Strap 'Em In

These booster seats are really cool: very easy to install, comfortable, and they don't look like traditional car seats -- a real plus for those older kids for whom they were designed. The backless booster helps position the seatbelt properly across your child. They work with the LATCH (Lower Anchors and Tethers for Children) system that's built in to most newer cars -- just slide the booster into your back seat, give it a push, and it locks in place. (If you have an older car, you can still use the seat).

August 26, 2007

Feeling strapped? It's almost the law

By Lylah M. Alphonse, Globe Staff

A bill passed last month in the Massachusetts Senate requires that you strap your child into a booster seat until he is 8 years old and 57 inches tall, an increase over the current 6 years, 40 pounds limit. The bill still needs House approval, but the people at Magna Aftermarket Inc. have already acted on it, offering the clek seat belt-positioning booster specially designed for bigger kids. It's called olli but there's nothing babyish about it. It's built like a backless car seat, with plenty of padding, and features rigid fasteners that latch directly to the anchors built into the back seats of newer cars (the seats are safe with older cars, too). The booster weighs a mere 5 pounds and costs $89.99 (extra seat covers are $29.99), comes in eight colors, and is available at Wild Child, 397 Massachusetts Ave., Arlington, 781-483-3566, and online at magnaclek.com. [More]