Before we begin this post about Safe in the Seat’s recommended best booster seats (high back and backless booster seats!), don’t forget this important reminder: all car seats are safe when they’re installed and used correctly. Yes, even the ones that are on the list of seats we do NOT recommend! Just because you don’t see a car seat below or it’s not one we recommend, it doesn’t mean that it’s not safe; it just means that we like other seats better. If you’re in the market for a new car seat for your little one, read on so you can make the best purchase for your family.
High-Back Boosters
Evenflo GoTime LX
Diono Cambria 2
Cybex Solution B2-Fix+Lux
Nuna Aace
Diono Monterey 5iST
Peg Perego Viaggio Flex
Ride Safer Travel Vest
Backless Boosters
Cosco Rise
Diono Solana 2
KidsEmbrace Backless Booster
Chicco GoFit
Heads up! This is not a comprehensive list of all of our recommended car seats and favorite booster seats. You can find a complete list with a full database in the Forward-Facing and Booster Buying Kit. This list contains our top picks. You may find it helpful to use the Notes app on your phone, or you can have some paper and pencil nearby to prioritize what features are important for you to consider when choosing a car seat.
Car Seat Buying Process
Child Fit
Child fit is one of the most important factors when choosing a booster. The goal is to choose one that is going to last until the child can fit into the adult seat belt. Matching up your child’s growth trajectory with the specifications of various car seats will ensure you get the most bang for your buck. Is your child taller than average, or do they have a tall torso, or maybe they are a little higher percentile in weight? Or perhaps the opposite is true? There are some seats that will work better and last longer than others based on this information. This is why our recommended car seats vary depending on the child’s size.
Children should ride in harnessed seats until they are at least 5 years old. But some kids will be even older before they are able to consistently sit properly in a booster seat. This stage requires maturity and a lot of practice as well. We highly recommend starting with a high back booster and having your child use that until they reach the maximum weight or height limit before moving to a backless booster.
If you don’t already know where your child falls on a growth chart, check out this site and find your child’s height and weight percentiles. If you make an account, you can even use the project function in the top right corner to find out when they might reach certain weights and heights.
We have added the highest belt guide height for each of the boosters. This correlates to the child’s seated torso height. On average, a child will grow 1″ in torso height per year, so you can use this to estimate how long a high back booster would last.
Vehicle Fit
Your child’s size is one of the most important factors when it comes to choosing a car seat. But vehicle fit is equally important. This is why we can’t just tell you a car seat that we recommend without a lot of information. There are a few things you should consider. If you will need to fit 3 people with comfort in your back seat now or in the foreseeable future (like if you are planning on having more kids), you will want a narrow booster, ideally 17.5″ or less. There are not many options in this category, unfortunately in the booster stage of seats.
If your vehicle has non-removable headrests, you may find that many high-back boosters are incompatible once you get to booster mode. We will note below which ones we have found to work best with those kinds of headrests.
If you have a Ford or Lincoln vehicle that has inflatable seat belts, you have to consider that not many boosters can be used with those kinds of seat belts. Typically, if there is a center seat in the 2nd or 3rd row, it would have a normal seat belt, so you may be able to use the booster there instead.
If you don’t own a vehicle and you use public transportation and taxis/Ubers, we would recommend a lightweight booster.
Convenience Features
There are a lot of convenience features that are available on car seats now which are often a driver of the higher price points. Boosters don’t have as many options, but there are still some.
Some boosters come with lower anchors. These are nearly always optional but double-check the manual. Lower anchors keep the booster in place, making it easier for the child to buckle and keeping it from being a projectile when the child is not riding in it.
The weight of a car seat may be a factor you need to consider. For example, if you travel often via airplane, a folding high-back booster or a small backless booster may be your best option so that they can go in the overhead bin. You can check out our Wheels Up course and private Facebook group for more information about airplane traveling with kids and car seats. In the lists below, we have provided the weight of each seat.
Extras
There are other things to consider as well. If you are interested in a booster that is free of flame-retardant chemicals, you will have fewer choices as not all car seat manufacturers have seats that meet this criteria.
If you are someone who plans to wash their car seats a lot or if you have a child who is accident prone (potty training, gets car sick often, etc), then you would probably want a booster that is machine washable instead of one that is hand wash only.
Car seat manufacturers have different crash policies as well that vary from replacing the seat after any crash to contacting the manufacturer, and they will decide on a case-by-case basis. Read more about crash replacement policies here.
Time to shop!
