Sometimes it seems manufactures are out to confuse parents as much as possible.
For years Child Passenger Safety Technicians stated that you don’t use LATCH (Lower Anchors and Tethers for CHildren) with boosters. The booster simply sat on the seat under the child, then the seat belt held in both the child and the booster.
When it comes to child passenger safety, the evolution of caregiver knowledge and state laws has been a slow process. However, more and more caregivers are learning that children need to ride in booster seats longer than they may have originally thought.
At the 2014 ABC Kids Expo, Diono unveiled their plans to team up with Little Tikes and release a new line of high back boosters and backless boosters. Without further ado, lets look at the Little Tikes High Back Booster.
Britax offers three combination seats: the Pioneer, the Frontier, and the Pinnacle. These seats are forward facing seats that have a harness, but convert to high back boosters as well. We’re often asked what the differences are, so we’ve compiled a comparison for you.
Though booster seats don’t have as many moving parts as a harnessed car seat, there’s a large range of features and fit on the market. Choosing the right one can be a real challenge! For my booster rider, we need a booster that’s fairly padded and has a high top shoulder belt guide position since my kiddo is fairly tall and quite slim.
For those who have been around the car seat world long enough, Jané is a familiar name. In 2003, Jané brought boosters with lower anchor capability to the US. Jané has been quiet for a while in the car seat world though, in the US anyways. They introduced the Montecarlo R1 to their European market and just now brought it here to the US. Let’s see what this new seat has to offer.
Parents always worry if their child is in their harnessed seat correctly. Is the harness at the right height? Properly tightened? Chest clip on the chest? No one thinks about boosters much though. Put kid in, buckle, and go. Many boosters are used incorrectly though and in turn do not provide the proper protection.
The Harmony Dreamtime, one of Harmony’s multiple belt positioning options, serves a niche market in that is one of the few high back boosters still available that may be an acceptable option in a three across, due to its narrow lines and plumb sides. While it doesn’t have the bells and whistles of many of the market’s more showy options, it is affordable, and provides an excellent belt fit in high back and backless mode, and as such, does what it is needed to do.
Last year, we discussed the science behind why rear facing is safer than forward facing for toddlers and children through four years of age. In this edition of the Science Junkie’s Guide, we will look at booster seats and why they are important for children all the way through puberty. We have also briefly touched on how boosters provide a better fit for children who are nearing the legal age or height to no longer need a booster seat.
I’ll start this review with a confession: I’m a huge fan of Britax seats. My oldest daughter rode in a Britax Wizard for most of her rear facing years and my younger daughter still rides in a Britax Boulevard occasionally. I’ve found these seats very easy to install and use properly and the Wizard made me an early fan of the no rethread harness. For the record, the “best” seat is the one that the caregiver can install and use properly *every* time.
