By Valerie Baldowski

With a back that easily adjusts to six different heights, the Evenflo Big Kid AMP booster car seat is a great, lightweight option for kids old enough to sit up straight on car rides. The back is also removable, leaving you with a backless booster seat that’s easy to transport from car to car. We liked the two built-in cup holders with a strap that holds cups of all sizes and shapes. We also liked the snazzy design of the booster seat with its radiating gears. Another plus is that the seat pads can be machine washed. This booster is narrow enough that it can fit alongside another booster seat or even a car seat. It’s very affordable at $34.99.

Quick Specs

• 8.2 pounds
• 16.5 x 19 x 33 inches
• Holds children from 30 to 110 lbs.

Prices

By Valerie Baldowski

A versatile car seat/booster seat, the Diono RadianR100 can be the only car seat your child needs from 5 to 100 pounds. And thanks to its slim profile, you can fit three across the backseat of most cars. This makes traveling with multiple small children less of a hassle. We liked how easily it snaps into place with an audible click, so you don’t have to worry about pinching your fingers trying to get it in place. The seat is a little tricky to install, and the fabric is not as cushioned and soft as some other high-end models, but most families report that their children seem comfortable and content. Additionally, the car seat’s size and ability to fold up flat makes it ideal for air travel. This seat is available for $207.99.

Quick Specs

• Rear-facing seat: 5 – 40 lbs.
• Forward-facing seat: 20 – 65 lbs.
• Booster seat: up to 100 lbs.
• 23 lbs.
• 16 x 17 x 28.5 inches

Prices

By Valerie Baldowski

Picking out the right booster seat involves making multiple decisions based on what you’re looking for in a child restraint system. We reviewed a number of boosters and selected our favorites based on what parents and caregivers value the most.

1. Lightweight and easy to transfer from one car to another
2. A compact fit to make it easy to put as many as three boosters in the back seat
3. A snap to install, with clear instructions and diagrams that are easy to understand
4. A safe seat that passes government safety tests and automotive crash tests
5. Affordability, so working families won’t break the bank to buy one
6. Good quality workmanship with enough safety features to provide extra protection in a crash
7. The ability to convert into a larger, or even backless, seat to accommodate growing kids

Related Articles

5 Benefits of Play for Children

Children learn about the world around them and develop mentally and physically through play. Researchers have found that unstructured play not only keeps kids occupied and entertained, but it’s key to a children’s natural development. It’s so important, in fact, that in 1989 the United Nations High Commission for Human Rights… [more]

Related Top 10 Lists

Top 10 Car Seats

Parents looking for a safe infant car seat have the daunting task of wading through dozens of brands and models to find the one seat right for their child. We compared the seats on the market and chose which ones are the best ones based on safety and … [more]

Best Baby Monitors

As we surveyed the wide selection of baby monitors available on the market, we kept the following important qualities in mind: Wide range, Secure, interference-free channels, Clear reception Low battery/out of range indicators… [more]

Best Baby Stroller

Parents faced with picking just one stroller out of the hundreds of brands and styles on the marketplace have a daunting task. Whether it’s a lightweight, umbrella, standard, jogging or double stroller, the factors to consider include price range, features and options, and if there’s a recall history. See the stroller comparison… [more]

Best Jogging Stroller

As a parent there are many reasons why a jogging stroller would be a necessary addition to your life. You want to stay fit, but don’t have anyone to watch your baby for an hour every day. Taking your baby on a jog might be a good change… [more]

Best Baby Cribs

There are oodles of infant cribs out on the market and the sheer number of brands and styles can boggle the mind. Many of them are fairly homogenous with similar or identical features, but close scrutiny reveals a few key differences which make some brands a better bargain than others…. [more]

By Valerie Baldowski

Another strong contender in the booster seat arena is the Harmony Juvenile Dreamtime Comfort booster, with a whole host of endorsements. This sleek number exceeds U.S. federal motor vehicle safety standards and received a 2008-2010 Australia RTA Four-Star Rating. It was an IIHS 2010 and 2011 Best Bet and the winner in the 2008 Consumer CHOICE Award and the 2009 JPMA Innovation Award. This seat can be converted to a backless booster, and if anything goes wrong in the first year, it comes with a 12-month manufacturer’s limited warranty.