Now that you know your child’s fit information and have taken into consideration your vehicle fit, convenience factors, and added safety features, it’s time to start narrowing down the booster seat choices. Below are our recommended booster seats.
Top High-back Booster Recommendations
Evenflo GoTime LX
Evenflo GoTime LX $44.99
Review Coming Soon
This is one of the least expensive high-back boosters available. It works well with non-removable headrests. This seat has a shorter lifespan than most other boosters since it has a 6-year expiration date. This is one booster you don’t want to buy too far ahead.
Diono Cambria 2
Diono Cambria 2 $99.99
Review Coming Soon
This booster comes with lower anchors. It’s the least expensive booster that has a 63″ standing height limit. It also works well with non-removable headrests.
Cybex Solution B2-Fix+Lux
Cybex Solution B2-Fix+Lux $169.99
Review Coming Soon
This is the least expensive high back booster that comes with rigid lower anchors. It has a taller headrest and standing height limit than many other high-back boosters, so it’s a great option for taller kids.
Nuna Aace
Nuna Aace $250.00
Review Coming Soon
This is currently the only high back booster in this blog post that is flame-retardant-free. It also works well with non-removable headrests but does require the rigid lower anchors to be used when the booster is not flush with the vehicle seat.
Diono Monterey 5iST
Diono Monterey 5iST $269.99
This seat has a wide seating area that works well for larger kids. It also works with non-removable headrests. It folds up, so it can be a good travel seat or an option to keep in the trunk for carpooling.
Peg Perego Viaggio Flex
Peg Perego Viaggio Flex $299.99
This is the narrowest high-back booster available, so it works in some 3 across configurations. The lack of armrests makes it easy for the child to buckle themselves in. It also folds up, making it ideal for travel. This is a good option for tall kids.
Ride Safer Travel Vest
Ride Safer Travel Vest $189-219
This is a unique option that won’t be right for every family. But this can be a great option if you have a very tight 3 across situation. It is also a good option for parents who do not own a vehicle.
Top Backless Booster Recommendations
Cosco Rise
Cosco Rise $16.98
Review here
This is the least expensive backless booster on the market. It’s one of the narrowest as well, so it’s good for many 3 across configurations.
Diono Solana 2
Diono Solana 2 $34.99
Review Coming Soon
This seat comes in two different versions and we like both of them. The other version is more expensive but does have lower anchors. Both versions are great for higher percentile kids since they have a wide seat pan and high weight and height limits.
KidsEmbrace Backless Booster
KidsEmbrace Backless Booster $39.99
Review Coming Soon
This backless booster is narrow, so it will work in some 3 across configurations. But our favorite part about it is the many colorful options it comes in!
Chicco GoFit
Chicco GoFit $44.99
Review Coming Soon
The ClearTex version of this seat is flame-retardant-free, making this one of the only backless boosters to meet this criteria. This backless booster comes with a handle to easily carry it around.
Shop the car seat sales like a pro!
When you know what you’re looking for, watching for booster seat deals can be a low-stress process! We hope this post helps highlight that child fit is a critical component to consider when choosing a booster where you will get the most bang for your buck. For a more detailed process of how to choose a car seat and all of our recommended car seats, head to the best-selling Car Seat Buying Kits that will lead you to the top recommended car seat for you in under 30 minutes! Once you know what car seats are best for you, shop the deals!
Make sure to check out our Car Seat Reviews and our YouTube Channel for Video Reviews too!
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For the backless boosters that allow headrest removal, this is because the headrest area that comes with the booster is rigid enough to prevent whiplash in the event of a forward crash? I know that most of the crash tests are done under 35mph. We have a Chicco Myfit, and although the headrest seems ok, I wonder how it would do in a much faster collision…it worries me not to have the vehicle headrest behind the seat for extra whiplash protection. Is this something I should be worried about? It just seems like an extra layer for crashes occurring at high speed, but so many boosters don’t work in our car with the headrests (Subaru Outback). Curious to hear your take on this. Thanks!!!
Backless boosters do not allow headrest removal. A child needs to have head support up to the top of their ears. For high back boosters, you can almost always remove the headrest, but there are a few manufacturers who do not allow that. For many high back boosters, the booster is required to be flush with the back of the vehicle seat, meaning that you would have to remove the vehicle headrest in order for that to happen. While 35 mph does not sound like much, the way the crash test is done actually simulates a very severe crash because it crashes into something hard at that speed without slowing down. In most crashes, the driver would have pressed on the brakes. Plus, most of the time, you are hitting another car, which has a crumple zone that minimizes the crash forces the humans receive.
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