``While a child's weight may increase, parents know that height doesn't automatically keep the same pace,'' said Jennifer Schneider, New Jersey AAA's child passenger safety specialist.
If they're not tall enough, kids can find safety belts settling on their faces or around their neck - or fit too loosely around their hips, inducing a slouch. The belt may also prevent them from seeing outside, and that can cause them to whine a bit - distracting you at the wheel.
So what can you do?
Schneider suggests a middle ground - a booster seat, those square plastic devices that can make up for the lack of a long torso and allow the child's back to fit flush against the back seat of the vehicle.
``It's natural for a parent to assume that as their child reaches and exceeds 40 pounds, he'll no longer need to be secured in a child safety seat. But parents shouldn't be so quick to discount other safety restraints options like a booster seat,'' said Schneider.
The booster seat can make the safety belt a natural, comfortable fit and can give the youngster a better view of the outside.
How do you know when the final move to just a safety belt is at hand?
``There are two sure signs: when the shoulder belt falls comfortably across a child's chest and over his collarbone. And when the lap belt fits snugly across his pelvis and below his hip bones, touching the tops of his thighs,'' said Schneider.
Whichever recipe you choose, make sure a safety belt is an ingredient. The numbers demand it:
More than 2,000 children under age 16 are killed each year in car crashes, and more than 325,000 are injured, according to the National Transportation Safety Board, which has asked states to make it illegal for children under the age of 13 to ride in the front seat of a vehicle.
According to the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 32 children under age 12 were killed by deploying passenger-side airbags between 1993 and 1996.
