Bypass booster seats with travel vest

Sick of moving that booster seat from car to car whenever your child heads to grandma's? A new product, the Ride-Safer travel vest, claims it can remove the booster seat from your life altogether.

Like a booster seat, the purpose of the Ride-Safer vest is to position the lap and shoulder portions of a seatbelt in a way that optimizes safety for child-size passengers. The goal with either product is to get the lap belt to lay across the top of the child's legs rather than across the belly, and the shoulder belt across the child's chest rather than across the neck or face.

The Ride-Safer vest slips on like any other article of clothing and then requires adjusting for a snug fit. Once in the car, seatbelt straps are secured to the front of the vest before buckling in. It's important to note that this vest cannot be used to secure infants or small toddlers and that it is only intended for older children who have grown out of convertible car seats.

The Ride-Safer vest comes in several sizes based on the child's weight and, according to Ride-Safer technical consultant Vera Fullaway, this booster-seat alternative is legal in every state except Pennsylvania.

Fullaway added, "The legality of Child Restraint Products in the USA is based on each state's individual law. Most states have verbiage in the statute that is (or is similar to): 'a Child Restraint System that is approved and conforms to Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard 213.' Pennsylvania is the only state that includes the verbiage 'the child must be elevated off the vehicle seat.'”

We found the product interesting. However, we did wonder how many kids would submit to wearing the harness-like vest without fits and tantrums. We also found the $125 price a bit high considering a basic booster seat can be purchased for as low as $20.

If you're curious you can check out the website,

By Sherrice Gilsbach