Graco Backless TurboBooster Car Seat, Baker

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,...Read more

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...Read more