High-back booster seats offer shoulder and head support similar to a car seat. Rather than a harness, they use your vehicle’s seatbelt to clip your child in. The booster appropriately guides the seatbelt across your child’s chest and over their legs at the top of the thighs. When your child is big enough that they no longer need the shoulder guide, they may be ready for a backless booster seat. Many booster seats transition from high-back to backless, which usually means they have a larger height or weight range and can be used for longer.
You can also purchase a convertible car seat, an all-in-one that adapts to be the only car seat you ever need to buy your child. Convertible seats can be used as an infant back-facing car seat, then a forward-facing car seat, and finally a booster seat.
What to Look For When Shopping for a Booster Car Seat
- Height and weight limits: All booster seats come with minimum and maximum height and weight specifications. To ensure proper seatbelt placement and optimal security, make sure your child fits within those ranges.
- Seat adjustments: For the safest and most comfortable ride, look for a booster seat that offers neck or back height adjustments. Some models also feature width adjustments to offer a more custom fit.
- Easy cleaning: Regardless of age, spills happen. Luckily, like many infant and convertible car seats, most booster seats offer removable machine-washable seat covers and padding.
- Design: Many seats come in a range of colors and patterns to choose from, as well as accessories like cupholders and snack trays that allow kids to keep their items close.
- Safety: If you want to get even more information on your seat, check its safety ratings on IIHS.
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The Good Housekeeping Institute provides expert reviews and advice on everything a parent needs, including infant car seats. For more than 15 years, the chief technologist and director of engineering at the Institute Rachel Rothman, who led the 2022 study of car seats, has put her training in mechanical engineering and applied mathematics to work by researching, testing, and writing about parenting products. She leads GH Lab efforts in both the auto space and most juvenile products, including car seats.
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