Booster seats are designed with a primary purpose: to bring the vehicle seat belt to the proper position on the child. We tend to associate the Cybex brand with well-featured car seats and booster seats. The Cybex Solution Q-Fix high back booster is no exception. Let’s take a closer look at the Q-Fix’s overall belt fit, comfort, and ease of use features.
Cybex Q-Fix
CSFTL Quick Stats
- High back booster weight range: 33-110 lbs
- High back booster height range: 38-60″
- Highest booster guide position: 22″
- Expiration: 6 years
- High back booster only
Features
- Three position reclining head rest
- Rigid lower anchor connectors
- Linear Side Impact Protection
Assembly
Cybex Q-Fix
The Q-Fix high back booster arrives in two main separate pieces, the lower portion and the upper portion. While the upper portion of the booster ships unassembled, the Q-Fix should not be used without the upper portion attached.
Cybex Q-Fix Headrest Warning label
There is a tag on the seat to indicate that it should not be used without the back and another warning label on the seat itself. Assembling the top and bottom portions of the Q-Fix is very straightforward. Line the pieces up and move the top portion up so that they snap into place. Once the seat is put together it’s a very solid seat. Unlike some other booster seats, the Q-Fix’s back portion is not prone to falling off while it’s being moved around.
When the seat arrives, the linear side impact protection bolsters are not attached to the seat either. These need to be attached to the torso wings of the seat during assembly.
The linear side impact protection bolsters have three posts which connect them to the torso wings To connect them to the torso wings, line them up with the holes on the torso wings and slide down to attach.
Manual Storage
The manual is shipped loose within the packaging. There is a pocket on the back of the seat that can be used to store the manual when it’s not in use. We always suggest keeping the manual with the seat so that it’s readily accessible should questions arise at any time.
Installation
Instead of being separate pieces, the lower anchors are mounted on a bar that rotates towards the seat when they’re not being used. The rigid lower anchor connectors rotate towards the back of the seat when they’re in use. Since they are fixed on the bar, it makes attaching the rigid lower anchors slightly more cumbersome than more typical lower anchors.
Good to go!
The lower anchor connector bar slides side to side, so the lower anchors on the Q-Fix have to be lined just right in order to attach to the vehicle’s lower anchors. Once they are attached to the vehicle’s lower anchors, grab the lower anchor adjustment handle on the Q-Fix, and push the Q-Fix into the vehicle’s seat back. It’s installed correctly when the indicator on the lower anchor connectors are in the green.
Seat-Specific Rules
Cybex has a very specific set of rules about how the booster must sit on the vehicle seat.
- The vehicle head restraint must not interfere with the booster
- The booster seat must not overhang the vehicle seat
- The backrest of booster must rest against the vehicle seat
Challenging Situations
These rules can account for an excellent fit to child when all of the conditions are met but it could make fitting the Q-Fix a challenge in some cases:
- Vehicles that have fixed head restraints
- Vehicle seats that are narrow, and too small for the entire Q-Fix to sit on the seat
- Vehicles with very contoured seats
Reclining Headrest
One of the unique features of the Cybex booster is the reclining headrest. There are three positions on the headrest that can easily be moved by the child to adjust the headrest to minimize head slump.
Shoulder Belt Guide
We spend a lot of time thinking about shoulder belt guides. The Q-Fix has a uniquely-shaped shoulder belt guide that takes a little effort to thread the vehicle belt through at first. Once the seat belt is threaded into the belt guide, a red piece of plastic keeps it in place.
With my vehicle and set up this was fantastic because it made it hard for the shoulder belt to come out of the belt guide. The belt guide is also fairly open, meaning the belt didn’t get caught in the belt guide and not retract correctly. That’s always a plus!
Fit to Child
Two finger width measurement.
The Q-Fix requires that the headrest be positioned two finger widths above the child’s shoulder. This makes it seem like the headrest needs to be higher, but is the correct position for the shoulder belt for this seat.
Now that both of my daughters are of booster age, I was able to get two opinions of the seat and see how two totally differently sized children fit in the seat.
Both of my girls initially thought the seat was squishy and comfortable. Bonus points from the little one because of the bold color!
5 Years Old
Cybex Q-Fix Fit: 5 Year Old Model
This model is 5 years old, weighs 46 lbs, and is 44 inches tall. She is brand new to the booster world and was very excited to show me how she could sit still and buckle the seat all by herself.
The Q-Fix provided an excellent belt fit for her. She was more pleased with the reclining headrest than her sister was. She said it reminded her of her pillow in bed. This would be a great feature for kids who are just learning to use a booster.
7 Years Old
Cybex Q-Fix fit: 7 year old model
I first used the seat with my oldest daughter, who is 7 years old, stands 50 inches tall, and weighs 49 lbs.
The seat belt fit on her was optimal and she enjoyed the automatic adjustment of the torso wings. As the headrest is raised, the torso wings adjust outward to provide a comfortable fit as the child grows. She was not too terribly impressed with the reclining headrest. As a seasoned booster rider, she knows how to sit properly and stay upright while sleeping so this wasn’t as important for her as it might be for a newer booster rider.
Staying upright while sleeping and sitting properly are two of most important factors to consider when deciding when to move your child in a booster seat or a keep them in their 5 point harness.
Leg Overhang
Cybex Q-Fix Leg Overhang
The one complaint that both of these models had was that they said they felt like they were sliding forward while riding in the Q-Fix. The depth of the seat is 13.5 inches, which is rather shallow. Both my girls’ knees bent far beyond the edge of the seat and caused the feeling of sliding forward. While this was a downside for my vehicle and children, the depth of this seat would be beneficial for those with vehicle seats that are small front to back. Remember, Cybex does not allow the seat to overhang the vehicle seat.
Overall Impressions
The Q-Fix cover is nice and plush, and the seat comes in a variety of colors. The range of bold colors can be appealing to a child. The Q-Fix would not be a good seat if you are trying to fit three seats across in a row. While the base is quite narrow, the torso wings make it a quite bulky. Overall, the Cybex Q-Fix provide an excellent belt fit for a booster. Because of the relatively shallow seat pan, the Q-Fix might be better suited for a child with shorter legs. The Q-Fix would be a good booster to use with a child who is booster training because of the reclining headrest feature.
Originally written by Kim Robinson. Edits maintained by CSFTL.
