The Clek Olli is a backless booster seat with rigid LATCH that weighs 5 pounds. The LATCH connectors release easily with the pull of a strap. This seat comes in a range of stylish, premium fabrics, and it has a removable carrying strap and dishwasher-safe cupholder.
But for families that want to purchase a standalone backless booster, the GoFit Plus is a quality option. This seat weighs 6 pounds and has a Best Bet rating from the IIHS for its ability to provide a proper seat-belt fit. The Chicco KidFit ClearTex Plus has the best combination graco turbobooster of features we’ve found in a high-back booster. It’s user-friendly, our kid testers thought it was comfortable, and the fabric cover is easy to keep clean. We also like that it converts from high-back to backless, requires minimal assembly, and has a sporty, modern look.
Ordered this last week because my older kid is almost at the max of her convertible car seat and her younger sister is almost at the max for her infant car seat. Figured it was time to train her in a high back booster and if she passes the test, give her sister the bigger car seat. The Chicco GoFit Plus backless booster is the best of all the backless-only boosters we tested, thanks to a winning combination of essential features and thoughtful touches. Our top-pick high-back booster, Chicco’s KidFit ClearTex Plus, does convert to a backless version that’s very similar to the GoFit Plus.
I mention this because ours got twisted during the review process. The headrest snaps into the back portion — this is a one time assembly. Once the back portion is assembled, lay the entire back graco convertible car seat portion flat, then slide the two hooks at the bottom onto the corresponding spaces on backless portion of the seat. Push down until the hooks snap into place, then move the back portion upright.
We analyzed the crash test sensor data from each booster’s crash sled dummy to determine how they performed compared to each other. To help you understand crash tests better, we’ve included comparison graphs using the actual crash test results in each booster’s gear review, and we have summarized them below. Our young testers enjoyed the double cupholders, which push in and out (they are not removable, unlike those on our top pick). And the easy-to-wipe-down, machine-washable, colorful fabric comes in red, blue, yellow, plum, as well as traditional black. One of our testers said her kids all vied to sit in the “fancy blue seat,” as they described the Monterey 2XT.
Based on these criteria, we’ve tested close to 20 models over the past five years. There’s a storage compartment on the bottom of the seat for the manual. Now that we’ve had a chance to spend some quality time with the updated seat, I can say with certainty that they have! The Graco TurboBooster LX is a fresh new look at an old favorite.
Check your booster seat labels and paper manual for the specifics for your seat. A product’s “Manufacturer’s Age” range on Toysrus.ca & Babiesrus.ca is provided by the product’s manufacturer. This suggested age range may be based on what age range the manufacturer recommends will like the product best, or what age range is appropriate based on safety information and restrictions.
We’ve updated this guide to include the Diono Monterey 2XT Latch as an also-great pick. We previously recommended the older model of this car seat, the Diono Monterey XT, which was discontinued. We have noticed some discrepancies between some models and date ranges.
Most kids will hit a high-back seat’s height limit before they reach its weight limit. A child has outgrown a high-back booster when the tops of their ears are at or above the top of the seat’s head restraint at the highest setting. When I worked on the first version of this guide, in 2018, I became certified as a Child Passenger Safety Technician (CPST). I completed graco turbobooster a 40-hour training program through the Safe Kids Worldwide organization, which teaches the proper installation and use of car seats. Since that time, I’ve interviewed over a dozen experts on car seat safety, policy, and installation. I’ve spoken with representatives from 10 car seat manufacturers and talked to dozens of parents about their car seat experiences.
And some kids outgrow the height limits of a high-back booster before they’re ready to be out of a booster entirely. That’s why we’re big fans of seats that can convert from high-back to backless, as our picks can. Some of us who have worked on Wirecutter’s car seat guides have opted to keep our own kids in a convertible car seat with a five-point harness through kindergarten and beyond. However, there comes a time when a child outgrows the height or weight capacity of a five-point harness seat and develops the emotional maturity to shift to a booster seat.