Best Reviewed
Booster Seats
- Best booster seat Graco Highback TurboBooster *Est. $50
- Best five-point harness booster seat Graco Nautilus 3-in-1 *Est. $160
- Backless car booster seat Graco Backless TurboBooster *Est. $25
- Portable high-back booster seat The First Years Compass B570 Pathway *Est. $95
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Backless car booster seat
- Inexpensive
- Easy to install and lightweight
- Hide-away cup holders
- Great frontal crash protection
- No head support or side-impact protection
- Not LATCH compatible
Despite its low price and simple design, the Graco Backless TurboBooster booster seat does exceptionally well in independent frontal crash tests. However, experts note that backless boosters don't protect as well as high-back boosters in side crashes, and the Graco Backless TurboBooster is not appropriate for children under 40 pounds. The Graco Highback TurboBooster (*Est. $50) gets more recommendations in reviews, and it can be converted to a backless model if you wish. One common complaint about the Graco Backless TurboBooster is that because it's backless, it doesn't have side wings to support a napping child's head. If your child likes to nap in the car, the Graco Highback TurboBooster is a better choice.
ConsumerReports.org conducts frontal crash tests on the Graco Backless TurboBooster. Its British counterpart, Which? magazine, conducts side-crash tests as well; although editors don't test the Graco Backless TurboBooster, they aren't impressed with backless boosters in general. A study by the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia likewise finds high-back boosters protect better in a side crash than backless boosters. The book "Baby Bargains" has a section on both high-back and backless versions of the TurboBooster, with some discussion of features and the price-performance ratio. The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety reports on its groundbreaking standardized fit-testing roundup of 72 high-back and backless booster seats. We found written user reviews at Amazon.com, and video reviews by users at ExpoTV.com.
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| Graco Backless TurboBooster Car Seat, Fly Away | |
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Our Sources
1. ConsumerReports.orgDetails/Subscribe
Editors at ConsumerReports.org rate the Graco Backless TurboBooster along with several other booster seats. Each model crash-tested (frontal crash only) and evaluated for ease of use and fit to vehicle.
Review: Booster Seat Ratings, Editors of ConsumerReports.org
2. Insurance Institute for Highway Safety
The Graco Backless TurboBooster is one of 72 booster seats tested by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety. Using crash-test dummies, testers evaluate each seat for how well it repositions the vehicle's safety belt to accommodate a child. The backless TurboBooster does this well in some vehicles but not in others, so it is not highly recommended here.
Review: Booster Evaluations for 2010: Other Tested Seats, Editors of Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, Sept. 8, 2010
3. Which? magazineDetails/Subscribe
Backless booster seats should be phased out because they don't provide much side-crash protection compared with high-back boosters, says Britain's Which? magazine, which is similar to ConsumerReports.org. A video shows what happens to a child-sized crash dummy in a backless booster during a side crash.
Review: Backless Booster Seats a Safety Risk, Which? Says, Editors of Which? magazine, June 21, 2010
4. The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia
Children in high-back booster seats are less likely to be injured in a side crash than those in backless boosters, according to a study by the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia that examined real-world crash data.
Review: Children's Hospital of Philadelphia Researchers Release New Findings on Protecting Children in Side Impact Crashes, Children's Hospital of Philadelphia Press Release, Sept. 13, 2005
5. Baby BargainsDetails/Subscribe
The high-back and backless versions of the Graco TurboBooster are reviewed together in this comprehensive report by consumer advocates and baby-gear experts Denise and Alan Fields.
Review: Booster Seats, Denise and Alan Fields, Eighth Edition, 2009
6. Amazon.com
The majority of owners say they like the simplicity and light weight of the Backless TurboBooster, and the hide-away cup holders also get compliments.
Review: Graco Backless TurboBooster Car Seat, Contributors to Amazon.com
7. ExpoTV.com
This site has 16 user-produced video reviews of the Graco Backless TurboBooster, which earns very high ratings from all reviewers.
Review: Graco Backless TurboBooster Car Seat Reviews, Contributors to ExpoTV.com
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