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Switching from a car seat to a booster seat is a major transition that hinges not just on the age of your child but also their weight, height, and maturity level. Booster seats are made for children who have outgrown their harnessed car seat but aren’t tall enough to safely use a regular seat belt. Seat belts and cars are designed to fit adults four feet nine inches and taller, so instead of sitting across the bony hips of an adult, the lap belt of a seat belt ends up going across the belly of a 4-year-old, explains Eli Gurock, founder and CEO of the baby-gear and toy retailer Magic Beans. Booster seats literally give your child the boost they need to ensure proper seat-belt placement. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, most kids should use either a high-back or a backless booster seat until they are between 8 and 12 years old.
The American Academy of Pediatrics echoes this recommendation, and 48 of 50 states have laws on the books requiring kids to use boosters until they reach a certain age, height, or combination of both. All booster seats also have a minimum weight requirement (typically 40 pounds) that your child must meet before they can safely make the switch from a harnessed car seat to a booster seat.
Finally, there is the question of whether your child is ready to use a booster seat from a behavior standpoint. Alisa Baer, pediatrician and co-founder of thecarseatlady.com, says parents and caregivers must consider their child’s ability to sit in a booster without slouching, leaning, or yanking on the seat belt.
As with car seats, every booster seat on the market in the U.S. has to pass strict Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards before it can be sold. So you can trust that all booster seats will provide a baseline level of protection. That means the best one for you and your family will likely come down to additional factors like the size of your car or your kid’s particular opinions about everything from color to how cushy the seat is under their butt. To help you get a head start, I talked to parents and experts about the booster seats they like best for a range of different situations.
What we’re looking for:
Height and weight requirements
Most booster seats have a minimum weight requirement of around 40 pounds and a maximum weight limit of around 100 pounds. It’s crucial to respect these boundaries and not transition your child too soon or keep them in a seat once they have outgrown it. This is because all seats are tested to meet certain safety standards based on their specific size constraints.
Similarly, there are minimum and maximum requirements for height. These ensure a proper fit with a harness or the car’s seat belt. If your kid is on the tall side (or you just want the seat to last as long as possible), you’ll want to look for a booster seat with higher height limits or one that is adjustable or convertible. I listed the maximum weight and height limit of each seat below. For booster seats that can be used both with a harness and without, I listed the weight limits for each mode.
Seat type
There are three main types of booster seat, and all of them serve the same purpose: to boost a child’s body and ensure proper seat-belt placement.
High-back booster: High-back boosters have more structure around the head and shoulders to position the shoulder belt, give your child a place to rest their head, and minimize forward head movement, side impact, and whiplash in the event of a crash.
Backless booster: Backless boosters are much lower profile and more portable. They usually have the same weight and height restrictions as harness-free high-back boosters and often work best for older kids who still need to use a booster but don’t want to be seen as babyish, or as a space-saving option to keep in your trunk for carpooling or when traveling. They are also generally less expensive and take up less space in the back seat of a car.
Convertible booster: To get the most use out of a booster seat you can buy one that starts out as a forward-facing car seat with a five-point harness that can be removed or stowed away once your child is ready to transition to the regular seat belt. In some cases, if you are buying a high-back booster seat for an older kid and won’t need to use the seat with a younger one, it’s easier to get the one without a harness. There are also some convertible seats that are designed to go from high-back to backless boosters as children get older and bigger. These convertible seats are often marketed as “grow with you” or “3-in-1,” “4-in-1,” or “all-in-one” convertible car seats and can be a good investment for families who would like to use the same car seat for many years and multiple children.
LATCH vs. seat-belt secured
The LATCH system (Lower Anchors and Tethers for Children) is a standardized system that allows you to secure a car seat or booster seat to your vehicle via anchors located within the vehicle’s seats. LATCH-equipped booster seats connect directly to your car’s LATCH anchors, providing added stability and keeping a booster seat more secure, even if there isn’t a kid sitting it, so it doesn’t slide around when it’s not in use or become a projectile in the event of a crash.
LATCH-equipped booster seats come with either rigid or flexible LATCH connections. Rigid LATCH uses alligator-like clips that come directly out of the car seat or base without any straps or rotation. They provide a more secure connection. Flexible LATCH connectors are attached to a pull strap that can be tightened or loosened, either by hand or, depending on the seat, with some type of tightening mechanism. Both options are safe and meet FMVSS requirements, but rigid LATCH is easier to install and doesn’t require any manual tightening or adjusting, ensuring correct installation. Always check the LATCH weight maximums for both your vehicle and your booster seat, and ensure that the combined weight of your child and the seat falls within the published limits.
