what is the function/importance of this part of my britax boulevard?

[anomaly13]

HUGS Chest Pads, heres a link......

http://www.britaxusa.com/store/details/parts/boulevard/hugs-chest-pads-gray

ds chewed on his till finally it came all the way off, one is still on there but I am wondering if I need to go ahead and replace the missing chest pad.  any thoughts?

[MamieCole]

Here you go:

http://www.britaxusa.com/learning-center/360-degree-protection/hugs

[anomaly13]

MamieCole thank you ever so kindly!!! should have looked over their site a little more myself.  I will go a head and order a new set.

[MamieCole]

You are welcome. I never really knew what they were for either, (we also have a Boulevard) so I enjoyed learning something new. 

[justKate]

I clicked on the link because I was wondering the same thing, but I still don't really get it.  I can be dense sometimes, though.

Here's what the website says:

The Harness Ultra-Guard System assists in reducing forward movement of your child in the event of a crash by adding friction to the harness against your child’s chest as they move forward.

So are they saying that the HUGS help the harness grip the child?  In a crash, isn't it the child going to move forward to the limit of the harness (to however tight you have it) regardless of the material between the child and the harness?  I mean, if it's a t-shirt, a down coat (!) or a HUGS grippy rubber thing, isn't the child's weight just going to go as far into the harness as possible? 

Don't get me wrong, my RF toddler has them on (even though they're not required RFing), and I reposition them every time I buckle her in.  I just don't really get how the improve the safety of a properly positioned, properly tightened harness.  I wish the Britax site had an illustration of the difference with and without, or something....

[an_aurora]

The HUGS increase friction and thus reduce head excursion.