And you may not be able to install three car seats across. Like all of our other high-back picks, this seat converts to a backless booster. Both the high-back and backless modes fit kids between 40 and 120 pounds and 38 to 63 inches; this seat better accommodates heavier and taller kids than our other picks.
Most of the time she rides in a backless booster but she was kind enough to test out this booster in high back mode for us. She’s at the top range of the height for the seat and found it uncomfortable with the back portion attached. At this point, her primary mode of transportation is a harnessed car seat so every time we review a booster, it’s a little more booster training for her.
The vehicle seat belt is mounted directly behind the vehicle seat, not on the pillar of the car’s frame. This means the vehicle seat belt tends to fit slightly differently than it does in other vehicles. For us, it means that this model gets to ride in a high back booster for a while graco turbobooster yet because the shoulder belt guide fit is better with a fixed shoulder belt guide. It’s also helped her remain in the correct position when she’s sleeping in the car. She’s got plenty of room to grow in the TurboBooster LX with True Shield and it offers a good vehicle seat belt fit.
The Diono Monterey 2XT Latch is similar to our top pick in terms of function, but it’s covered in a plusher fabric and has the option of extending the sides through the shoulders. This makes it a good choice for kids who have a wider frame and parents who want bigger children to stay in a high-back booster seat longer. This seat received a Best Bet rating from the IIHS for its ability to provide a proper seat-belt fit. Graco discovered an omission in the owner’s instruction manual included with select Graco Highback and Backless TurboBooster car seats manufactured between December 22, 2015 through April 5, 2016.
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. Parents often look forward to transitioning their kids from graco car seat one stage to the next. But, as the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) has pointed out, car seats are one area where delaying a transition is the better thing to celebrate. Each transition—from rear-facing to forward-facing, from forward-facing to booster seat, and from booster to seat belt alone—reduces the degree of protection to the child. This model is 9.5 years old, 63 pounds, and 51 inches tall.