Do any boosters besides Recaro have latch that doesn't tighten?

Trying to decide if I want to keep the recaro boosters we just got.

They are super comfy and solid for the kid. Kid of hard to buckle due to how wide they are.

The latch part is ... I won't say useless but it is puzzling.

I KNOW the point of latch is so the seat won't become a projectile if unoccupied. So this is not a safety concern. But I thought another reason people liked latching boosters is because they stay where they are and don't migrate over the buckle so it is easier for kids to buckle?

The straps do not tighten so it may as well not even be latched from that perspective. And it is such a huge seat the chance of moving over the buckle is pretty good. And there is nothing grippy on the bottom of the seat at all so I have a feeling it's going to be a pain in the butt in my van (leather). Right now I have one in my husband's car which has cloth and I think we will keep that one but I don't know about the other two.

I LOVE how comfy they seem. (I don't think they will be useable to their full height though due to shoulder narrowness for bigger kids)

But I was really thinking of latch as something to keep the buckles from getting buried.

Is there any other latchable booster that just floats free like this? I thought they all allowed you to tighten the straps? (Aside from the Affix loosening weirdness I mean)

If there was something grippy under it would be OK but it just slides. So strange.

FWIW, DD2 has been using her Recaro Performance Booster in our 2005 Odyssey (leather seats) for most of the past three months, and I don't think she's had a problem with it "creeping" and covering up the buckle stalk.

Compass/first years/learning curve or whatever they are called now use a latch strap that doesn't tighten.

Actually, I leave our PWSGL not tight because otherwise it's too close to covering the buckle stalk and DD can't get buckled. Our Recaro Performance booster does need to be scooted over often but that's just because the side bolster pushes it toward the buckle stalk. Not enough of a bother that I returned the booster, DS is even trying to start buckling himself which is a bonus.

BookMama said:

FWIW, DD2 has been using her Recaro Performance Booster in our 2005 Odyssey (leather seats) for most of the past three months, and I don't think she's had a problem with it "creeping" and covering up the buckle stalk.

Click to expand...

Captains chair or 3rd row? these would go in the 3rd row which is smoother. But I have to take out the frontiers to see how they work and I haven't gotten to it yet.

YinzerMama said:

Captains chair or 3rd row? these would go in the 3rd row which is smoother. But I have to take out the frontiers to see how they work and I haven't gotten to it yet.

Click to expand...

Captains seat most of the time. But she was in the third row for a couple of weeks by request. I just asked her and she said she didn't have to move it off the buckle often ( if at all). YMMV, of course, and I don't remember how old your kids are. She's 8YO and is very adept at buckling boosters.

My girls will be 6 in march. We used to have a turbo booster in my husband's car which they used a few times but I think I buckled them. Just tried the recaro in there last night with my smaller girl and she tried to buckle herself but I had to take over (which I know will be the case with anything till she gets it). The fit was great and the color is amazing and she said it was comfy. But that latch thing is weird... I can't help but wonder if they will release an adjustable version later.

I'm planning on moving them to boosters in my car after their b-days with lots of rides in dh's till then to get the hang of buckling. I will miss all the cow in my car!

DH's car needs a booster immediately. more like, 3 months ago lol.

Hopefully a tech will weigh in but I think I remember reading that a thin grippy shelf liner under a car seat is okay. Maybe that would help with it sliding. I'm hoping I am remembering correctly and that would be safe, if not someone please correct me.

momtoo3 said:

Hopefully a tech will weigh in but I think I remember reading that a thin grippy shelf liner under a car seat is okay. Maybe that would help with it sliding. I'm hoping I am remembering correctly and that would be safe, if not someone please correct me.

Click to expand...

i don't think that's recommended anymore. I'd check the manual to see if anything is allowed under it.

I had't thought about that it might creep over. Also, some kids might be bothered by the movement when they get in, but they'd probably get used to it. When I tried DD in an unlatched booster, she complained about it moving around as she got in, but she was used to being harnessed in rock solid installed seats. I'm assuming she'd get used to it, but I haven't tested it because her boosters both latch and tighten.

tl01 said:

Compass/first years/learning curve or whatever they are called now use a latch strap that doesn't tighten.

Click to expand...

Yeah, they don't tighten. I can't tell any difference when it's LATCHed or not, which is to say, it literally doesn't move. I think the booster companies saying LATCH will keep the seat in place when kids are trying to buckle is a marketing ploy, personally...just because I've been reading posts about kids buckling boosters, and buckling my own, since 2001, and I've never read about it or encountered it. I might have missed some posts about it, but, meh, not a big problem in the grand scheme of things (immovable car head restraints, LATCH that puts the booster on top of the seatbelt buckle, tipping in third rows, crummy belt guides that allow slack? Bigger concerns overall).

I never had a booster on leather before - our old van was cloth and dh's car is cloth. the turbobooster also used to have some grippy foam under it which would have kept it from moving - but looking at BRU today it doesn't seem to have that any more, nor does the affix. So I guess I don't really know if latch that tightened would matter or not - but I am used to boosters that don't move.