Booster seats without LATCH rely on the vehicle’s seat belt to hold the seat, and the child, in place. These types of booster seats are usually lighter and more portable. They are also less expensive and can be used in any car with a seat belt. This may be helpful for families with older cars that don’t have LATCH anchors.
Extra safety and specialty features
Every car seat and booster seat on the market in the U.S. must pass strict Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards before it can be sold. But those standards are contingent on you installing the seat in your car correctly and your child meeting the height and weight requirements for the seat. Outside of that, you might want to consider additional safety features, like side impact cushioning, and details that make a booster seat easier to use and more comfortable for your kid, like cupholders and extended footrests. I’ve highlighted the notable safety and convenience features of each of the car seats in our list.
Price
Booster seats range from $40 to over $300 depending on the complexity of the seat and added features. I’ve sorted the seats on our list into one of four price categories listed as $, $$, $$$, and $$$$, respectively: under $100, under $200, under $300, and over $300.
Best booster seat overall
Max height and weight: Harness: 65 pounds, 49 inches; Booster: 120 pounds, 63 inches | Seat type: Convertible | LATCH type: Rigid or seat-belt installation depending on child’s weight | Extra safety and specialty features: Forward-facing harness-to-booster, ClickTight installation system, one-handed head and harness adjustment, 2 recline positions, 2 cupholders, 4 colors | Price: $$$$
This convertible booster from Britax can transition from a forward-facing car seat with a five-point harness to a high-back booster that uses the car’s seat belt. Strategist senior editor Winnie Yang has been using it for three years with her now 8-year-old daughter and bought it after using (and loving) a Britax car seat that also has the brand’s ClickTight installation system. ClickTight is a mechanical tightening system that allows you to get a very snug and secure install in your car without breaking a sweat.
Yang was looking for a booster seat that had a five-point harness option she could eventually stop using once her daughter was ready for the regular seat belt, since the harness provides more protection for smaller children in the event of a crash. She likes that the harness and headrest are easy to adjust one-handed and that the ClickTight makes it really easy to install. According to Yang, being able to remove the cover and throw it in the washing is a nice touch, and the ample cup and snack holders are a convenient feature even if they do end up mostly filled with rocks and other treasures.
Strategist senior editor Jen Trolio has also used this seat with her two kids, both in harness mode and booster mode, and along with Gurock recommends it as an easy and gradual way to transition from a bulkier harnessed car seat to a booster seat. Its combination of an easy install, streamlined design, welcome comfort and convenience features, and dual use as both a harnessed seat and a booster seat make it my pick for the best booster seat overall.
Best (less expensive) booster seat overall
Max height and weight: Harness: 65 pounds, 49 inches; Booster: 120 pounds, 57 inches | Seat type: Convertible | LATCH type: Flexible latch or seat-belt installation depending on child’s weight | Extra safety and specialty features: Slim enough to fit 3 across in many backseats, memory-foam cushioning, 2 cupholders, 11 colors | Price: $$$
For about $100 less, this convertible car seat from Diono also allows for use with a five-point-harness that can be removed once your child is ready to transition to the booster mode that uses the car’s seat belt. It is technically a 3-in-1 seat that can be used rear-facing from infancy, but New York deputy editor Alexis Swerdloff started using as when her son was 5 years old. She says he seems very comfortable in the seat even when sleeping and that the straps are easy to buckle and tighten. The headrest is adjustable, and the seat can be folded up so that the booster will fit in an airplane’s overhead compartment. The Diono is also one of the slimmest seats on the market and can fit three across the backseat in many cars. Because it can be used both rear-facing and front-facing, in addition to its being a high-back booster seat, it’s a fantastic value.
Best high-back booster seat
Max height and weight: 100 pounds, 57 inches | Seat type: High-back convertible | LATCH type: Rigid | Extra safety and specialty features: Slim enough to fit 3 across many backseats, 12 degrees of recline, 1 cupholder, 11 colors | Price: $$$$
Tot Squad founder Jennifer Saxton, a certified CPST (child-passenger-safety technician), likes that this seat has a rigid latch system and that it reclines so your kid can take a nap comfortably. Clek is known for making very durable, well-thought-out products but also expensive ones. This is the most expensive seat on the list by about $90. What you get for the extra cost is a stylish, slim, and minimal-looking booster seat that can be converted from high-back booster to a backless booster as your child grows.
Best backless booster seat
Height and weight requirements: 100 pounds, 57 inches | Seat type: Backless | LATCH type: Seat-belt installation | Extra safety and specialty features: Lightweight, shoulder cincher, ClearTex material, cupholders | Price: $
This backless booster weighs just five pounds, and since it rests on the back seat of your car while your child is secured by the car’s seat belt, moving it between cars takes just a few seconds. Trolio likes it for carpools and travel and appreciates that it has a clip for cinching the seat belt at the child’s shoulder to help achieve the safest possible fit. Because it also has cupholders, cushioning, and Greenguard Gold–certified ClearTex fabric, it’s a good-value backless booster for everyday use with older kids.