The Harmony Dreamtime Comfort fits children ages 3-10 and weighing 30 through 110 pounds. It offers full body front, rear and side impact protection for maximum safety for the head, body and legs. Its integrated ergonomic head support keeps the child’s head from falling forward when sleeping in the seat. The Dreamtime Comfort’s seven-position height adjustable headrest extends to 31 inches to accommodate growing children. It has anti-torque design to minimize the chance of injury in a crash and the seat’s belt path is designed to prevent little occupants from sliding under the lap belt on impact. This seat retails for about $50.

Quick Specs

• Dimensions: 17 by 18 by 25.50
• Weight: 7.72 pounds
• Seat type: High Back
• Features: Seven-position back height adjustment, two fold-down cup holders, one-handed height adjustment
• Side Impact Protection: Yes
• NHTSA Ease of Use Rating: 2

Prices

By Valerie Baldowski

Cosco’s Juvenile Highrise Belt-Positioning Backless Booster Car Seat is a mouthful, but basically this seat is designed for kids who have outgrown their infant car seat. It holds kids from 30 pounds up to 100 pounds, and has a convenient flip-down cup holder for drinks and snacks. It’s easy to put in and take out of the back seat and there isn’t the issue of whether or not it’s small enough to fit in a compact car. Parents dreadfully tired of lugging around a heavy car seat can rejoice – the Cosco Highrise weighs only 4.2 pounds.

Kids riding in this booster seat can get strapped in using the seat belt, and a LATCH system isn’t required. The padding on the seat as well as the armrests can be removed and tossed into the washer for easy cleaning. Another big difference between this and infant car seats for the younger set is the price. Depending on where you buy, expect to pay anywhere from $19 to $35.01.

Quick Specs

• Dimensions: 16 by 9 by 17 inches
• Weight: 4.2 pounds
• Seat type: Backless
• Features: Flip-down cup holder, padded armrests
• Side Impact Protection: No
• NHTSA Ease of Use Rating: 3

Prices

By Valerie Baldowski

The BubbleBum inflatable booster seat doesn’t have as much name recognition as some of the more well-known brands, but it’s still a good seat. Based in Northern Ireland, BubbleBum was founded in 2009 by Safekids USA Certified Child Passenger Safety Technician Grainne Kelly, a mother who wanted a safe booster seat when traveling. The seat is making a name for itself. It was named the winner at the Mother & Baby Travel Item Awards in the United Kingdom and it received the Practical Parenting Magazine Award as well as the 2010-2011 Ulster Bank Business Achiever Award. The IIHS named it a 2011 Best Bet, and the seat exceeds federal motor vehicle safety standards as well as European safety standards.

Designed for kids ages 4-11 between 40 and 80 pounds, the seat deflates and folds flat for easy packing when traveling. It obviously provides zero side impact, head, neck and torso protection, but the tradeoff is a lightweight, easy-to-carry seat. The BubbleBum is readily available when traveling internationally – it’s marketed in places like Switzerland, the UK, New Zealand, the United Arab Emirates, Finland, Belgium, the Netherlands and Austria. The U.S. price is a firm 39.99.

Quick Specs

• Dimensions: 8 by 5 by 5 inches
• Weight: 1.3 pounds
• Seat Type: Backless booster
• Features: Narrow design makes it convenient for fitting three kids in the back seat, can be deflated and folded up when not in use.
• Side Impact Protection: No
• NHTSA Ease of Use Rating: Not Rated

Prices

By Valerie Baldowski

The name may sound strange, but the manufacturer of the Clek Oobr uses all North American-made materials for its products. Designed for kids weighing between 33 and 100 pounds and up to 57 inches tall, this seat received a 2011 “Best Bet” rating from the IIHS. Best Bets are seats that provide a good fit for a typical 4- to 8-year old in most cars, minivans and SUVs. To accommodate growing children, the Clek Oobr transforms into a backless booster when the child reaches 40 pounds.

It has a magnesium back frame to protect from protruding objects, steel rods connecting the headrest to the back frame and a layer of energy-absorbing foam. It also has audible clicks for the latches, so you can hear when they are securely fastened. More peace of mind comes from its performance when tested – it meets all U.S. and Canadian motor vehicle safety standards. This seat doesn’t come cheap, but you get what you pay for. The price tag falls in the neighborhood of $229.99 to $546.44.

Quick Specs

• Dimensions: 18 by 26 by 18 inches
• Weight: 22 pounds
• Seat Type: High Back
• Features: Latch, adjustable head support, cup holder, washable fabric
• Side Impact Protection: Yes
• NHTSA Ease of Use Rating: 5

Prices

By Valerie Baldowski

In its quest to make a booster seat safe for kids, Recaro made the ProBooster to transport children 30 to 120 pounds, and 37 to 61 inches tall. The seat has side impact cushioning to protect the five most vulnerable areas of a child’s body – the head, neck, face, torso and pelvis. The seat’s Coolmesh air ventilation material is designed to keep the baby cooler in hot weather and avoid heat rash.

