with 20.5″ seating height but actually that is not the case, it is true that it offers a maximum seated height of 20.5″ in the harness mode, as per our research a child having 20.5″ seated height is equivalent to 56-58″ of standing height. Anyways, it is a good option for tall kids, and you can keep the taller and obese child in harness mode for a longer time.

PROS.

• It is very flexible
• High weight and height limit
• Wide seat
• Easily washable
• Easy and secure connection with ClickTight technology
• SafeCell technology offers crumple zones
• V-shaped tether
• No re-thread harness
• Easy access cup-holders
• 2-layers of side-impact protection
• High strength steel frame
• Heavy padding around neck, head, and torso

CONS.

• A bit heavy
• Not machine-washable
• Headrest foam is flimsy at times
• Cup-Holders are not removable

3. Diono Monterey XT Latch, 2-in-1 Belt-Positioning Booster Seat with Expandable Height/Width

Diono Monterey XT LATCH is one of the best booster seats that can be adjusted with your child’s body. It operates in two different modes; a High back booster seat and a backless booster seat.

An overweight child especially over 100lbs often faces the problems of un-comfort and narrowness in most of the car seats but this car seat gives you the ease to adjust according to the body width. To be exact it offers a 69 percent increase in occupancy space.

It has a maximum weight limit of 120lbs which makes it much suitable for healthy kids, if it comes to child size, it can accommodate a child of the maximum height of 63″. It gives 6.9″ extra adjustment headrest height that allows you to increase the headrest height with your growing child.

Another plus point is that it can be adjusted height-wise depending upon your need, and that is an extraordinary feature to have because a child feels more comfortable when he properly fits in a car seat. So, undoubtedly it is very a handy tool for parents who are facing problems with their tall and obese kids.

If it comes to installation, it is LATCH equipped and offers easy and secure installation within your car. Hump shape on the sides can make it difficult to buckle the seatbelt in some small cars, but that is not the case in general.

It is a very safe booster seat and offers two-layered side impact protection that gives your child full body protection and comfort. It has very high-quality foam padding over steel-reinforced frames and sides.

PROS.

• Extremely lightweight
• Easy and secure LATCH installation
• Highly adjustable according to your child’s body
• High weight and height limit
• High strength steel-reinforced farme and sides
• The headrest height is highly adjustable
• Provides 69% increase in occupancy space
• Cup holders are retractable

CONS.

• The back is a bit stiff
• Buckling may be tricky in some cars

4. Chicco KidFit Zip Air Plus 2-in-1 Belt-Positioning Booster Car Seat

Chico KidFit Zip Aur Plus is a 2-in-1 booster seat. It can be operated as a high-back booster seat with a weight limit of 40-100lbs and as a backless booster seat with an upper weight limit of 110lbs.

KidFit Zip Air Plus features 3D air mesh pathways throughout the back-rest and seat for efficient air circulation and ventilation. Overweight kids find it very difficult to sit at a place for 30/40 minutes even because their bodies generate more heat and as a result, they feel uncomfortable sitting for a long period of time especially when their back is covered. Air channels help obese kids dissipate their heat to the surrounding.

This booster seat includes EPS foam that makes it much safer and comfortable to sit. The energy-absorbing foam absorbs any sort of shock during a crash or collision. This particular car seat provides high-quality padding around the neck, head, and torso of your child.

The total width of the seat is 17″ which is quite wide, even an oversized child might feel it very easy to sit for hours on this booster seat. Due to its high comfort level it is among the best booster seats for long trips.

It is overall a light booster seat weighing only 12lbs in high back booster mode and 7lbs in backless booster mode. Due to its lightweight, it is very portable and especially the backless booster is so easy to carry with wherever as it can be folded to a very small size.

One thing that makes it special is the leg extender, you will rarely see a booster seat offering a leg extender. As mentioned earlier it is a much strong candidate for long trips and the inclusion of a leg extender supports our comment.

PROS.

• 3D air channels keep the back cool
• EPS energy-absorbing foam gives full protection
• It is very affordable
• Lightweight
• High-quality padding
• Removable and washable seat covers
• Offers more space for healthy kids
• Easily zip-off cushions
• Quick-release LATCH connectors
• Leg extender offers ease to straighten legs

CONS.

• Seat belt can slip out easily in some cars

5. Britax Highpoint 2-Stage Belt-Positioning Booster

Britax Highpoint is a very handy booster seat for healthy kids because it offers a high weight limit of 120lbs. Parents are always concerned regarding the safety and comfort of their child and the must. It is both comfortable as well very safe booster seat.

It includes air channels to cool down the back and body of the kids and especially the fat kids love this feature as their big bodies produce more heat and sweat.

To ensure safety it offers 3 layers of side-impact protection, most booster seats have 2 layers but this particular seat adds an extra layer and that’s why it has a high weight limit. Because to hold 120lbs you need more layers of foam and padding.

Color-coded belt guides are there to ensure proper connection. Sometimes we may find it tricky to find the right place for the seat to connect but due to color-coded guides, it has become relatively easy now.

It offers 10 different easily adjustable positions of headrest. If you check the features and specifications of this particular seat you will find it is more comfortable than other booster seats. Your child can easily sleep without any disturbance and shock during the ride.

PROS.

• Safer and secure with 3 layers of impact protection
• Offers high weight limit
• Easily accessible 2 cup holders
• For easy cleaning, it offers removable covers
• Color-coded belt guides are there to make sure the proper connection
• Highly adjustable headrest positions
• Quick push lower connectors ensure the steadiness of the seat
• Highly comfortable
• Air channels to keep it ventilated

CONS.

• Cup holders are not removable

Final Thought

The main purpose of booster seats is to prepare your child to be a part of adults’ clan. Mainly there are two stages regarding the boosters; High back booster and backless booster seat.

Normally, a booster seat has weight limit between 40-100lbs, but some brands offer over 110-120lbs. If your child is of the normal physique and is not gaining weight much or hasn’t gained, you can opt for any of the two. But for an overweight child recommendation is to buy a car seat that has upper weight limit of 110lbs or 120lbs.

Obese kids require wide seats, keeping this point in mind we have enlisted the seats that are wider than the usual ones.

Keeping in mind your child’s physique and your car/vehicle you can pick any booster seat for overweight child from the above 5 booster seats. Just be sure that it meets your needs and is compliant with your child’s body and weight.

FAQs On Booster Seats

Following are some queries that most of the people ask regarding booster seats, their use, weight and age limit, etc.

At what weight can a child go in a booster seat?

Your child can sit in a booster seat if he/she is of 40 pounds. Normally, parents decide on the basis of the age of their child whether he is capable of sitting in a booster seat or not but technically it is not right. The minimum weight of the child must be 40lbs.

What is the age and weight for a backless booster seat?

The minimum weight for a backless booster seat is 40lbs as that for a high back booster. The upper weight limit for a backless booster seat is 120lbs with an approximate height of 5 feet, and that usually happens when your child is in the age limit of 10-12 years.

Can I put my 4 year old in a booster seat?

Technically you can’t, a 4-year-old doesn’t have full control over his body, it is better to put him in a 5-point harness seat. A booster seat uses a belt-positioning system which is not suitable for a 4-year-old. According to the American Academy of Pediatrics(AAP), the best age for a booster seat is above 6-7 years with a minimum weight of 40lbs.

Can my 7 year old sit in a booster seat?

As mentioned earlier the minimum weight limit for a booster seat is 40lbs. A 7-year-old surely is above 40lbs in most cases, the main thing he has developed control over his body to some extent. Most regulatory authorities recommend a booster seat for a 6-7-year-old child.