High back booster for petite 7.5 & 9.5 year old

nwmm · May 22, 2015

Hello.

I'm looking for a high back booster for my petite 7.5 and 9.5 year old.

Our Britax Marathons will be expiring soon.

I'm looking for safety, obviously.

I'm attracted to Frontier due to: safety ratings, easy to install, fact that I can wash the cover easily.

The drawback ( and please don't judge) is the size. My kids do feel silly in a car seat. When we return to school, my oldest will be almost 10 and 8. Friends see her in it and many comment etc. I know safety is #1 priority, but it is hard at age 10 climbing into a car seat.

We have a Camry and will be using them in a Camry or RAV4.

Some places rate the Graco Turbo Surround an A.

How do our car techs feel about them? Or is there an even better slim line looking one highly rated?

I have to measure them again, but we think the 7.5 year old is 49 inches and 43-45 pounds. 9.5 year old is 51 and 46/47+ in weight.

Thanks so much car seat techs!!!

carseatcoach · May 22, 2015

Do they still fit in the Marathons with their shoulders below the top strap settings? If so, they have very short torsos and the Turbo would be a fine choice.

A belt-positioning booster is a fine choice at their ages. I'd definitely look for one that can go backless, since that is the next step and might make them more comfortable.

lgenne · May 22, 2015

Do they fall asleep in the car? Are they good at sitting still? If they're behaviorally ready, I'd just get them backless boosters now. There's no proven benefit to high back boosters at all, and most of the expected benefit comes from the reminder to sit correctly. If the high backs are embarrassing, there's no need to have them.

Cnidaria · May 23, 2015

And there is no demonstrated safety benefit to harness straps over a belt-positioning booster at their ages, either, provided they can sit properly in their boosters.

nwmm · May 24, 2015

Thank you guys. I'm still thinking.

I planned on getting a Frontier, but I am thinking of a Graco Surround Safety or maybe Affix or even Recado. My hang up is the Graco has less of a structure for side impact it looks like. We have an older Camry that we plan to replace soon.

Is a Recaro Performance better for taller kids? I've seen that more than once and I know tall kids who own them!

I just posted this question so I don't mean to post twice, but as long as I am typing this, does a new Graco Affix have more Surround than a Graco Turbo safety surround?

Will the Graco safety surround slip when the child is in it?

Thank you so much!!!

nwmm · May 24, 2015

Do you need a latch on a booster if the child is over 45 pounds?

I realize the latch helps when the child is not in the seat.

Some reviews for Affix say one latch buckle works better than another so not safe. That was a 2013 review. I don't know when affix was updated.

lgenne · May 24, 2015

Latch serves no purpose on a booster once the child is buckled in. It's only for keeping the booster from becoming a projectile when it's not buckled in and to keep it from sliding around when the child is climbing in.

I wouldn't worry about a single consumer review from 2013. If one person had a problem, maybe they had a defective product, or they didn't know what they were doing.

bnsnyde · May 24, 2015

The Recaros are very well made, in my opinion.
We own 3 of the Performance Boosters.

The sides are nice and deep. Super sturdy seats.
We really like them!

High back booster for petite 7.5 & 9.5 year old

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