IIHS rates 2014 children's booster seats

If you have young kids in the car, it seems that the options for booster seats are getting safer.

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety gave more of their best bet ratings for booster seats in 2014 than any prior year. Their ratings help take the guesswork out of choosing a booster that will provide good safety belt fit for typical 4 to 8 year olds.

Out of 41 new models rated, 27 received the best bets rating, and seven others were rated a good bet. Recommended options ranged from $25 to $370.

Best bets are seats that provide good belt fit for typical 4 to 8 year-olds in almost any car, minivan or SUV, while good bets give an acceptable fit.

There are also five booster seats on the not recommended list. If you own one of these, you need to closely examine the way it fits your child.

The lap belt should lie flat across a child's upper thighs, not across the soft abdomen, and the shoulder belt will cross snugly over the middle of a child's shoulder. IIHS has put together a guide on how the booster should fit.

The IIHS says that if you already have one of the seats on the not recommended list, don't throw it away. Any booster seat is better than none at all, but if it's not doing a good job, they suggest replacing it when you can with one that works better.