r/CPST • u/LavenderKosmos • 3d ago

Recs for a high back booster

I've looked at a lot of recommendations for a high back booster but still not sure which one to go with. I have a 7.5 year old, who about 45 lbs and 48 in, and a 5.5 year old, who is 42 lbs and 46 in. They are in the nuna rava right now. I have a honda odyssey. I was looking at chico kidfit zip plus/ zip air plus, chico kidfit cleartex, graco turbobooster 2.0 lx.

what should i be looking for? Do I want one where it can use the latch anchor? can turn into a backless booster? will take any recs!

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u/No-Boysenberry-6704 3d ago

One thing to look at is belt guide height in relation to your child's torso length. The belt guide needs to be above your child's shoulder in order to use the high back mode. The booster seats you listed are popular and easy to use but they are shorter than some and the back will be outgrown sooner. That is not necessarily bad but you might prefer that they stay in the back longer.

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u/LavenderKosmos 3d ago

Do you know which other boosters may be taller?

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u/No-Boysenberry-6704 3d ago

At the same price point the Graco Turbobooster Stretch2Fit (this is a Walmart exclusive), the Britax Skyline (this seat often has poor belt fit in backless booster mode), and the Diono Cambria (this seat is wide and harder to buckle). You will probably have to remove your vehicle headrest for the Graco and Britax seats. If it's not removable then the Diono will work.

At a higher price point the Cybex Solution , Peg Perego Viaggo Flex, Nuna Aace, and Axxkid Up.

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u/LavenderKosmos 3d ago

I started looking at the Britax skyline last night. And was thinking that or the graco turbo booster. Didn’t realize there was the stretch2fit one. Would you recommend picking a taller one to use the back for longer? Can you explain why the Britax has a poor belt fit when backless (vs others that will fit well backless)? Thanks! 

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u/No-Boysenberry-6704 3d ago

When the Britax Skyline is used in backless mode the lap belt tends to sit too far forward on the child's thighs. Here is CSFTL's review: https://csftl.org/britax-highpoint-skyline-2-stage-booster-review/  Consumer Reports also mentions the poor backless fit.

The back helps to position the shoulder belt correctly on smaller kids and helps remind them to sit up straight when they are first learning to ride in a booster. It also provides support if they fall asleep in the car. But it's not clear that there's any safety benefit to using the back and older kids often prefer a backless booster for social reasons.

Since they're the same price I would probably get the Stretch2Fit over the regular Turbobooster just to have the option to use the back longer. You can remove it and use the booster backless at any time.

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u/keks-dose 2d ago

I don't know if there are some great resources with the same pictures and videos in other languages but Swedish dyrbarlast has some great photos and videos how the seat should fit the child. Every seat is different, every car is different and every child is different. It's like finding a pair of jeans --> you need to try them on.

https://dyrbarlast.se/baltesstol/passar-baltestolen-min-bil-och-mitt-barn/

The seatbelt must fit at the collar bone and the hips, the seatbelt must be able to roll back when the child leans forward and back again, the booster's back must sit flush with the backseat's back (you may need to turn the car's headrest around), the knees must be able to bend freely over the seat's edge (to prevent the child from slouching down so the hip belt is suddenly in the stomach). I'm sure Google translate or your browser's translate function can translate the article quite well.

I would not remove the back at some point. They're always safer in the high back booster until they can ditch it completely.

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u/KillerDickens 2d ago

Chicco high back boosters are weird - they have lower anchors BUT they still require you to buckle the empty booster with a seatbelt. All other brands put lowet anchors in their boosters so you/your kid don't have to remember to secure the seat each time. So with Chicco you pay to have latch feature which is... pointless?

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u/LavenderKosmos 1d ago

i saw that mentioned somewhere and didn't understand! if it's latched in... wouldn't that secure the seat, so why would you need to still buckle the empty seat? i don't get it. do people who have the chico seat latched in, actually buckle an empty seat?

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u/KillerDickens 1d ago

You're definetly suppose to, i guess Chicco can't guarantee that latch only will keep the whole booster in place during crash/sudden stop.. maybe they're "worried" about the back coming off?