Recommendations for a good booster seat?

Question

My 5 year old just hit 40lbs and can "officially" go into a booster seat now. I'm not in a hurry to transition her, but we're keeping our eye open for one on sale. Any suggestions? How difficult is it to sleep in a booster seat on long car rides?

Answer 1

Do you want to LATCH it (whoops, UAS up there), or have your daughter buckle it when not in use?



Do you have head rests in your vehicle?



What's your budget?



Some kids are great booster sleepers, others need to be harnessed while sleeping until age 8.



The pros in the Canadian forum at car-seat.org will be able to give you recs based on your daughters build as well http://www.car-seat.org/forumdisplay.php?f=17



One more question: what seat is she in now? Brand and name



" Recent research shows that a rigid LATCH system is more important than a high-back, even." Please share me with me your source for this. I consider myself pretty up to date with the latest car seat news, and I've never heard this.



OP- the Diono Monterey could work for you. I'm not sure if you'll find it on sale for $100 though. I don't think there are any LATCHable boosters in Canada for that price. If you'd consider a seat that has a harness but converts to a booster, there may be more options. That way you could have the harness ready in case she's not a good booster sleeper.



Another booster with LATCH is the Britax Parkway SGL (must have L in the name). It will fit smaller children better than a Monterey and if your vehicle headrest is in the way, it can be removed with the high back portion on. The Monterey requires the vehicle headrest to stay attached.



Rigid LATCH isn't always a good thing, especially when it comes to boosters. Sometimes it can place the booster over top of the belt buckle, which would make the rigid LATCH useless. The vast majority of 5 year olds moving into a booster need the highback portion to remind them to stay in position- so moving straight to an Ollie is a bad idea. Also, Clek boosters generally fit bigger heavier children, and not 40 pound girls. Usually with Clek boosters, the lap belt is positioned way too high on small children.



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Thanks for those links. I only read through the first one so far, I don't read too much from TC as I'm from the US. That's interesting information that I'll be discussing with CPSTs.

I would still recommend a highback Monterey or Parkway SGL over a backless Ollie for a child just transitioning from a harness to a booster. I've only quickly scanned the first link, but I don't see any distinguishing between rigid LATCH and regular LATCH.



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(I'm glad you asked- I definitively learned something new)

Re backless vs high back- crash test dummies don't move like children. They don't reach over to grab their sister's toy or slump completely out of position while sleeping. If you child can remain 100% properly in position without a high back, then a backless is fine. The problem is that most children moving from a 5 point to a booster are used to being contained by the harness and haven't had any opportunity to move out of position. Remove the harness and they're more likely to make use of their newfound freedom if given that option in a backless booster.



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Not sure if you got my e-mail, even if you did I'll post again so everyone can know.

The SGL comes with a LATCH strap so that you don't have to worry about the booster becoming a projectile and hitting a passenger if she's not currently using the booster. The SG doesn't have LATCH. SG stands for Secure Guard, which is a crotch strap that helps prevent "submarining" or sliding under the lap belt in a crash.

Answer 2

When I got mine about two years ago, I was shocked at how hard it was to find a LATCH booster seat. Recent research shows that a rigid LATCH system is more important than a high-back, even. I also needed a narrow base to fi tin my smallish car. After searching on line and in person almost everywhere, I found only one. I got the Clek Ollie (ordered them online). It fits in my compact sedan and in DH's SUV latch systems perfectly, and has an easy release pull tab on the front. I love its size and simplicity. There may be more LATCH boosters out there now (I hope there are anyway) but I am very happy with the Clek Ollie.



http://clekboosters.com/p-137905-clek-2011-olli-booster-seat.aspx#!vID152315



ETA: just wanted to add that the rigid latch is so much simpler than the belt tethers on car seats. It literally clicks in and out in seconds.



ETA: Okay, little miss knowitall, here you go...



It goes without saying that if the seat is covering where the belt goes it's not safe. I'm assuming Sugar and Spice is relatively intelligent to figure that out. the BENEFIT of the Ollie is that it is narrow and does NOT cover where the belt goes. Also, the BENEFIT of a rigid latch is that it cannot be installed incorrectly, or too loosely as is the problem with many "soft" belt latches in car seats.



The Clek Oobr offers a high back and a rigid latch but is out of her price range, which is why I did not rec it. But if you have to choose one over the other, the LATCH is your best bet. The lathc-less ones have too much side-to-side "give' in the event of an accident, causing improper positioning of the best as the seat moves, even a small amount. And the belt position plastic clip is completely useless in the event of a high-impact crash (there is research on that as well).



Also, the Clek is specified for 40 inches and 40 lbs. No child under that height and weight should be in a booster.



ETA:"The results of this study, though still preliminary, suggest that protection, specifically of the chest, may be enhanced if the booster seat is anchored to the vehicle seat, as one would attach a CRS. Use of the LATCH and tether produce a more effective coupling than typically produced by the vehicle’s lap/shoulder belt alone or in conjunction with a high-back booster without LATCH."



http://www-nrd.nhtsa.dot.gov/pdf/esv/esv19/05-0258-O.pdf



"The measurement of how far forward the child's head moves in a crash is called "Head Excursion."

