Bought a Harmony booster last night (pic heavy)

snowbird25ca

Moderator - CPST Instructor
With dd being in Gr 1 and boostered FT I figured it was time to have a spare backless booster around. It will be good to be able to use with friends too if need be, and if nothing else to throw in a cab or family member's vehicle if it's just a short trip.

Price was right at $17.67 too, and I'm impressed so far - both with the manual and the booster.

The booster is rated from 40 to 100lbs and a child has to be a minimum of 40". It's recommended age of 4 to 10yrs old is only present on a sticker that's on the booster itself and not in the manual at all, but most kids won't be 40" before age 3.5 or so unless they're super tall, so the minimum height recommendation will keep the itty-bitty 40lb kids from using it anyways.

The manual in comparison to the Monterey manual is a world of difference. It's longer and clearer. Perhaps most of note is that they do not allow a seatbelt with dual retractors to be used at all, and that they recommend locking seatbelts with switchable retractors. (Note that some vehicle manuals will tell you to not switch the seatbelt with passengers and in that case vehicle manual would trump booster manual. I most likely won't lock it on the occasions when my dd uses it seeing as it's just a recommendation.)

My only complaint about the instructions is that they don't clearly tell you to route the shoulder belt under the armrest on the buckle side - they show it in all the pictures, but don't say it the same way they say everything else so clearly.

I had to pull the Monterey out so that I could put the replacement stickers on it, so I took some pictures of dd in the Harmony.

She's about 46" or there-bouts, and weighs between 51 and 54lbs depending on the day. I'm actually very impressed with the seatbelt fit. The lap belt is lower on her thighs than in the Monterey - and the Monterey had been the best out of all the boosters we tried.

The shoulder belt was just a smidge high on her neck without the belt guide, but the belt guide adjusted the belt very well. I tried the vehicle belt guide for comparison, and while it adjusted the belt adequately, the one that came with the booster worked much better. I also like that the belt guide is attached to the booster permanently. My only difficulty with it was that the way the strap is threaded through the guide, it was difficult for me to fit the seatbelt in to the guide. I found that I had to go right side, then left side in order for it to fit, and it was very very difficult to adjust the length of the strap on the belt guide once the belt was threaded through it. Considering that this isn't something a parent would be doing very often though, it's only a very small complaint and certainly not something that would discourage me from buying the seat.

The booster itself has a footprint that is probably around 3, maybe even 4" narrower than the Monterey, and the lower profile arm-rests definitely made buckling easier in our car.

Dd was thrilled with it mostly because of the pink color, but seemed to find it comfortable enough. I don't think it would be comfortable for long rides at this point because of where her legs bend on the booster and the way they tend to not be able to bend at the edge of the vehicle seat, but I think the longer depth would be good for older kids.

The booster is good for 6 yrs and the DOM on mine is January - though the shell was made in 2010 so the shell is marked with not using after 2016.

All in all, I'm very impressed with this booster. Good belt fit, good instructions, and a very good price. I'm glad to see it's made it's way to Canada.

The car is a 2009 Saturn Astra.

Booster out of package:
f84qr.jpg


Booster on vehicle seat:
eiqdmd.jpg


Leg support:
t7j1gi.jpg


Lapbelt fit:
6omx6e.jpg


Fit without belt guide:
29zsvad.jpg


Fit with booster belt guide: (I hadn't tightened it down properly yet when I took this picture, but when I did adjust it properly it further improved how the shoulderbelt sat - though it's not bad in this picture either.)
10wtfr7.jpg


Fit with vehicle belt guide:
2aimzyt.jpg
 
Last edited:
ADS

snowbird25ca

Moderator - CPST Instructor
You beat me to it ;) I was thinking about picking one up today!

Looks great... and Jillian is adorable :)

Thanks, she has a whole lot of missing teeth right now which adds to the cute factor I think. :D

I had wondered if you got yours yet. Feel free to tack on to this thread if you'd like when you get your own - or start your own thread, whatever floats your boat. It'll be interesting to see how it fits your dd who is just a little smaller than mine. :)
 

BudgieStew

New member
She looks so cute.

Is 17.00 the normal cost?

I'm just poking my toe in the waters looking for an inexpensive backless booster to fit between my kids seats in the Subarus for my children's friends.
 

snowbird25ca

Moderator - CPST Instructor
She looks so cute.

Is 17.00 the normal cost?

I'm just poking my toe in the waters looking for an inexpensive backless booster to fit between my kids seats in the Subarus for my children's friends.

Thanks. :) So far as I know that's the normal cost. It's a very inexpensive booster in the US too so it's nice to see the price pretty much the same in Canada, especially since it's a Canadian company. :thumbsup:

Selina - I'd be interested in seeing the Apramo, has anyone other than CT carried it?
 

selinajean

New member
Selina - I'd be interested in seeing the Apramo, has anyone other than CT carried it?


