I own the original version of this unique and highly-portable child restraint so I was eager to compare it to the newest model manufactured by Dorel. Since I love my old “Go” I wondered how I would feel about this new model. Would I feel the Dorel “Go” love? I’m happy to report that I do! I <3 the Safety 1st Go Hybrid Booster (Now the IMMI GO)!
What is a Hybrid Booster?
The Safety 1st (IMMI) Go Hybrid Booster is a highly portable, forward-facing only child restraint system. It combines the advantages of a 5-point harness with the portability of a booster. It does this by combining a backless booster with a flexible, almost vest-like upper body restraint system that requires a tether anchor to secure it and hold it in an upright position. Ideally, this CR is designed to be installed using the LATCH system that is available in most vehicles made since 2003. If you don’t have lower LATCH anchors in your vehicle but you have top tether anchors – you can still install this restraint using the seatbelt and the top tether but it’s not as easy as a LATCH installation. Actually, it’s a pain in the neck to install with seatbelt so I tend to recommend the Go Hybrid only if you have designated LATCH anchors in the seating position where you will install this seat.
Specs & Measurements:
- With 5-point harness: for kids over 1 year old, 22-65 lbs, 34″-52″ tall.
- As backless booster: for kids 40-100 lbs, 43″-57″ tall.
- Weight: 10.4 lbs (according to my digital bathroom scale)
- Highest harness height (will vary slightly depending on vehicle): approx 17-17.5″
- Lowest harness height: approx 12″
- Crotch strap positions: 7″, 8.5″, 10″
- Lifespan: 6 years (there is a DO NOT USE after 20xx stamp on the back of the upper portion)
To make it portable and light, the “Go” only has a plastic shell in the headrest portion and of course in the backless booster portion. For that reason, the vehicle seat back or headrest must provide adequate head restraint for the child.
Features:
5-point Harness to 65 pounds– Among the best features of the “Go” is the 5-point harness that is rated to 65 lbs. Once the child outgrows the harness either by weight or by height, the harness straps and flexible backing are removed and the “Go” can be used as a backless booster.
Adjustable Harness Height– There is no need to rethread harness on the “Go”. Simple adjusters are included on each shoulder strap. Before seating the child, squeeze the adjuster and move it all the way up. Once the child is in, lower it their shoulder lever. Super simple! The harness is outgrown by height once the child’s shoulders are above the level of the highest height setting.
Front Harness Adjusters– The “Go” has simple harness adjusters located on each of the hip straps of the 5-point harness. Each side of the harness must be tightened and loosened independently. This might sound strange but it really isn’t a complicated process. However, it is different from the central front adjuster found on most forward-facing carseats.
LATCH– The “Go” has a flexible LATCH strap on each side of the base to attach to the vehicle’s lower anchors (if your vehicle has lower LATCH anchors). An adjuster is included on each side of the LATCH strap for ease of installation. The push-on lower anchor connectors are much easier to attach and remove than the hook-style connectors found on some child restraints. Slots on the underside of the base bottom are provided to store the lower LATCH attachments when not in use. The LATCH system is definitely the preferred installation method, although it is possible to install with seatbelt and top tether (provided that you can get an acceptable installation). Dorel does not state a LATCH weight limit in the Go instruction manual or on any of the sticker labels. You may use lower LATCH anchors plus top tether to install this seat until the maximum weight allowed by the vehicle manufacturer. If no limit is given for the lower anchors, or if the vehicle manufacturer defers to the child restraint manufacturer, Dorel allows LATCH to be used to the full max weight of 65 lbs! Center installations with LATCH using non-standard spacing (more than 11″ apart) is allowed as long as the vehicle manufacturer specifically allows it and you can achieve a tight installation (less than 1″ of movement from side-to-side and front-to-back). The LATCH attachments must be disconnected and stored when the Go is used as a backless booster.
Padding and Comfort– All the padding in the Go is incorporated into the thick, cushy cover. And it really is thick and cushy. My son had no complaints and actually preferred the Safety 1st Go to the original version when he tried them side-by-side. Harness strap pads are not included, but the crotch strap has a nice buckle pad (aka belly pad). The crotch strap/buckle has three positions and they are all extremely generous. The outermost position measures 10″! Seriously – that is not a typo!
Travel bag– each Safety 1st Go arrives neatly folded in its own convenient carry bag! The bag with Go inside measures approximately 10″ x 17″ x 18″.
Fit-to-Child Comments:
The combination of the sliding harness height adjusters and 3 crotch strap/buckle positions should result in a good fit for children of various sizes and proportions – at least for those kids who are old enough to appropriately use a forward-facing only child restraint. Even though the “Go” is rated for kids over 1 year old who weigh at least 22 lbs and are at least 34″ tall – I personally wouldn’t put a 1-year-old in this seat unless there was no better option. In my opinion, the “Go” is best suited for kids who are at least 2 years old. Remember – children are best protected in rear-facing child restraints for as long as they are still under the rear-facing weight and height limit!
In backless booster mode the Go Hybrid received a “Check Fit” rating from the IIHS. This rating is neither good nor bad – it just means that you should check the fit of the lap and shoulder belt on your child in your vehicle to assess whether this seat provides optimal belt fit in booster mode. Honestly, I don’t think many “Go” owners will use this seat in booster mode. Removing the back portion with the harness (and reattaching it) is not something you want to do unless you have no other option. It’s complicated!
Installation Comments:
Lap Belt Installation– