Harmony Booster Faceoff

(Last Updated On: November 25, 2017)

Note: this is an older article and all but the Harmony Youth Booster and Transit have been discontinued.

Harmony Juvenile makes a variety of children’s products, from strollers to play areas. They also have a variety of child seats, specifically, boosters. Harmony offers a variety of booster options, their backless boosters sport low prices and features that big kids will love. Remember, most kids need a booster until age 10-12; read more about why big kids need boosters, too.

We decided to put  all four of Harmony’s backless boosters to the test to see how the Youth, Cruz, Olympian, and Transit all stack up against one another.

 

Harmony Youth Booster

Harmony Youth booster, Lite rider, Olympian, Cruz, Transit, nbb, no back booster, backless booster

First up is the Harmony Youth Booster, which has long been a favorite among Child Passenger Safety Technicians because of its availability and price.  Available at most Wal-Mart Stores for under $15, it is an affordable option to keep older kids in the backless booster that they need.  It also comes in a variety of colors that older kids may deem as “cool.”  It is rated as a Best Bet for belt fit by the IIHS.  You can learn more about the IIHS and their rating system here. The Youth booster is rated for 30-100lbs, and 34-57 inches in the US.  For our friends north of the border, it is rated for 40-100lbs.

 

Harmony Youth booster, Lite rider, Olympian, Cruz, Transit, nbb, no back booster, backless booster

Harmony Youth Booster- 6 years, 46 lbs., 48 inches

Harmony Youth Booster- 6 years, 46 lbs., 48 inches

 

I enlisted the help of our Huggable Images Dolls to test out this seat.  The first model is Chloe, who is 6 years old, 48 inches, and 46 pounds.  The fit for her was excellent.  It positioned the belt properly across her thighs and when using the attached shoulder belt guide it placed the belt evenly across her chest.

 

 

 

Harmony Youth Booster- 8 years, 80 lbs., 57 inches

Harmony Youth Booster- 8 years, 80 lbs., 57 inches

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Next up is Tommy, he is 8 years old, 57″ and 80 lbs. The belt fit is still excellent and he is tall enough that the shoulder belt fits perfectly without use of the positioning strap.

 

 

 

Harmony Youth Booster- 8 years, 80 lbs., 57 inches

Harmony Youth Booster- 8 years, 80 lbs., 57 inches

 

 

 

The one problem I ran into with the seat was how shallow it was.  For kids with long legs, there may not be much support through the thighs.  This could cause them to slouch while in the seat.  There is a large amount of room between where the seat ends and where our dolls knees bend. Slouching is a problem because it can allow the lap belt to sit too high on the child’s abdomen.

 

 

 

 

 

Harmony Cruz

Next up on the list is the Harmony Cruz.  This is another low priced option, generally available at Target for under $20.  The Cruz is also in a place of honor on the IIHS Best Bet List.  It comes with a shoulder belt guide and an optional cupholder. American versions of this seat have a 30-100 lb weight limit; Canadian versions of this seat have a 40-100 lb weight limit.

 

Harmony Youth booster, Lite rider, Olympian, Cruz, Transit, nbb, no back booster, backless booster

 

Harmony Youth booster, Lite rider, Olympian, Cruz, Transit, nbb, no back booster, backless booster

Harmony Cruz Booster- 6 years, 46 lbs., 48 inches

Harmony Cruz Booster- 6 years, 46 lbs., 48 inches

 

 

The belt fit on Chloe in the Cruz is also excellent.  The shoulder belt requires the help of the attached belt guide, and the lap belt is low on the hips as it should be.

 

 

 

 

 

Harmony Cruz Booster- 8 years, 80 lbs., 57 inches

Harmony Cruz Booster- 8 years, 80 lbs., 57 inches

 

 

The belt fit on Tommy is also excellent.  Because of Tommy’s height, the belt guide is not needed for this seat.  The shoulder belt lies flat across his chest and does not cut into his neck.

 

 

 

Harmony Cruz Booster- 8 years, 80 lbs., 57 inches

Harmony Cruz Booster- 8 years, 80 lbs., 57 inches

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Cruz is about an inch deeper than the Youth, but still a little shallow in the thigh area for Tommy. His knees extend beyond the edge of the booster, making slouching a possibility.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Harmony Olympian **Discontinued**

Third on the list is the Harmony Olympian.  My 7 year old daughter refers to this seat as her throne because of how high up it sits and how comfy it is. It is not as readily available in store as the other boosters on this list, but it can be ordered through Amazon and still comes in under $30.  Yet another recipient of IIHS Best Bet, this seat is a little bit larger than our other contenders.

 

 Harmony Youth booster, Lite rider, Olympian, Cruz, Transit, nbb, no back booster, backless boosterHarmony Youth booster, Lite rider, Olympian, Cruz, Transit, nbb, no back booster, backless booster

Harmony Olympian Booster- 6 years, 46 lbs., 48 inches

Harmony Olympian Booster- 6 years, 46 lbs., 48 inches

 

Chloe didn’t need the belt guide with this seat in order to position the shoulder belt, which speaks to how tall it is.  The belt fit provided by the Olympian was exceptional.

 

 

 

 

 

Harmony Olympian Booster- 8 years, 80 lbs., 57 inches

Harmony Olympian Booster- 8 years, 80 lbs., 57 inches

 

 

 

 

 

Tommy seems very comfortable in this seat as well;  as comfortable as one can assume a doll is!  Another exceptional belt fit by the Olympian!

 

 

Harmony Olympian Booster- 8 years, 80 lbs., 57 inches

Harmony Olympian Booster- 8 years, 80 lbs., 57 inches

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Olympian also provided ample support through the thigh area, to the bend of Tommy’s knees.  This can go a long way in making sure that a child stays in position while in their booster.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Harmony Transit Deluxe

Last on the list is Harmony’s newest offering: the Transit Deluxe.  The Transit makes Harmony 4 for 4 in receiving the IIHS Best Bet Rating.  The Transit is readily available at most Target and Wal-Mart Stores for less than $30, making this seat another easy pick.

 

Harmony Youth booster, Lite rider, Olympian, Cruz, Transit, nbb, no back booster, backless boosterHarmony Youth booster, Lite rider, Olympian, Cruz, Transit, nbb, no back booster, backless booster

Harmony Transit Booster- 6 years, 46 lbs., 48 inches

Harmony Transit Booster- 6 years, 46 lbs., 48 inches

 

There are a few things that make the Transit stand out a from the other boosters in this review.  First, it includes not one, but two cupholders.  They are both removable if you need to squeeze the seat into a smaller place.  This can be a big help when trying to fit 3 kiddos into one backseat.  The Transit also boasts an in-seat storage compartment for crayons, coloring books. or other small knickknacks.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Harmony Transit Booster- 6 years, 46 lbs., 48 inches

Harmony Transit Booster- 6 years, 46 lbs., 48 inches

 

 

The Transit was another seat that didn’t require Chloe to use the belt guide in order to get good fit with the shoulder belt. The lap belt fit was also excellent on the Transit with Chloe.

 

 

 

Harmony Transit Booster- 8 years, 80 lbs., 57 inches

Harmony Transit Booster- 8 years, 80 lbs., 57 inches

 

 

 

 

The belt fit on Tommy was decent as well.  The shoulder belt was positioned slightly closer to the neck, which can be a comfort concern, but it did lay flat across his chest. The lap belt is nicely positioned flat across his thighs.

 

 

Harmony Transit Booster- 8 years, 80 lbs., 57 inches

Harmony Transit Booster- 8 years, 80 lbs., 57 inches

 

 

 

 

We come across the same leg support problems with the Transit as we did with the Cruz and the Youth Boosters.  Tommy’s knees bend past the end of the seat.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Harmony does an excellent job of providing a variety of backless boosters that will fit a variety of children.  Remember, the safest seat is the one that fits your child, your car, your budget, and can be used properly every time.

All opinions in this post are that of the author, Harmony did not provide any compensation for this post.