Average Cost: $49-$99 depending on options
Official URL: http://www.gracobaby.com
Rating:

A quality booster seat is very important for older toddlers and young preschool age children. Most 5-point harnesses are only rated to accommodate children up to 40 pounds. Since the seat belts on your vehicle are not designed for children, a booster seat provides a safe alternative for kids in the in-between stage as they transition from car seat to seat belt. The correct positioning of the seat belt is essential as it can cause serious injury or even death in an accident of it crosses your child’s body incorrectly. Many states have laws requiring the use of booster seats. At any rate, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration recommends that you use a booster seat in the back seat of your car from about age 4 to at least age 8, or from 40 pounds until your child is at least 4’9” tall. The Graco Turbobooster is an excellent choice that will fill that need and exceed your expectations for convenience and durability.

FEATURES/SPECS

The Graco Turbobooster is made for children from 3-10 years old or 30-100 pounds and 38” to 57” tall. I am using it as a high back booster but it can also convert to a backless booster for an older/larger child. As a high back booster, it has an adjustable headrest that moves up or down depending on your child’s height and “open loop” belt guides to position the seatbelt. The back of the booster reclines in two positions (this only works if your vehicle’s seat also reclines). The bottom of the booster has adjustable padded armrests with two positions possible and retractable cup holders on each side. In the package there is also a shoulder belt positioning clip that can be used with the backless booster option if the seatbelt does not fall within the recommended area on your child’s body. The entire high back booster unit weighs only 9 pounds. Some versions of this seat come with a reversible cover and/or a comfy kid’s neck pillow.

PACKAGING

One thing I noticed when I opened the box for this seat is that there was no “new seat” smell. Other baby products I have opened have had a chemical odor until they have been out of the box for a while but this booster did not. It was packaged inside a protective plastic bag (it was not a sealed bag) and the pieces were all separate. The armrests were packaged in their own separate bags with the 2 height adjustment screws. The instruction manual is also in its own bag along with the shoulder belt positioning clip (used with the seat when you use it as a backless booster).

ASSEMBLY

The assembly was a little tough but still only took me about 20 minutes. You must first click the armrests into place and use a Phillips head screwdriver to install the height adjustment screws. The headrest and back support snap together with very little effort. The picture in the manual that shows you how to secure the seat cover across the back of the seat with elastic was not very clear but I figured it out by looking at the fabric attachment on the bottom of the seat, which was similar. The back is pretty easy to install onto the base once you get it at the correct angle. I struggled a bit to find that angle but I would call that “user error” as the diagram in the manual was fairly clear. I was trying to do it without looking at the manual. The user/owner’s manual itself is very thorough in showing all aspects of assembly and use. Once assembled, there is a pocket for manual storage underneath the seat.

FABRIC/COVER

The Turbobooster comes in a variety of patterns from more neutral color schemes to flashy/bold and flowery ones. The pattern on my Turbobooster is called “mystique” and it is a neutral mixture of shiny silver and black. I love the way it looks in my car, very modern and unobtrusive. The cover can be easily removed to wash in the washing machine and drip dry. The fabric does not easily absorb stains so I don’t think it will need to be removed and machine washed very often. My daughter has already spilled ice cream on it and it wiped clean easily with a wet wipe. The fabric appears to stay within reasonable temperature limits but we have only used it so far in the temperate springtime so I can’t say for sure.

EASE OF USE

I skimmed through the owners’ manual before using this seat for the first time, mostly because I am a safety nut when it comes to car seats. After one speed read, I was ready to go. The shoulder belt threads through the slot in the open loop guide near the headrest and the lap portion goes beneath the armrest and across your child’s hips. On the buckle side, both the shoulder and lap portion of the belt go beneath the armrest and into the buckle. I did find there to be a bit of a learning curve with buckling the belt with one hand but I think it had more to do with me getting used to a booster as opposed to a five point harness. Once buckled, the seat belt fits very snuggly on the child. Unbuckling it is very simple (with permission, my 3 year old daughter can do this herself when we stop). Adjusting the headrest is not a problem; I was able to do it with one hand. The owner’s manual is excellent with clear illustrations and instructions on how to use the seat. My daughter can pull her cup holders out herself to use them. The armrests are not easily adjustable, as you have to remove the screw that holds them in place to move them up or down.

PORTABILITY

Moving this seat from one vehicle to another is a snap! At only 9 pounds, it is very lightweight and because the seatbelt is easy to thread through the belt path, it takes less than a minute to “install” in another car. We have used it in our mini-SUV (Ford Escape) and in a mid-size sedan, both with no trouble whatsoever. This is awesome compared to the 22-pound monstrosity we transitioned from.

SAFETY

The seat is engineered with Energy Absorbing Foam Liner (EPS foam). The seatbelt fits my daughter perfectly in this booster. We had another booster before this one (a 3 in 1 convertible car seat) and no matter which positions I tried, I was unable to make the belt lay in the correct and safest belt path. It would either be too high in the upper path or too low across her chest in the lower one. With the Turbobooster, I can adjust the headrest to the right height so that the belt falls in just the right way across her shoulder and lap. The armrests also help to hold the belt firmly in place and don’t allow a lot of play once the belt is buckled.

SAFETY RATINGS

The Graco Turbobooster earns a very high overall rating with Consumer Reports. It earns a 4 out of 5 in crash protection and an “excellent” in ease of use and vehicle fit. As a backless booster, it earns a 5 out of 5 in crash protection. Since safety is at the top of every parent’s list, these ratings are an excellent selling point for this seat.

COMFORT

The EPS foam and thick cover make this booster a comfortable ride. My daughter has fallen asleep more than once already in her new booster and the headrest keeps her head from falling forward. This was a big concern for me when moving her to a booster but with the Turbobooster, it has not been a problem at all. The armrests are padded and I see her resting her arms there often and comfortably. The cup holder is easily accessible without too much leaning and holds any normal sized cup securely upright, even when I stop suddenly.

ISSUES/NITPICKS

Honestly, with this seat, I have very few! Aside from a little difficulty with assembly and a short period of “getting the hang of it” when strapping my daughter in, this seat is pretty close to perfect. The only other minor gripe I have is that the “adjustable” armrests have only two height settings. We already have it on the highest one and it is a snug fit to get the lap/shoulder belt between the armrest and my daughter’s leg. For a larger child, this may become a problem but at this point, it just makes the belt fit more securely.

THE BOTTOM LINE

The Graco Turbobooster is lightweight, easily moves from one vehicle to another and is extremely easy to use. It is an excellent booster seat that I would recommend for any family with young children.