Question Choosing High-Back Booster for 5.5 yo

Hello All,

I just discovered that my 5.5 yo son's Britax Boulevard (which he had inherited from his sister) has expired. At his check-up in June he was 42" and 37 lbs... not sure how much that might have changed in six months, but he is still pretty slim. I would have been happy keeping him in a 5-point harness for longer, but at this point it seems to make more sense to get a high-back booster vs. another harnessed seat (he has a Graco Nautilus in our other car). My daughter has a Clek Oobr, which she likes, but since it is so expensive (and I constantly have to remind her to put the seat belt through the belt guide), I thought it might be worth checking out some other options.

Since he is likely still under 40 lbs, I saw on a previous post that the Recaro Probooster (now Recaro Performance?), Graco Turbobooster, Recaro Vivo, and Sunshine Kids Monterey (now Diono?) in addition to the Oobr, are good boosters for kids under 40 lbs. Are there others? I started looking at the Probooster/Performance and think he would like how plush it is (especially compared to the Oobr). I was also wondering if the extra padding on the sides would help him to stay seated properly, whereas the Oobr allows more room to move around. But if the metal frame of the Oobr makes it safer, of course I would spend the extra money and get it (well, use up all of my Amazon points ). I also liked the rigid latch in the Oobr, and I'm wondering how beneficial and important that feature is. With the newer Recaro Performance booster, is the main difference that it has latch connectors and the Probooster doesn't? Any other differences? Another factor to consider: I saw that Graco banned hazardous flame retardants in their seats, which is a big draw for me. The Turbobooster looks a little too roomy and not padded enough for my son... is the Affix a new Graco high back booster? Is it basically the Turbobooster with latch connectors? How do the Graco and Recaro boosters compare in terms of safety and comfort?

This new seat would be used in a 2006 Honda CR-V. Right now I am able to squeeze a third (older) child in the middle using a Bubble Bum backless booster. I read that the Probooster takes up a lot of space, and I'd just want to make sure that I could still fit another child in the middle. They don't need to have tons of room -- it would just be for short rides around town. One other minor consideration is that on occasion I drive my 8 yo daughter plus two of her friends, so it would be helpful if the smallest of them could fit in this new booster too.

Any suggestions or recommendations are greatly appreciated!

Thank you

I really like the recaro boosters. My daughter is small and both the vivo and the probooster fit her really well. The vivo seems pretty narrow as well. I also I have a parkway which might work depending on his current weight. A lot of people like it, but lately I am not one of them. Now that ive moved it up a notch or two, it is so tippy. More so than even the probooster. I am not familiar with your car, though. I can do a three across with the parkway or vivo in my car, but I havent tried the probooster. They seem pretty wide at the shoulders, but I have those in the bucket backseats of a camaro. Everything looks big back there.

Do you want a latchable booster? What about checking out the graco aplix?

Do you mean the Graco Affix? I would prefer a booster that connects to the latch, but some reviews on Amazon say that the Affix latch only secures on one side. Any thoughts about the Affix (or Turbobooster with Safety Surround) vs. the Recaro boosters vs. the Clek Oobr? Do the Graco or Recaro seats recline? That's something that seems to help my 8 yo in the Oobr stay properly positioned when we are driving at night and she falls asleep. What about the MaxiCosi RodiFix?? It reclines and has Isofix rigid latch connectors. I know it's even more expensive than the Oobr, but like I said I have a bunch of Amazon points I can use if this would be the best in terms of safety and comfort (though no cup holder?!).

Yes. I mean affix. Aplix is on cloth diapers. Lol! The affix does attach on both sides of the latch. It has 2 straps (1 for each side) on one side of the base part of it.

I think I remember reading somewhere that a few people were having trouble getting both sides of the Affix to hook up. But I could be remembering wrong.

Yes, that's what I was referring to. Several reviews on Amazon said that because the LATCH straps feed through one opening in the front, even slightly pulling the cord in the front results in the strap on one side becoming loosened. One side remains taut but the other one is loose, so it's uneven and presumably more wobbly. Kind of a bummer.

Does anyone know anything about the relatively new Maxi Cosi RodiFix or Recaro Performance Booster? I'm having trouble finding them near me to go see them in person.

I just got a Recaro Performance booster for my just turned 6yo. He has a Vivo also that we love but I wanted something that would last a little longer (my DD started looking squished in the Vivo by the time she was 7.5yo).

We haven't actually tried it in the vehicles yet (crazy cold streak right now) but I love the way it fits him when he sat in it in the house, and he had much more growing room than the Affix I bought and returned (he only had one notch to grow on the affix, from the looks of the Performance booster he's probably not even halfway up).

ETA - my DS is 42-43lb and probably about 43" tall.

fwiw we have 4 affix and have never had that issue

Thanks for all the input! I just came across the Kiddy CruiserFix Pro, which apparently is one of only three high-back boosters with rigid LATCH connectors (also Clek Oobr and Maxi-Cosi RodiFix). Does anyone have any experience or info about the CruiserFix? Thank you