KidsEmbrace booster seat
Our friends at KidsEmbrace make some really fun forward facing harnessed car seats and booster seats. They have one basic design for each type of seat — the forward facing combination seat, high back booster seat, and the backless booster seat. The magic happens when they add some exciting licensed characters to the seats. We welcome anything that encourages children to remain in their current car seat as long as possible and the fun KidsEmbrace brings to these seats certainly helps make that possible. In this review, we’ll round out our coverage of their product line with the backless booster seat, ours is the Frozen pattern.
CSFTL Quick Stats
- Weight range: 40 to 100 pounds
- Height range: 40 to 57 inches tall and the child’s ears are below the top of the vehicle seat headrest
- Age range: at least 4 years old CSFTL advocates that children be at least 5 years old before moving to a booster seat
Measurements
- Width at widest point: 16 inches
- Seat pan depth: 16 inches
- Seat weight: 2.6 pounds
Features and Review Dog
KidsEmbrace booster seat plus review dog
The thing that KidsEmbrace does best is to make car seats and booster seats fun for kids because they have some really fun covers that feature a wide variety of licensed characters.
I’d like to take this opportunity to introduce our newest review dog — Benson! He’ll be assisting me with future reviews.
My human model would like to note that she feels Ariel should also be an option even though it was the Frozen seat that made her want to help me with this project. She heard about the Frozen seat during a webinar that KidsEmbrace held for CSPTs to earn a CEU toward their renewal. That’s one added benefit of quarantine — everyone in the family can listen in to the CPST webinars!
Really Pretty Cover
KidsEmbrace booster seat closeup of the Frozen gang
The graphics on the cover are quite stunning. I don’t think my camera and my adequate photography skills do them justice.
I did try many, many times to get a great picture of this artwork. Sven and Olaf seem to be taunting my skill set but I persisted.
Shoulder Belt Guide Adjuster
KidsEmbrace booster seat shoulder belt guide adjuster
This booster seat includes a small, but important piece of webbing. The shoulder belt guide adjuster (referred to as the Belt Clip in the manual) can help pull the shoulder portion of the vehicle seat belt into the correct position over the child’s shoulder. This particular adjuster is attached to the seat so it’s impossible to lose it!
Warning About the Front Seat
The manual includes a section called Vehicle Seat Locations. This section features a warning that children 12 years old and under should NOT ride in the front vehicle seat. We appreciate having this warning included in the manual so caregivers have an additional way to access this important information.
All too often, we see young children moved out of their booster seat because their state’s law includes an age. Best practice shows that making this switch isn’t about age, it’s about the child being tall enough and mature enough to pass the Five Step Test.
Clear Labels
KidsEmbrace booster seat label
One thing that we’re always fans of are clear labels on a car seat or booster seat. The KidsEmbrace booster seat has just a few labels (it’s a backless booster, that type of child restraint doesn’t require very many) but they’re all quite easy to read.
Lightweight
The KidsEmbrace booster seat weighs in at just 2.6 pounds. While the shape of it is a bit bulky, it’s so lightweight that it may be a nice travel option. My kiddo found that the booster’s shape made carrying it around a little less easy than some of the boosters in her collection but the light weight could make up for that bulkiness!
Three Across
Three across KidsEmbrace booster and KeyFit 35
One burning question that many of our readers have is whether or not a car seat or booster seat that we’re reviewing is a good option for a three across car seat/booster seat situation. The KidsEmbrace backless booster seat is 16 inches wide at the widest point but it does have a pretty flared shape. We’d assert that the narrowness of the seat makes it a solid option in this scenario but would caution caregivers to verify that it works with their particular setup. We offer this same advice while talking about any three across scenarios.It worked in our sample setup here: a KidsEmbrace backless booster, a Graco TurboBooster TakeAlong, and the KeyFit 35.
Setup
In most cases, a backless booster is the easiest type of child restraint to set up — just set it on the vehicle seat, buckle it in if your child isn’t riding in it at the moment, and you’re all set. The Kids Embrace no back booster seat is no exception, though the manual does include instructions that the vehicle seat must be in the most upright position if the seat adjusts.
This booster seat does not have LATCH, so setting it on the fully upright vehicle seat is all that’s required for setup!
Cupholder
KidsEmbrace booster seat cupholder
This seat includes a single, optional cupholder that can be used on either side of the seat. It also comes off quite easily for cleaning. The attachment point is kind of clever — there’s a reinforced hole in the cover that hides the spot where the cupholder attaches. This means that debris will have to work harder to get into the unused cupholder spot.
To attach the cupholder, slide the black portion of the cover back to expose the connection point, then slide the handle of the cupholder into place. Note that this task is easier to complete when using two hands. All attempts to reach back from the front seat and attach it with one hand resulted in failure but I did put up with Sven mocking me while I attempted this feat so you’d know.
Fit to Child
Since the pandemic rages on, my selection of models remains quite limited. We did put the Canadian version of this seat through the paces, it offers a very similar fit to this seat so it’s a good way to see how the seat might work for your child.
10 Years Old
KidsEmbrace booster seat 10 years old
This model is 10 years old and mere moments away from passing the Five Step Test. During this hot summer, she’s happy to still need a booster seat since both of our family vehicles have leather seating surfaces that get way too hot! She’s 56.5 inches tall and wears a size 10 clothes. She found the KidsEmbrace no back booster a really fun option. Much time was spent admiring the vibrant colors on the cover before we ever got out to the car! The booster seat also spent some time on our couch, where both this 10 year old and our 14 year old kiddos used it as a sofa booster.
Back to the work at hand…the seat fits this model well. She’s got enough room to sit comfortably, even at her advanced age for booster use! The vehicle seat belt fits her well. The booster seat’s contours are in just the right places to make buckling herself in a breeze.
Important Information: Where to Find
FAA Approval: like all booster seats, the KidsEmbrace no back booster seat is not approved for use on aircraft. That’s because airplane seats have lap=only seat belts and booster seats require lap AND shoulder belts. The manual states that restriction clearly. However, because the booster is so lightweight, we assert that it would be a nice travel option — just put it in the overhead bin during flight!
KidsEmbrace booster seat manual storage
Manual Storage: the manual tucks underneath the cover for storage.
KidsEmbrace booster seat date of manufacture
Date of Manufacture label: the seat expires 7 years after the date of manufacture. This date is printed on a label that’s on the bottom of the seat.
Overall Thoughts
We applaud anything that makes it easier for children to remain in their current car seat or booster seat as long as possible. Whether that takes Batman, Paw Patrol, or Anna and Elsa, we’re big fans of the enthusiasm that KidsEmbrace seats bring to their passengers. Of course, merely having a fun cover doesn’t make the seat — in this case, the booster provides a consistently good vehicle seat belt fit and our models have found it fairly simple to buckle themselves in.
Giveaway!
Our friends at KidsEmbrace are giving away one of these super cool booster seats to a lucky winner in the United States. Please read our terms and conditions, then enter below for your chance to win!
a Rafflecopter giveaway
