Not all car seats are the same. In fact, we discovered there was quite a difference in terms of how well they worked and performed. Mind you, all child car seats sold in the United States undergo fairly rigorous testing requirements, so with a minimum baseline, you can feel a bit confident that any carseat will work okay.

When it came down to it, a lot of seats simply didn't seem to work very well, and some of us were left questioning whether these manufacturers actually tried their own products out much. The main problem was how well the seatbelts fit on the child. Quite often, they just didn't sit in a very good position, which perhaps reduces their effectiveness. This does not even discuss how some car seats are simply hard to use. Further information on these review can be found at sites like the III and Car Seat Blog.

BEST

You can buy boosters as highbacks or as backless seats — both kinds are represented here. These 9 best bets are the most likely to position lap and shoulder belts correctly on many children in many cars, minivans, and SUVs:


Britax Frontier Tested model: #E9B54H6	Clek Oobr Tested model: #OBM1U	Combi Dakota backless with clip Tested model: #882066

Cosco Juvenile Pronto Tested model: #22491 Results also apply to: models #22255/22275	Eddie Bauer Auto Booster Tested model: #22888 Results also apply to: model #22829	Evenflo Big Kid Amp backless with clip Tested model: #3401913 Results also apply to: model #340XXXX

Maxi-Cosi Rodi XR Tested model: #22223-CIP	Recaro Vivo Tested model: #351.00.MM14	Recaro Young Sport Tested model: #340.00.MM14

GOOD

You can buy boosters as highbacks or as backless seats — both kinds are represented here. These 6 good bets provide acceptable lap and shoulder belt fit in almost as many vehicle belt configurations as the best-bet boosters:


Britax Parkway SG Tested model: #E9LA869	Combi Kobuk backless with clip Tested model: #8970	Evenflo Symphony 65 Tested model: #3451925

Graco TurboBooster SafeSeat Step 3, Sachi Tested model: #1751523	Graco TurboBooster SafeSeat Step 3, Wander Tested model: #1751952	Maxi-Cosi Rodi Tested model: #22575

NOT RECOMMENDED

Parents should avoid buying the 11 boosters on this "not recommended" list. These are seats that don't provide good belt fit — the main job boosters are supposed to do.

If you already have one of the seats on the not recommended list, don't throw it away. Any booster seat is better than none at all. But take a look at the belt fit, and if it's not doing a good job, replace it when you can with one that works better.


Alpha Omega Tested model: #22469	Alpha Omega Elite Tested model: #22149 Results also apply to: model #22148	Alpha Omega Luxe Echelon Tested model: #22799

Combi Kobuk Tested model: #8970	Eddie Bauer Deluxe Tested model: #22800 Results also apply to: models #22862/22865	Eddie Bauer Deluxe 3-in-1 Tested model: #22790 Results also apply to: model #22795

Evenflo Express Tested model: #3292198 Results also apply to: model #329XXX	Evenflo Sightseer Tested model: #2692198 Results also apply to: model #269XXX	Harmony Secure Comfort Deluxe backless with clip Tested model: #0304001DRM

Safety 1st All-in-One Tested model: #22178 Results also apply to: model #22177	Safety 1st Alpha Omega Elite Tested model: #22465 Results also apply to: models #22456/22195/22187

BEST

GOOD

NOT RECOMMENDED

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