I haven't noticed it anywhere else. I picked ours up when it was on sale for $15. :thumbsup: It looks very similar to the Harmony actually. I would like to compare them side by side.
 
I haven't noticed it anywhere else. I picked ours up when it was on sale for $15. :thumbsup: It looks very similar to the Harmony actually. I would like to compare them side by side.

I was thinking the same thing. Please post if you do compare them. I have an Apramo that I picked up on sale too. I'd love to know whether the Harmony is the same, or whether one is a little narrower than the other.
 

canadiangie

New member
I too bought an Apramo for $15. It's still in the plastic.

Thanks for posting pics of the Harmony. I'm so happy to see a nice little booster with such a great price. :)
 

melissainbc

New member
I have both the Apramo and Harmony now. I'll try to get some side by side pics up later. For now I'll say that they are verrrry similar. The Apramo is maybe a tiny bit wider than the Harmony but I think the Harmony has a touch more room in the seating area.

Kaia likes the Harmony more than the Apramo after one ride in it. I don't know if that's because it's actually more comfortable for her, or because it's pink. :)
 

featherhead

Well-known member
I have an Apramo for my nephew. I've also looked at the Harmony a bit at Walmart. Without seeing them side by side I'd say they are VERY similar. I think there is a tiny bit more room between the Apramo armrests and seat vs. the Harmony. I think it's a really good design, and provides a great belt fit. I'm not too fond of the belt adjuster on the Apramo though.
 

Keeks64

New member
$17.97 is the everyday price for the Literider ( at least at Walmart , never seen anywhere else carry it)

Its an awesome little booster! We got ours a month or so ago, for my daycare girl & she loves it! Im sure she also just loves its pink

She was riding in a TB , but it was a tight fit to buckle and she often complained she wasnt comfortable. Shes never complained in the literider and we have a good 1" more room on either side

We have a MA65 outboard passenger RF , her literider in the middle & a FF scenera outboard driver and its like the literider was meant to fit :D
 

BudgieStew

New member
$17.97 is the everyday price for the Literider ( at least at Walmart , never seen anywhere else carry it)

Its an awesome little booster! We got ours a month or so ago, for my daycare girl & she loves it! Im sure she also just loves its pink

She was riding in a TB , but it was a tight fit to buckle and she often complained she wasnt comfortable. Shes never complained in the literider and we have a good 1" more room on either side

We have a MA65 outboard passenger RF , her literider in the middle & a FF scenera outboard driver and its like the literider was meant to fit :D

That is a great price especially considering I am buying it for other people's children to use.
I doubt our Walmart carries it but will take a look next time I get there.
 

mam521

New member
That is a great price especially considering I am buying it for other people's children to use.
I doubt our Walmart carries it but will take a look next time I get there.

They aren't always in the most obvious places. I was wandering around our WalMart and saw them - not with the carseats and boosters, but rather on a display pallet near the high shelves that the have cribs (we have 1 aisle with 3 cribs and 2 rockers on and obscure display) in our store. But they were there!
 

BudgieStew

New member
I checked out the Aparmo at CT yesterday..there were two on the shelf and then headed out to Walmart where to my surprise they had the Harmony..quite a few in fact. The Harmony does look slimmer then the Aparmo so I think I will go with it.
I need it to go between a FF MA and either a Nauti or a Monterey in either one of our Subarus so it has to be as slim as possible.
 

Car-Seat.Org Facebook Group

Forum statistics

Threads
219,655
Messages
2,196,895
Members
13,530
Latest member
onehitko860

You must read your carseat and vehicle owner’s manual and understand any relevant state laws. These are the rules you must follow to restrain your children safely. All opinions at Car-Seat.Org are those of the individual author for informational purposes only, and do not necessarily reflect any policy or position of Carseat Media LLC. Car-Seat.Org makes no representations as to accuracy, completeness, currentness, suitability, or validity of any information on this site and will not be liable for any errors, omissions, or delays in this information or any losses, injuries, or damages arising from its display or use. All information is provided on an as-is basis. If you are unsure about information provided to you, please visit a local certified technician. Before posting or using our website you must read and agree to our TERMS.

Graco is a Proud Sponsor of Car-Seat.Org! Britax is a Proud Sponsor of Car-Seat.Org! Nuna Baby is a Proud Sponsor of Car-Seat.Org!

Please  Support Car-Seat.Org  with your purchases of infant, convertible, combination and boosters seats from our premier sponsors above.
Shop travel systems, strollers and baby gear from Britax, Chicco, Clek, Combi, Evenflo, First Years, Graco, Maxi-Cosi, Nuna, Safety 1st, Diono & more! ©2001-2022 Carseat Media LLC

Top