Safety 1st Incognito Review

Safety 1st Incognito

Note: this seat was discontinued in the United States but is still available in Candada.  The Graco RightGuide is a similar option.

We’ve long advocated that big kids need booster seats, too. We know that finding subtle options for older kids can be a challenge, but the Safety 1st Incognito has a lot to offer kids who are at least 6 years old, 47 inches tall and weigh 60 pounds but who don’t yet pass the 5 Step Test. Without further ado, let’s take a closer look at the Incognito.

Safety 1st Incognito in the four available colors

The Incognito is available in four colors to match almost every vehicle interior color. This is great for those kids who might be a little hesitant to continue to use a booster (our model doesn’t care about this at all and wishes it came with a flame pattern). It lacks armrests and the way it matches most vehicle interiors, it’s almost invisible.

Safety 1st Incognito belt guides and underbelly

This is the bottom of the Incognito. You can see the strap across the bottom with the clips that are threaded onto the lap belt to help position the lap belt low on the hips, touching the thighs. It was very easy for the kids to thread themselves once they’ve been shown how. The little pocket on the bottom holds the manual.

Evenflo Amp vs Safety 1st Incognito

Another advantage of the Incognito is it doesn’t boost children quite as high as some more traditional boosters. The Incognito is only 2.5 inches thick at the front and tapers to 1.25 inches thick in the back. Since booster riders need head support up to their ears, in some cars a child might outgrow her traditional backless booster before she fits properly in the seat belt. The Incognito’s slim profile lets these older kids ride safely a while longer. This model is in the Evenflo Amp, one of his favorite boosters, compared to the Incognito. Since this car does not have adjustable head restraints, he’s outgrown the head restraints when he uses the Amp, but sits much lower in the Incognito: you can see his ears are below the car’s seat back.

Safety 1st Incognito, Diono Radian, Harmony Folding Booster

The Incognito measures 12 inches across at its narrowest and 16 inches in the front at its widest. The third row of the Town and Country doesn’t tend to work well with backless boosters because of the seat belt geometry, but I wanted to give the Incognito a try just to see how it would potentially work in a three across situation. It worked perfectly for the three across, but did NOT work in the third row of the van. Next to the radian it was much easier to buckle than traditional boosters because of its lack of armrests.

Safety 1st Incognito with 7 and 8 year old

Here’s are two of my kids trying the Incognito, but not at the same time! My son will be 9 in six weeks. He’s 49 inches tall and weighs 60 pounds. My daughter will be 7 in a few weeks and is 47.5 inches tall and weighs 62 pounds. Both meet the height and weight requirements to use this seat, but because of their size, they are still comfortable using a high backed booster as their main seat.

Safety 1st Incognito is a bit big for a regular backpack, but easy to carry alone.

While the Incognito is just a bit too large to fit into a standard backpack, the Incognito is lightweight, easy for a child to use on her own, and fits in many different cars. The strap that runs under the seat makes it easy to carry anywhere if needed. We have used our Incognito on many a playdate, and we would highly recommend it for older children to carry on airplanes for use in cars at their destinations.