Only recently has the importance of the booster seat gained widespread traction. In my own childhood not so long ago, once children outgrew a removable car seat carrier, we graduated straight to the “adult seat,” and along with it, the adult seat belt. Oftentimes, discomfort lead to tucking the shoulder strap behind our bodies, relying solely on the lap belt for protection—a strategy we now know to be largely bootless in an emergency situation.

Over the years, we’ve been able to acquire much more specific data about the ineffective nature of an adult seat belt on a smaller body, even when both the lap and shoulder strap are secured. Using a booster seat until children reach the proper age and/or size for a standard vehicle safety seat belt is critical to their chances of survival, should a car accident occur.

Because it will take a significant amount of time for children to grow from a booster seat to a car seat, companies like Graco have created excellent products like the Tranzitions 3 in 1 Harness Booster Seat, which is multi-modifiable to accommodate our children as they grow. Babies as small as 22 pounds can be held safely in this unit with the 5-point harnessed car seat configuration. When they reach the next stage in their development, they will graduate to the high back belt positioning booster seat, and finally, the backless belt positioning booster (up to 100 pounds).

Notably, there could be better range of mobility with the lap/groin harness component to this particular product; certain body types and outfits with excess material (such as dresses) may find it difficult or uncomfortable to secure this buckle. However, for those children who do not run into these issues, this is an extremely comfortable, well-padded, durable booster seat that can serve as a source of comfort over many years.

If you’re looking for a full-time, daily use booster seat for your vehicle, the Chicco KidFit 2-in-1 Belt Positioning Booster Car Seat offers style, comfort, safety, and functionality features, with longevity from 30-110 pounds. This booster seat comes in six color combination offerings and combines a high back booster with a backless booster configuration.

Chicco has developed the DuoZone, featured on the KidFit model, which can adjust across 10 different positions to provide protection for the head and shoulder in times of side-impact. This booster seat also comes standard with the LATCH system and SuperCinch technology, keeping it securely fastened to the vehicle’s car seat at all times. This technology does help ensure that children will not be at risk when maneuvering in and out of the seat by themselves and guarantees that the booster seat will not become a hazard when not in use.

The design features two, collapsible cupholders that are removable. Both the armrest coverings and the seat pad are removable and machine washable, making for easy maintenance and hygienic assistance in the event of a spill or potty accident. The seat is also contoured and created with Chicco’s ErgoBoost technology, which features double foam padding for extra comfort and support. A bonus unique offering is the backrest, which has two levels of recline to help better fit vehicle seats and provide comfort.

This is an excellent long-term investment that will grow with children and offer efficiency and peace of mind for longer than many of its competitors.

The goal of any traditional, stand-alone booster seat is to elevate small passengers so that the pre-existing, adult safety seat belts which come standard in most vehicles will be effective in the event of a crash. Giving our children a number of extra vertical inches allows for the lap belt to sit across the upper thighs and the shoulder strap to rest across the chest, in proper form. If a child’s seat belt is not fitting in this configuration, they are at risk of being unprotected in a time of roadway crisis.

Cosco’s Topside Backless Booster Car Seat features a modest and functional design, supporting children during the window of 40-100 pounds and 43 to 57 inches tall. In situations where a single vehicle will be transporting multiple children who can safely be assisted by this booster seat, the streamlined nature of the Topside Backless makes for easy side-by-side use across a number of seats, simultaneously. These boosters stack very nicely into themselves, allowing for efficient stowing to accommodate adult passengers or cargo when the seats are not in use. The design also offers effortless gathering to move multiple boosters from one vehicle to another.

While it can be an extra headache for some guardians to purchase a booster seat whose cover is hand wash only, as with this specific Cosco product, the lightweight design, built-in fabric armrests, and every day simplicity of use may be enough to make up for that less frequent chore. Cosco’s Topside Backless Booster Car Seat comes in six different color combinations, as well, so guardians can choose their colors based on the ability to hide stains and wear, aesthetic value, or to showcase our kiddo’s preference and make them feel special.

In every market there are innovators, and the booster seat market is no exception. The proprietary design of the Inflatable Backless Travel Booster Car Seat by BubbleBum combines memory foam and classic inflation for a surprising blend of comfort and crash safety. As its name states, this is a travel-specific booster seat, meaning it is not meant to be purchased as a full-time booster seat in a daily vehicle. BubbleBum’s booster seat is intelligently designed to ensure safety—even on vacation, over a holiday trip, for carpooling, or when dealing with a rental car situation.

This booster seat can support an impressive 40-100 pounds for kids ranging 4-11 years old, and compresses small enough to fit in a tote, backpack, beach bag, or large purse, making it a clutch investment for those of us on the go. Despite its compact size, BubbleBum boasts that this seat is “more foam than air,” which is actually a huge selling feature, as many travel booster seats provide very little padding. Not only can this be uncomfortable for children, even on short car rides, it also defeats the traditional inflatable seat flaw: the event of a puncture. This product’s design still affords safety protection without the use of the inflatable bladder, if such an emergency were to occur.

Thanks to its general awesomeness, this product has been awarded the “Best Bet” booster by the IIHS—more than any other travel booster on the market. It’s passed impressive crash tests in the US and the EU, both while inflated and deflated—and since safety is the name of the game in this market, BubbleBum is one innovator who got it all right.

