Sarah Mahan
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Pros and Cons of Built-In Booster Seats

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The advantages and disadvantages of integrated booster seats.

Built-in Booster Seats

Built-in Booster Seats(Photo: lars plougmann)

For parents looking for car seat alternatives, there are a few new cars available with built-in booster seats.But are they really a good idea? Let’s look at the pros and cons of built-in booster seats.

Pros of Built-In Booster Seats:

  • Built-in boosters offer the convenience of simply folding out a seat when needed, and then stowing it away.
  • These are a great option if you find yourself without a car seat. Relatives, grandparents especially, can have a car seat readily available without the fuss of installation.

Cons of Built-In Booster Seats:

  • Paramedics may prefer to remove the entire car seat to keep children stable in the event of an accident.
  • Built-in boosters don’t provide the side-impact protection that many traditional booster seats include.
  • There may be weight and height limitations that may limit your child’s use of the booster seat. They could outgrow it before reaching ten years of age.
  • If the car breaks down and you need a ride, you’ll need a back-up car seat to fit into the car that comes to pick you up.
  • Integrated seats do not have a rear-facing function.
  • The straps may not fit snug on smaller children.
volvo integrated booster seats

Integrated booster seats in a Volvo. (Photo: Volvo)

Cars that Offer Built-In Booster Seats:

Cars that offer integrated booster seats have declined in the past few years, as concerns arose with the safety of built-in seats vs. store bought seats.

  • 2013 Dodge Journey
  • Dodge Caravan and Grand Caravan models since 2007
  • 2013 Volvo XC60

To use these seats, parents just need to pull a strap and the seat bottom slides up. The Volvo XC60’s seat is a two-stage seat that raises even higher for shorter children:

 

The News Wheel Guide to Car Seat Safety: