Customer Reviews

Graco Backless TurboBooster Car Seat in Chatter

5 star:		(103)
4 star:		(39)
3 star:		(15)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

This was one of the top 10 boosters rated by a 10/1/08 report by Insurance Institute for Highway Safety report. Who am I to argue? We previously were using the Cosco Alpha Omega Elite Convertible Car Seat, which as a booster was giving us some problems (the lap belt was not lying flat on her thighs). I researched the seat and found out it was no longer scoring well for a booster for this reason. Sad because we loved this seat! In addition, she could not hook it herself.

So, our requirements were 1) lightweight seat, 2) easy buckling, 3) ability to adjust for multiple cars (e.g. we want to know the seatbelt will be positioned properly), 4) cupholder

The multiple designs, adjustable armrests, and cupholders on EACH side were bonuses.

Here's what we like:
-It's lightweight, can be easily buckled, there is an adjuster strap that attaches like a tether to either side of the seat - it has a clip to hold the seatbelt down and away from the neck

Here's what we don't like:
-The cupholders are sturdy and fairly easy to pull out to use (could be easier) but shallow.
-The armrests don't snap in as firmly as I would like - they are held in with plastic clips, which if bent, cause them to come out.
-While she seems comfy, there is little padding - the ones due out November 08 don't have the character designs but seem to sport more padding

Edit: After yet ANOTHER spill (don't forget a 6-pack of soda in a hot car), I really want to point out that this bad boy is super easy to pull the padding off and throw in the washer. It comes out great - no fraying, and my 10 y.o. actually put the cover back on. We used the garden hose to spray the whole seat down, because the cup holders won't come out completely (and were gross)!

We also purchased the "Fly Away" (pink butterflies) style as well, and while the quilting does make it appear to have more padding, it is not too substantial. My daughter has never complained of it being uncomfortable - even on long (4+ hour) car rides. Some people may worry about their children's head comfort, and you can purchase something like Rest UpRight Pillow for Children(Ages 3 to 6 years)-Berry PINK. I have a puppy dog one that dated back to my 10 y.o., but it is similar enough (but more expensive) and works great.

Our kids had outgrown their car seats and after checking with Consumer's Reports, we decided that this was the best booster seat for our kids. In addition to decent padding for them, the seats have cup/stuff holders on each side of the seat. This is important as some boosters have the holders only on one side, which is okay if you have one kid. But if you have two seats, you need to be able to open one on the left side and one on the right. The only reason it did not get 5 stars is that we thought the armrest would flip up (as in other brands) but it does not, making it a little more difficult for them to reach over to buckle themselves in. Otherwise we like the product very much.

This car seat is not good for long drives, which will be an issue for our drives from the bay area to the Sierras (3-4hr drive) This is the reason I gave it 3 stars.

I was originally going to buy this seat in the Chatter (Black,$19), but ended up buying the Baker (light blue, $25)since it looked like a newer model and was a little more expensive. The reason was that I had read that this car seat did not have much cushioning, but that reviewer thought the Nov 08 model was going to have that. I researched on the net for which model would be the new Nov 08 model, but wasn't able to find it. Therefore, I looked at the pics and price and took a chance that the Baker would be this newer model with more padding. I am sorry to say that I was wrong.

Got the seat and for the price it looks pretty good, but it really has NO PADDING. The only padding is what's used to sew the cover and it's THIN. This booster is going to have to be a "around town" booster, but I would not take it along for any long-drive vacation trips. Unless, of course, I can add some padding myself to the seat. I wish I would have just gotten the Chatter for less money.

Luckely I also have a Compass 510 that is excellent for long drives... I saw it got bad review in that carseat study. I went back out to our car to check if the lap belt really is too high up on the stomach on our child, and in our case/kid this is NOT a problem. I would just recommend to try whatever seat you get IN YOUR car with your child. Hope this review help you car-vacationers. =)

We were in a car accident on July 27, 2009. We were merging onto a highway from a side street that has a merge lane. The driver in front of me suddenly stopped because the driver in front of her suddenly stopped. I was looking over my should to merge, and just at the moment I looked forward we hit the car in front of s, going about 20 mph. The air bag went off and our Toyota Sienna minivan was totaled. My 3 1/2 year old 34 pound son was completely unharmed in the back seat with this booster seat. My 1 week shy of becoming a 5 year old had some shoulder belt bruising, but no other injuries. My 6 1/2 year old had more bruising in a booster with a back, but I think that is because of 2 reasons: she was in the middle row and the height needed to be adjusted to the back of her carseat. Booster seats saved our kids from further injury, and possibly death (due to internal or other injuries). We purchased boosters with backs as our replacement seats, but the backs can be removed. This booster seat PROVED itself worthy!

My daughter still has at least 2 more years in a booster seat, but felt she had outgrown her Compass booster. The cover on this seat is held on by elastic straps that easily unhook if you need to wash it. The seat also has a removable strap that can be used to hold a seatbelt firmly across the correct position on shoulder if needed -- so though it is a backless booster, it is still a belt-positioning booster.

Was looking for a "Cars" car seat every where. Found it on amazon. Wanted a light weight car seat that was easy to move around. This works very well and my daughter loves the theme. I also like the fact that the cup holders can be pushed in and taken out only when needed.

This is a very nice seat for the price. I have a big two year old grandson and this is very comfortable for him. It is easy to install and it has a seat belt strap that keeps the seat belt at a good angle accross his shoulder.

I bought this for a visiting aunt's son who loves the movie "Cars." The seat is very comfortable, easy to put together and easy to adjust to the size of the child. I also love the cupholders and the fact that they're out of the way of kicking feet, plus can be tucked away when not in use. Although the seat is sturdy, it isn't too difficult to pull it apart for packaging and shipping (the arms are removable and the cover comes off for clean up). An absolute steal for the price!

Our daughter just turned five and formerly rode in a belt-positioned booster seat converted from a harness arrangement (a full bucket seat, not a backless booster.) She had used this since outgrowing her infant seat.

We were never happy with the way in which the shoulder belt threaded through the positioning slot. It was prone to get tangled or not travel smoothly through the slot. We feared it wouldn't retract properly to protect her in an accident.

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) rated this Graco backless booster with belt-positioning clip the safest in its Oct 08 survey of booster seats. We bought this for our daughter (in the "Fly Away" butterfly pattern) and are thrilled with it. She adores it, as it makes her feel like a big girl (and, of course, it's pink.)

Her head is positioned safely against the back seat and headrest (she is tall and has a long torso for her age). Best of all, however, the belt-positioning clip works like a dream. It's simple to install and adjust, it doesn't rub against the child's back or arms and a parent can quickly and easily adjust it to ensure the shoulder belt passes directly across the shoulder of any child. No more worrying about the shoulder belt getting stuck and failing to retract upon a sudden stop or collision.

Others have complained about the scant padding on the seat. It's a bit thin but frankly thicker than the padding in her former toddler seat. Anyway, it's no problem for our daughter. We just got back from a weekend in which we had two six-hour drives. She was happy the entire time. (I gave the seat four stars and not a five because this is the only area in which Graco might have improved it... actually, I rate it a 95/100.)

We looked at the Combi Dakota backless booster, too. However, the belt-positioning clip there seems poorly designed compared with the Graco. Buyers commented on the Amazon site that the Combi clip was very difficult to adjust and an inferior design compared with the former Combi model.

The belt-positioning clip is the most important part of the booster; everything else is secondary. Without it the child is simply not safely secured with the shoulder belt. In a collision the belt can lacerate or even break her neck if it rides above the shoulder and can break her arm if it fits below the shoulder across the upper arm.

We have found that no matter how much she moves around while riding in the seat the shoulder belt with the clip usually returns to its proper position across her shoulder on its own. We rarely have to re-adjust it on her while driving.

Another reviewer here complained that the armrests have plastic fitting clips that are insufficiently strong. We didn't find that at all. I wouldn't advise taking the armrests out regularly; however, they fit very snugly (it was difficult to push the armest down to snap them in initially) and have a two-position height setting.

When the seat arrived from Amazon we took it out of the box, snapped in the armrests, read the instructions for the belt clip and installed it all in the car perfectly fitting our daughter within ten minutes. It couldn't possibly be more user-friendly.

We're very happy with the Graco Backless Turbobooster and will certainly buy another one for our second car.

When my wife started working we needed a booster seat for my car so we could start sharing car pool duties with our 5 year old daughter. This car seat shipped quickly. It is fairly light, but rugged. It assembles quickly with just the arms to insert and secure. My daughter loves that she has two cup holders. One for her juice and one for her "friends" that she takes on the ride to school. Aside from being a car seat, it looks masculine enough to be in my car.