Best booster seat for older kids
Height and weight requirements: 110 pounds, 57 inches | Seat type: Convertible | LATCH type: Flexible LATCH with SuperCinch | Extra safety and specialty features: Quick release button, ClearTex fabric, 2 cupholders, 9 colors | Price: $$
This harness-free option can be used as a high-back or backless booster. It comes recommended by Trolio, who previously used three-in-one and all-in-one editions of the Graco Extend2Fit convertible car seat for her now 6- and 8-year-old daughters. Trolio ultimately replaced the Graco seats because they were still quite bulky in booster mode. Both of her daughters have used this KidFit, which is more streamlined in the back seat. It has a flexible LATCH system to secure it to your car’s anchors with Chicco’s SuperCinch feature to ensure a snug fit. (SuperCinch is similar to Britax’s popular ClickTight system.) If you’re hopping between cars, you’ll like that the seat has a quick-release button to unlatch it. Other features include cupholders and Chicco’s Greenguard Gold–certified ClearTex fabric. (For slightly younger kids who would still be safer in a harness, Trolio recommends the similar Chicco MyFit Harness Booster with ClearTex, which her 6-year-old used with a harness until she was ready to transition to a seat belt.)
Best adjustable booster seat
Height and weight requirements: 120 pounds, 63 inches | Seat type: Convertible | LATCH type: Rigid | Extra safety and specialty features: Extended height limit, independently adjustable headrest and backrest, 1 cupholder, 3 colors | Price: $$$
For a booster seat to fit your child properly, it should guide the seat belt over their lap, across their chest, and between their shoulder and neck. This can be tricky for kids who are taller in their torso versus their legs. The Peg Perego Viaggio Shuttle Plus 120 is unique in that its headrest, backrest, and side wings can all be adjusted independently of one another, making it easier to get the right fit. When your child is ready for a backless booster seat, the upper portion of the seat can be removed from the base.
Best lightweight booster seat
Height and weight requirements: 100 pounds, 57 inches | Seat type: High-back | LATCH type: Rigid | Extra safety and specialty features: Extra seat-belt routing at the crotch, 1 cupholder, 4 colors | Price: $$
While most rigid LATCH booster seats are on the heavy side, the Uppababy ALTA booster seat weighs just 16.6 pounds, making it easier to move from car to car or car to house. It is the second-lightest booster seat on the list, bested only by the inflatable travel booster seat below. It’s also more ergonomic with an adjustable headrest that has seven different positions and extra seat-belt routing at the crotch, and not just at the shoulder, to further ensure correct seat-belt positioning. The included cupholder can be removed to save space.
Best booster seat for travel
Height and weight requirements: 100 pounds, 57 inches | Seat type: Backless | LATCH type: Seat-belt installation | Extra safety and specialty features: Inflatable, shoulder-cincher, 4 colors and patterns | Price: $
Trolio and Saxton, as well as Renee McCabe, injury-prevention and Safe Kids coordinator for Safe Kids Greater Augusta, and Jennifer LaBracio, gear editor at Babylist, all pointed us in the direction of this inflatable Bubblebum travel booster seat, which compresses into a stuff sack about the size of a two-liter soda bottle for easy portability. Trolio finds it especially helpful when she is going to have extra kids in her car on the way home from school or soccer practice. Like the Chicco GoFit backless booster, it also has a clip for cinching the seat belt at the child’s shoulder to help achieve the safest possible fit. Boosters are not approved to use on airplanes, but McCabe notes that the Bubblebum is ideal for hopping in cars or Ubers. While the seat requires a bit of extra belt threading at the lap, it offers peace of mind that you aren’t taking unnecessary risk, even for short trips.
Our experts:
• Alisa Baer, pediatrician and co-founder of thecarseatlady.com
• Eli Gurock, founder and CEO of the baby-gear and toy retailer Magic Beans
• Kecia Healy, CPST instructor and member of the New York State Child Passenger Safety Advisory Board
• Jennifer LaBracio, gear editor at Babylist
• Renee McCabe, injury-prevention and Safe Kids coordinator for Safe Kids Greater Augusta
• Ashlee Neuman, deputy editor at the Bump
• Jennifer Saxton, founder of Tot Squad and CPST
• Alexis Swerdloff, New York deputy editor and parent
• Jen Trolio, Strategist senior editor and parent
• Winnie Yang, Strategist senior editor and parent
Update on May 31, 2024: Updated prices and checked stock for all products.
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