Graco Backless TurboBooster Car Seat Review

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This was one of the top 10 boosters rated by a 10/1/08 report by Insurance Institute for Highway Safety report. Who am I to argue? We previously were using the Cosco Alpha Omega Elite Convertible Car Seat, which as a booster was giving us some problems (the lap belt was not lying flat on her thighs). I researched the seat and found out it was no longer scoring well for a booster for this reason. Sad because we loved this seat! In addition, she could not hook it herself.

So, our requirements were 1) lightweight seat, 2) easy buckling, 3) ability to adjust for multiple cars (e.g. we want to know the seatbelt will be positioned properly), 4) cupholder

The multiple designs, adjustable armrests, and cupholders on EACH side were bonuses.

Here's what we like:

-It's lightweight, can be easily buckled, there is an adjuster strap that attaches like a tether to either side of the seat it has a clip to hold the seatbelt down and away from the neck

Here's what we don't like:

-The cupholders are sturdy and fairly easy to pull out to use (could be easier) but shallow.

-The armrests don't snap in as firmly as I would like they are held in with plastic clips, which if bent, cause them to come out.

-While she seems comfy, there is little padding the ones due out November 08 don't have the character designs but seem to sport more padding

Edit: After yet ANOTHER spill (don't forget a 6-pack of soda in a hot car), I really want to point out that this bad boy is super easy to pull the padding off and throw in the washer. It comes out great no fraying, and my 10 y.o. actually put the cover back on. We used the garden hose to spray the whole seat down, because the cup holders won't come out completely (and were gross)!

We also purchased the "Fly Away" (pink butterflies) style as well, and while the quilting does make it appear to have more padding, it is not too substantial. My daughter has never complained of it being uncomfortable even on long (4+ hour) car rides. Some people may worry about their children's head comfort, and you can purchase something like Rest UpRight Pillow for Children(Ages 3 to 6 years)-Berry PINK. I have a puppy dog one that dated back to my 10 y.o., but it is similar enough (but more expensive) and works great.

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This car seat is not good for long drives, which will be an issue for our drives from the bay area to the Sierras (3-4hr drive) This is the reason I gave it 3 stars.

I was originally going to buy this seat in the Chatter (Black,$19), but ended up buying the Baker (light blue, $25)since it looked like a newer model and was a little more expensive. The reason was that I had read that this car seat did not have much cushioning, but that reviewer thought the Nov 08 model was going to have that. I researched on the net for which model would be the new Nov 08 model, but wasn't able to find it. Therefore, I looked at the pics and price and took a chance that the Baker would be this newer model with more padding. I am sorry to say that I was wrong.

Got the seat and for the price it looks pretty good, but it really has NO PADDING. The only padding is what's used to sew the cover and it's THIN. This booster is going to have to be a "around town" booster, but I would not take it along for any long-drive vacation trips. Unless, of course, I can add some padding myself to the seat. I wish I would have just gotten the Chatter for less money.

Luckely I also have a Compass 510 that is excellent for long drives... I saw it got bad review in that carseat study. I went back out to our car to check if the lap belt really is too high up on the stomach on our child, and in our case/kid this is NOT a problem. I would just recommend to try whatever seat you get IN YOUR car with your child. Hope this review help you car-vacationers. =)

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I am an RN and a Nationally Certified Child Passenger Safety Technician (I work at Childrens' Hospital in OK) and want to point out that these are WONDERFUL booster seats.

However, this is NOT an appropriate seat for any child below the age of 5-6 regardless of their weight/height.

I realize on the product description that they say this item is approved for children as young as three. They need to change this immediately! Children as young as three are not physically or developmentally ready for a booster. They are likely to climb out, or unbuckle themselves, or move the shoulder strap behind their back which is very dangerous. (You will notice that all new cars that are manufactured now no longer have lap belts only as they are so unsafe)

Children that are less than 5-6 can be seriously injured if riding in any kind of booster seat. They need to be in a five point harness still. Their skeletons are too fragile for a the "three point harness" of an adult seatbelta five point harness spreads crash forces over a larger, stronger portions of the body (shoulders, hips, crotchwhere there are strong bones) and an adult seatbelt, even when the child is in a booster, crosses their abdomen too much instead of their hips. If you were to get into a crash, many of their internal organs in their abdomen could be lacerated (cut into internally) and they could bleed to death inside in a matter of minutes.

I really hope you will consider keeping your young children, who I am sure you adore and love very much, in a five point harness. There are many on the market that have higher weight limits (All that I have listed here go up to 50, 60, 65, 70, or even 80 pounds)these days... Britax Frontier, Diono Radian, Graco MyRide, Graco Size4Me, Britax Marathon, Evenflo Maestro just to name a few.

**There was a 3 year old girl that died in Las Vegas, NV in Jan 2013 (you can google this) because she was in a booster seat and not a five point harness. It made national news. The Nevada news stations had a very good video story on it strongly encouraging the continued use of five point harnesses for young children.

If you have an older child and they still fit in a highback booster, I always recommend you go with a highback booster versus a backless. The highback booster offers head support and side impact protection, whereas a low back offers none.

Alsoif your child is riding in a spot in the back seat where there is NO HEAD REST (many vehicles do not have a headrest in the middle seating position) THIS IS NOT AN APPROPRIATE SEAT. You MUST have a high back booster (And read the manualone that allows you to use it without a headrest behind itnot all of them allow that) Because if you were to get into an accident, your childs head will thrash backwards and there will be no head support there to prevent this. A serious life threatening spinal injury could occur.

And boosters are NEVER to be used with a lap belt only. They must always use a lap and shoulder belt.

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We were in a car accident on July 27, 2009. We were merging onto a highway from a side street that has a merge lane. The driver in front of me suddenly stopped because the driver in front of her suddenly stopped. I was looking over my should to merge, and just at the moment I looked forward we hit the car in front of s, going about 20 mph. The air bag went off and our Toyota Sienna minivan was totaled. My 3 1/2 year old 34 pound son was completely unharmed in the back seat with this booster seat. My 1 week shy of becoming a 5 year old had some shoulder belt bruising, but no other injuries. My 6 1/2 year old had more bruising in a booster with a back, but I think that is because of 2 reasons: she was in the middle row and the height needed to be adjusted to the back of her carseat. Booster seats saved our kids from further injury, and possibly death (due to internal or other injuries). We purchased boosters with backs as our replacement seats, but the backs can be removed. This booster seat PROVED itself worthy!

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Bought one and returned it. There is no cushioning. It is a thin fabric over hard plastic. My child sat on it and immediately got up and said 'This is really uncomfortable.' You really want to make sure you get something else. This will not suffice for a trip longer than a few minutes.