Since Sept. 1999, all forward-facing child safety seats must pass a stricter head excursion limit of 28 inches. Most forward-facing child safety seats cannot pass this 28 inch limit without using a tether to hold the top of the car seat back. None of the high-back boosters (that weren't part of a convertible car seat) currently come with a tether strap.



(basically that means that the high-backs without a tether (which none of them have, even the latch ones) it is no better than a backless.



http://www.thecarseatlady.com/index2.php?option=com_content&do_pdf



There are more, but I don't have time right now to link them all for you. Look for research from 2012. That is going to give you the most up to date info. Also, look for actual studies, or peer reviewed scientific articles, not blog posts or discussion boards.

Answer 3

I bought my son an Evenflo, the back comes off to become a booster seat. Its really easy to buckle up and I got it for $50.00 at Walmart. It has lasted almost 4 yrs and still going strong. My son fell asleep in it pretty easy, now its mostly on long car rides, it does have a head rest for when the child falls asleep. It has 2 cup holders and arm rests, its also made for children upto 100 lbs, 60 lbs without the back or head has to be taller than the top of the back, the back also raises.

Answer 4

Here is what lap belt fit should look like: http://www.iihs.org/research/topics/boosters/default.html

As you can see, it should be parallel to the ground.



http://carseatblog.com/8193/britax-parkway-sgl-booster-a-photo-review/

Above link: Here is a review on the Britax Parkway SGL booster that was written by a child passenger safety technician



Edit: I was busy reading the interesting info on boosters with LATCH. I would still consider other boosters on the market that do not have LATCH. The important point to remember is that whatever booster you choose corrects seat belt fit. There may not be any safety distinguishing between highback boosters to low back boosters with latch (no difference in safety in testing), but a highback may be safer in real life as children will be more likely to sit still as they have less freedom. The difference between a dummy and a child is that a dummy will not move anywhere when you sit them in some place. Children move and wiggle and it is less likely for a child to play with the shoulder belt.



Anyhow, I like how the Britax Parkway has a 4th anchor point. I'm not sure if this prevents submarining while working like a car seat with the crotch strap or if it prevents submarining by positioning the lap belt low on the child's hips (I'm not sure).



If your daughter is close to outgrowing her car seat with the harness, I would let her ride in a booster for short rides. If she cannot stay in position when she is awake or asleep, then you can always put her back in the harness. If she is a wiggle worm, this also gives you the chance to teach her that she needs to sit still in a booster seat.



I'm not very familiar with Canadian laws on car seats (as I'm from the US), but keep your child in a booster until your child passes the 5 step test as described in the following link: http://carseatblog.com/3966/the-5-step-test/



Edit #3: (Why do I keep coming back here? lol) How about the Recaro Vivo? Here are a couple of pictures of a child in it: http://www.car-seat.org/showthread.php?t=221608



I'm thinking that a booster with deep side wings will allow your daughter to sleep in the car.



Edit #4: Backless boosters are considered taboo for children who are just transitioning to a booster. CPSTs generally like to see kids in highback boosters and use them until they are outgrown by height (usually when the shoulder belt guide is even with the shoulder in the top most click). Some studies show that highback boosters are just as safe as backless boosters. Here is an article written by a CPST on the idea of backless or highback: http://carseatblog.com/8243/to-backless-or-not-to-backless-that-is-the-question/



When keeping your child safe in the car, there are parental decisions to make. I wouldn't go with a backless for a child just transitioning to a booster. I would say backless boosters are for kids who are at least 7-8 years old. I would definitely not recommend a backless booster if the shoulder belt did not fall naturally on a child. Many 4-6 year olds have just a too short torso. If it crosses a child's neck, it is more likely that the child will place the shoulder belt behind their back or under their arm. Boosters are talked about at 4:05 in this video (nice crash test photos of what happens when the seat belt is placed beside the child's back or under their arm): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ULJ8Vx79Vv4



I would say that there isn't a significant and major difference in the level of a safety a highback has compared to a backless booster provided that the child is able to remain in position (not slumping over while sleeping). A backless booster is usually an inappropriate option for a child who sleeps in the car, (so I would not go with a Clek Ollie).



Also, backless boosters shouldn't be used if there isn't a headrest for a child that at least comes up to the tips of the child's ears (whiplash sucks). I also wanted to add this website as I think it is important for parents to know the terrible injuries a child can sustain if they do not fit the adult seat belt: http://www.boosttil8.org/



I would see a CPST regarding the seat belt fit it gives your child. If you don't see one in person, you can post a picture of your daughter in her booster seat at http://www.car-seat.org/ so that a CPST can evaluate it online. You can always blur out or cut out your daughter's face in microsoft paint. You need to register to post a picture (but not to ask a question).