How do you know when your child is ready for the next size RideSafer?
There are two sizes of the vest there’s a small that ranges from 30 to 60 pounds and a large that goes from 50 to 80 pounds. (Update 2019: Now there are 3 sizes. The new Extra Large goes from 80 to110 pounds.) But as you all know, there’s no one size or shape of child so weight is a really hard measure of how to determine if it will fit correctly.
Siena is going to help us show you that the lap part of the RideSafer that holds the lap portion of the seat belt is intended to hold the seat belt on the tops of the thighs.
As the child gets bigger and taller, their shoulders are going to be lifting the vest so the lap portion of the vest is no longer laying on the legs. It’s actually up here in the air or on the abdomen.
That is incorrect fit. You know your child has outgrown their RideSafer as the lap part of the vest starts to lift up off the lap and become more vertical and is no longer resting on the lap. The reason for that is children’s hip bones are not as developed as our adult hip bones.
By the vest keeping the lap portion of the vehicle’s seat belt on the thighs, in a crash that is going to do the best job of applying the principle of child restraints that says we want to contact the strongest points of the body with the restraint mechanism.
So this vest is clearly too small.
The large vest does fit her correctly.
The lap portion of the RideSafer is sitting on her lap and holding the lap portion of the seat belt on her upper thighs, flat on her hips. The shoulder belt guide holds the shoulder portion of the seat belt midchest/midshoulder.
It’s OK if there is a little gap at the shoulder. When using the RideSafer in this capacity with a lap-shoulder seat belt, the vest is in the seat belt positioning device category of child restraints, like a booster seat.
A booster seat lifts the child up so the child fits the seat belt, the RideSafer simply brings the seat belt down to them.
As the child starts to grow bigger and the shoulder height starts to lift the lap flap off of the upper thighs, that is when you know it is time to move up to the next size vest or do the 5-step seat belt fit test to see if your child properly fits the just the seat belt.
We want to know, did this video help you understand when your child will be ready for the next size RideSafer? Share your comments below.
By Greg Durocher, CEO at Safe Ride 4 Kids and certified CPS Technician Instructor since 2002
Copyright 2016 Safe Ride 4 Kids. All rights reserved. You may not publish, broadcast, rewrite or redistribute this material without permission. You are welcome to link to Safe Ride 4 Kids or share on social media.
Thank you. This video was very helpful.
You’re welcome. :-)