The polystyrene foam padding throughout the seat is designed to absorb external impact in case of a crash. Unlike many child car seats made in China, the Recaro ProBooster is assembled in the U.S. and meets Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards for child restraint systems (FMVSS 213) and Flammability of Interior Materials (FVMSS 203.) That carries a lot of weight in the industry, and we gave this seat a high rating for that. The price is between 102.98 to $129.99.

Quick Specs

• Dimensions: 27.6 by 20 by 18.6 inches
• Weight: 11.5 pounds
• Seat Type: High back booster
• Features: Mesh insert to allow for air circulation, enhanced head wings to shield the head and face, head restraint to limit neck movement
• Side Impact Protection: Yes
• NHTSA Ease of Use Rating: 3

Prices

By Valerie Baldowski

Going up against other child restraint systems, the Graco Nautilus holds it own. It’s designed to hold kids 20 pounds up to 100 pounds, and has a five-point safety harness for children 20 to 65 pounds if needed. When the toddler hits 30 pounds it converts to a high-back belt-positioning booster seat, then to a backless booster at 40 pounds. Kids up to 57 inches tall will be comfortable in this seat.

To make it last it has a steel reinforced frame, which no doubt adds an extra measure of safety in case of a crash. It meets or exceeds U.S. Safety Standards including FMVSS 213, as well as testing standards for the New Car Assessment Program (NCAP). Putting safety aside for a moment, the manufacturer remembered the convenience of the occupant by including wide armrests, a cup holder and a side storage compartment for snacks. The cost for the Graco Nautilus falls between $137.98 and $259.95.

Quick Specs

• Dimensions: 29 by 20 by 36.1 inches
• Weight: 19.5 pounds
• Seat Type: High Back Booster
• Features: Five-point harness, cup Holder, front adjusters, washable fabric
• Side Impact Protection: Yes
• NHTSA Ease of Use Rating: 3

Prices

By Valerie Baldowski

As booster seats go this is a fairly tall one. Weight-wise the 11.5-pound Go Hybrid falls in the middle of the pack, heavier than some but lighter than others. The seat’s dimensions means parents will be less likely to want to fight this long, tall seat to switch it from one car to another. A tradeoff is the increased support and protection. It holds between 22 and 100 pounds and has LATCH capabilities. It has a five-point safety harness for kids weighing up to 65 pounds.

The hybrid part comes in when the child grows enough to graduate to the next level. It converts from a high-back to a backless when the child is tall enough to begin using seat belts. When it’s not being used, the seat can be folded up and tucked away. For all these features, the price tag on the Safety 1st is between $159.95 and $199.99

Quick Specs

• Dimensions: 17 by 17 by 11 inches
• Weight: 11.5 pounds
• Seat type: High back booster
• Features: Five-point harness, adjustable head support
• Side Impact Protection: Yes
• NHTSA Ease of Use Rating: 4

Prices

By Valerie Baldowski

Britax has had its share of troubles with product recalls, but this time it dodges the bullet with the Frontier 85 Combination booster seat. This convertible seat has a five-point safety harness capacity to restrain children in the forward-facing mode up from 25 to 85 pounds. In the booster mode, it accommodates kids 42 to 65 inches tall and weighing 40 to 120 pounds. To increase the safety factor it has a staged-release tether webbing to anchor the top of the seat at two points, to cut down on forward movement in a crash. The harness has 10 height positions to safely restrain taller as well as shorter children, plus three buckle positions so the fit can be adjusted as the child grows.

The Frontier 85 is designed for kids no younger than age 2, so if you have a little one younger than that, choose another seat until they’re old enough to sit in this one. The manufacturer advertises an optional SecureGuard clip to hold the lap portion of the safety belt in place, to keep the child from sliding down in the seat and “submarining,” which can cause abdominal injury. Not all booster seats are the same size, and this one fits best in mid-sized cars, minivans and SUVs. The price ranges from as low as $199.99 to as much as $329.99 so shop around.

Quick Specs

• Dimensions: 27 by 19.5 by 23 inches
• Weight: 19.6 pounds
• Seat Type: High back booster
• Features: Five-point harness, adjustable head support, cup holder, front adjusters, latch, washable fabric
• Side Impact Protection: Yes
• NHTSA Ease of Use Rating: Not Rated

Prices