Not the OP, but I thought I'd comment, Ann
For the $$$ of Recaro, I'd rather get other options - like a Britax convertible that can keep a child rear facing (this Recaro is only front facing) & harnessed longer (compared to what I remember about this Recaro?), then eventually a booster like the Britax Parkway (which is compared in these pictures & obviously allows more height room) ... since every graduation in carseat lessons the protection: rear facing to front facing is a significant difference in safety as is harness to booster. This is just my oppinion, though & I'm also remembering that Recaro uses some specific heavy metal (steel?) as the structure for their seats (maybe not all of them) which while supposedly increasing the safety (I don't think there is any standard comparison testing for this), it also makes the seat VERY heavy.
As for riding with Grandparents, I haven't actually seen the Ridesafer in person, but agree that it looks a bit complicated. We all like the Kid-Y with RideRyte & the 86-Y from
www.ezonpro.com: easy for kids & older less carseat savvy adults who might be suffering arthritis, etc. However, sometimes it might also simply come down to what the child is willing to use & whether or not the child is capable of using it correctly without help.... I have a feeling that my 7 y.o. would like the Ridesafer better than the EZOn (she likes the whole race car driver & astronaut thing which this seems to remind me of, LOL) & I trust she'd be able to use it correctly, but my 3 y.o. would certainly not be able to buckle herself - which she can almost do in the EZOn (needs help pulling the lap belt tight). Thank goodness she also values car safety & doesn't have the notion to unbuckle herself while in motion
Also, I think the Ridesafer is more $$$ than EZOn?
BTW, there are other threads about Recaro in the Coffee Break forum as well