Review: AFFIX TurboBooster Car Seat

03/23/2015

The AFFIX Highback Booster Seat with Latch System helps safely transport your “big kid” from 40 to 100 lbs. and up to 57″ tall. This Graco booster seat provides a secure connection to your vehicle seat with its unique one-hand front-adjust latch system. With one hand, you can create a secure connection using your vehicle’s anchors to keep the booster seat steadily in place. The connection secures the booster seat to your vehicle seat and makes self-buckling easier for your independent child. The seat has an integrated cup holder and hide-away storage compartment to keep your child’s drinks and favorite things within arm’s reach – these are features kiddos love on their booster seats. Parents love that it secures the booster to their vehicle seat and aids in their child’s growing independence.

• Secure connection keeps the booster seat properly in place
• Keeps booster steady for easy self-buckling for your independent child
• Unique front adjustment allows you to quickly and easily tighten the booster car seat to the vehicle seat
• Side Impact Tested* (*the AFFIX Highback Booster with Latch System has been side-impact tested for occupant retention with a standard vehicle harness system in highback booster mode. Please consult your vehicle’s owner’s manual for more specific information on the performance of your vehicle’s safety belt system.)
• Designed with the style and comfort features that kids love
• Easily converts to backless booster for years of use
• EPS energy absorbing foam for effective impact energy management
• Fully-adjustable headrest keeps your growing child secure while riding in the highback booster seat
• Open-loop belt guides help you correctly position your vehicle’s seat belt
• Integrated cup holder and hide-away storage compartment keep your child’s drinks and favorite things within arm’s reach

“As I mentioned in my Graco Argos 65 Multi-Stage Car Seat review, our family has 3 kids now; ages 6, 2 and 7 weeks.  We are finding it hard to swap car seats between our 2 vehicles, so it was time to ensure the kids had seats in both vehicles all the time.  Graco provided us with a booster and convertible seat to try out.  My 6 year old moved full time from a 5-point harness to a booster seat in January, right before our third was born.  Her seat is now in our third row of our SUV and it doesn’t have the LATCH system back there, so a high back booster was our only option.  The one thing I didn’t like about our old booster seat is that it seems crooked all the time since it isn’t latched, and actually doesn’t have the ability to latch.  That is the number one best thing about the AFFIX high back booster that Graco provided.  It seems so much safer than the average booster seat because of the latch system.

Graco sent us the Affix TurboBooster Car Seat, which is valued at $129.99.  The number one best thing about this highback booster is that it has the LATCH system, which is amazing!  As a parent who kept her child in a 5 point harness until the age of 6 (and I would have kept her longer, if she didn’t have to move to the third row of our vehicle with the birth of our third child!) I have always been leery of the safety of a 5-point harness.  I don’t like how the booster is just sitting on the seat.  The ability to LATCH this booster keeps it firmly in place and also helps take care of the seat belt staying flat, in place and not getting twisted.  I find with her highback booster seat in my vehicle (which can’t be latched) the booster is often sliding and crooked and it moves the seat belt so it is often locked when she tried to pull it to put on her seat belt.  I then need to open the trunk, fit her seat belt, re-align the seat and then she can get buckled on her own.  That is never a problem with this seat in my husband’s car.  It also keeps the seat secured when not in use, which is a big safety bonus for all of the other passengers in a vehicle if there was to be a collision.  Keep in mind, that if you are using a seat that doesn’t have the LATCH capability, you should remind your child to buckle their seat belt before they get out of the car so the seat stays in place when not in use.  The LATCH system takes care of this step on the Affix.

This is a second generation booster – the original version didn’t have the LATCH system and also same apart in 2 pieces when you remove from your vehicle.  My mom has this model and it seems to always come apart when she moves it between her 2 vehicles.  Not the TurboBooster – it stays intact when you need to pick it up and move it.  The back does come off, making this just a booster seat as well.  To sit in a highback booster, the child should be at least 3 years old and be 38-57” or 30- 100lbs.  You can remove the back at 4 years old and be 40-57” or 40-100lbs.  I really don’t like removing the back unless they are way too tall for it.  I find all kids, no matter age, eventually fall asleep in the car, and it is so much nice for them to have something to rest their head on.  The seat is nice and light, so removing the back really doesn’t make anything more convenient.  The seat overall is super convenient!  The Affix is quite narrow too – about 14” so if you are worried about 3 across or 2 side by side in a smaller vehicle, this booster should work perfectly.

My 6 year old loves the cup holders and the little hide-away storage compartment in the seat as well.

I would highly recommend both of the Graco Argos 65 Multi-Stage Car Seat and the AFFIX TurboBooster Car Seat.  Great price point, easy to clean, comfortable for the kids, safe and great looking!” ~Carol McBee

AFFIX TurboBooster Car Seat MSRP: $129.99 available at Babies“R”us

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