Booster Seat

A booster seat is the last stage of child seating: a cushion, sometimes with a back, that lifts an older child up so the car’s own seat belt sits properly across their shoulder and hips rather than their neck and stomach.

It is for children who have outgrown a harnessed child seat but are still too small for the adult belt to fit safely on its own. Used too early it does not help, so it follows the forward-facing seat, not the infant seat.

Rental companies offer boosters as one of the child-seat options, booked by the child’s size. They are simple and quick to fit, but the belt routing still matters — the lap part low across the hips, the diagonal across the shoulder, never under the arm.

Reserve it with the car for the right age band, and do a quick check that the belt sits correctly on your child once they are in it. The booster only works if the belt ends up where it should.