When I think about Evenflo, aesthetics always come to mind. This baby brand stands out for their clean and durable-looking, almost outdoorsy and adventurous-feeling product selection. Even the design of this Maestro Sport Harness Booster Car Seat somehow seems to radiate the image of an active lifestyle, despite the fact that this is a truly full-sized 2 in 1 booster car seat. In each of the five color schemes, this booster seat gets top marks for looks.

But performance, of course, is what matters most. This booster seat features a forward-facing harness configuration for children ages 2 and up from 22-50 pounds, as well as a belt-positioning booster seat configuration to support older children from 40-110 pounds; this is a significantly wide weight range amongst its competitors, giving the Maestro a market edge in terms of longevity. However, most current guidelines do recommend that children be kept rear-facing for as long as possible, so this may not be seen as a perk for some guardians. That being said, for what it offers, the Maestro is said to be tested “above and beyond industry standards” in the US—specifically for side and rollover impacts.

Evenflo offers live video installation support to help assist with proper installation of the Maestro, which is a nice bonus considering the importance of the task at hand. Extra bonuses feature the inclusion of a 5-point harness, a machine washable car seat pad, and dual, easy-reach cupholders. Overall, this booster seat will grow well with children, making it a great long-term investment and daily use safety booster car seat.

With the rise of popular transportation solution companies like Uber and Lyft, the problem of traveling safely with children on the go is no longer confined only to city-dwelling or city-visiting slices of the population. Now, even in more rural areas, the option of being driven somewhere by a stranger, rather than taking your own car, can provide unrivaled convenience—except for dealing with large, heavy, time-consuming booster seats for our children.

Hiccapop’s Uberboost Inflatable Booster Car Seat for children is a backless travel booster seat that inflates by mouth in under 20 seconds and deflates nicely for compact transportation, even including its own travel bag. The cushioned design comes with a silicone, non-skid base that is most effective on leather, vinyl, or cloth vehicle seats. It avoids damaging seats in the process, meaning you can feel comfortable sending your child to use this product in another guardian’s vehicle, worry-free.

As always with booster seats, safety compliance is of the utmost importance, and the Uberboost portable booster seat manages to meet and exceed all US Federal Motor Safety Standards, which is what we want to hear! The seat’s design includes metal positioning clips on the sides of the booster seat, to hold the adult car seatbelt properly in place across the child’s lap.

It’s worth noting that this particular design does not include a shoulder strap guide, as some of its competitors do. For some children, this is not an issue, as the elevation from the booster will naturally guide the shoulder strap across the chest, as it should rest; however, for other children, especially those on the smaller side, this product may not perform as intended. This is not a design flaw, but a difference that all guardians may want to consider when selecting their preferred travel booster seat.

Just like us, our little ones have different bodies and, therefore, different preferences when it comes to comfort. When it comes to this Graco Backless Turbobooster booster seat, the fit and features may not be for everyone, but for those children who can kick it with some accessories, this is a top-notch find!

The Backless Turbobooster is a traditional, elevating booster seat made for older children weighing between 40 and 100 pounds. It features two collapsible cupholders, excellent for drinks, snacks, crayons, or other on-the-road storage, helping support our children’s autonomy. Padded armrests offer the rare customization of being height-adjustable, making for an even more cozy ride for each passenger. Five unique fabric patterns offer another personal touch for kids to enjoy.

Most importantly, of course, this Graco booster seat has been crash tested in the US and met and exceeded all of the safety standards. Graco has deemed this one of their “ProtectPlus Engineered” products, meaning it endured testing for front, side, rear, and rollover accidents, along with other testing that focused on hot car interior safety. The Backless Turbobooster offers superior safety, fun, and functional features for the kids, and the convenience of machine washable seat and armrest coverings.

It is important to consider that this product may be a bit wide for the seats in a smaller vehicle. Although it is not equipped with the LATCH system that some guardians rely on, this seat is commonly praised for its ability to stay in place, regardless. Children can get in and out of the booster without it slipping, rocking, or moving, and the absence of the LATCH system may be more comfortable for some children. Overall, the Graco Backless Turbobooster is a choice booster seat for growing children!

While the goal of traditional, stand-alone booster seats is to elevate small passengers, company mifold has utilized a design that removes the need to adjust the child’s height, and instead, handsomely redirecting the seatbelt to adapt to the child’s body. This design offers maximum portability and discretion, though it may sacrifice a window view.

The mifold Grab-and-Go car booster seat comes in five simple colors and folds to a compact state that fits in the glove box, a child’s size backpack, a tote, or a purse—with room to spare. The light and highly portable design perches this product at the top of its class. And of course, we can’t ignore the actual functionality of the Grab-and-Go, which is what truly sets it apart!

This rather thin booster seat rests directly on top of any vehicle’s standard adult seat and provides lap and shoulder strap holsters for the child sitting on the product. The vehicle’s own adult safety belt is easily threaded into these holsters, which allow a guardian to perfectly modify the seat belt to rest across the child’s upper thighs and chest, as it should be in order to be effective.

The functionality of the design is ingenious and manages to support kids age 4+, between 40 and 100 pounds. As with all travel booster seats, the mifold Grab-and-Go is not meant for regular, daily vehicle use, but for times of high travel, be they with weekly carpooling or city transportation hopping, this is a life-saving, US safety-tested product that will keep children protected and comfortable for these bursts on the move.