Booster seats: In an ideal world, children would ride in a car seat with a 5-point harness until they were 3-4 years-old and at least 40 pounds before beginning to use a booster seat. Realizing that taxis are part of the real world, not the ideal world, a booster (when compared with a safety belt alone) is a good option for children weighing at least 30 pounds. A booster will position the lap-and-shoulder belt properly over the child, keeping the lap portion low and snug on the child’s strong hip bones (and away from the vulnerable abdomen) and the shoulder belt properly positioned across the chest and between the neck and shoulder. Without a booster, a child is at risk for safety belt syndrome – lower spinal cord injuries in addition to injury to the abdominal organs including the liver, kidneys, spleen, intestine, and bladder – as the lap belt rides up over the child’s underdeveloped hip bones and into the abdomen.

A backless booster is perfect as it is compact, lightweight (less than 3 pounds), and can often fit in a bag hung on the side of a stroller or simply carried by the child. Another option is the Safeguard Go which you can use either as a backless booster (if your child is more than 40 pounds and over the age of 3) or as a 5-point harness car seat if your child is 30-60 pounds (as long as there is a tether anchor in the vehicle). Another option is the RideSafer Travel vest – this is more compact than the booster and requires the child to wear it before getting into the taxi (to save time). This vest functions as a booster by positioning the safety belt properly over the child’s body.

Note – the Cosco/Safety 1st Tote N’ Go DX is also a vest but functions not as a booster seat, but as a forward-facing car seat. With any forward-facing car seat, the goal is to keep the child’s head from traveling forward in a crash. Unfortunately, I have not been able to satisfactorily install the Tote N’Go in any taxi – a child riding in it would be able to bend all the way forward, their chest touching their thighs, allowing the head to travel dangerously far forward, possibly hitting the divider screen.