Booster easy to install

Hi,
My 6 yo daughter is carpooling to school. We are a few families involved, so there is a lot of changing of cars during the week - different car in the morning and in the afternoon.
Last year, she was in a backless booster, and I really wasn't comfortable with that, especially since the booster didn't have a seatbelt guide.
This Fall, I'm wondering if I should get a better booster (please suggest one that is safe?) or a highback booster IF I can find one that is very light and easy to carry, and quick and easy to install. It is already a big job to take care of 3 to 4 kids when you are in a hurry to get to or back from school, I feel bad to ask the drivers to carry a huge car seat and have to install it every time!
What do you think I should buy?
Julie

A backless is fine if the car has head support to at least the top of your daughter's ears AND if the seatbelt fits correctly. Not all kids need the belt adjuster when using a backless, but it sounds as if your daughter did? You have tons of choices with backless boosters. I would suggest trying the Harmony Literider, Harmony Cruz, Harmony Transit, Graco Turbo, or Evenflo Amp.

How tall is your daughter? How much does she weigh?

If you want a high-back, I would get one that converts to a backless because your daughter will eventually outgrow the back. You could try the Graco Turbo Booster or Evenflo Big Kid Amp. They are both fairly lightweight, are inexpensive, and are both good boosters.

Patriot201 said:

A backless is fine if the car has head support to at least the top of your daughter's ears AND if the seatbelt fits correctly. Not all kids need the belt adjuster when using a backless, but it sounds as if your daughter did? You have tons of choices with backless boosters. I would suggest trying the Harmony Literider, Harmony Cruz, Harmony Transit, Graco Turbo, or Evenflo Amp.

How tall is your daughter? How much does she weigh?

If you want a high-back, I would get one that converts to a backless because your daughter will eventually outgrow the back. You could try the Graco Turbo Booster or Evenflo Big Kid Amp. They are both fairly lightweight, are inexpensive, and are both good boosters.

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Hi!

My daughter is 46" and 51 lbs.

Last year, she definitely would have needed the belt positioning clip, as the belt was resting on her neck. I would have to try a booster now to see how it fits (we don't have any right now).

As for a high-back, do you know of any that are foldable? And are they simply put on the car seat, or do they need to be latched?

What about backless booster - the one I had didn't need to be fixed but I think I saw some that have to be latched?

And a last question: why do I see boosters selling for $20 to $45, and then the Clek Olli which is $100? What is so special with this one, beside its look???

I know for my own kid, the belt fit between age 5 and 6 was fairly dramatic, it went from bad in all cars to good in all cars, without a belt clip. Might want to try something really light and easy to deal with, like this one that used to be called the lite rider (why they ditched that name, I can't fathom...) http://www.walmart.com/ip/Harmony-Juvenile-Youth-Booster-Car-Seat-Zebra/16939673?findingMethod=rr
The connext, affix, and santa fe can be LATCHed, but it's usually more trouble than it's worth for carpooling (it's nice for always in one car, so you don't have to buckle it in when unoccupied--connext is really light and small, though, so might be just perfect even unLATCHed). Sometimes LATCHing is useless, in my car it puts the seat so far over that the shoulderbelt doesn't fit, in other cars it puts the seat ON the buckle (!!).
The folding ones are the First Years models... super bulky and heavy, really wide...definitely not great for sitting next to other kids (I have one for my daycare kid and like it, but the farthest it travels is from the garage floor to my captain's chair).
As for the super spendy ones, it's all about the construction.... a folding camp chair will hold you in a sitting position just fine, but a $300 office chair has lots more workmanship and upholstering. Cleks don't even feel like regular seats (see if you have a local baby boutique to try them out, you'll see what I mean...there's dense foam on top of EPP foam and solid metal LATCH bars and solid armrests and super nice cover fabrics

The first years compass pathway folds. I have never used it so I can't tell you how difficult or easy it is to use.
Latching a booster isn't necessary, but is preferred so that when it isn't in use it doesn't become a projectile in an accident.
The clek olli is pricey because of the materials it is made with and the fact that it is North American designed and manufactured. If you pick one up it is heavy. The cover is nice and heavy duty. It is a very sturdy seat. It isn't everyone's cup of tea (my son found it to be uncomfortable) and there are certainly other seats that would likely work just as well in a lower price point, but the price reflects the quality of the materials used.
If it were me, I would probably check and see if your daughter can get a good belt fit with a low back booster and if so, purchase an inexpensive one (harmony lite rider or Graco connext, which has latch are two favorites here) for each car so that there is always a booster available for her. If it helps, my 6 yr old is 49 inches and has been able to use the lite rider for quite awhile as our emergency seat, so there may be hope for your daughter!

The Harmony folding booster is available at Walmart if you wanted to try her in that. http://www.walmart.com/ip/Harmony-Folding-Travel-Booster-Car-Seat/22301298

This thread has a lot of discussion about it and pictures of it in use: http://www.car-seat.org/showthread.php?t=239707&highlight=harmony+folding+booster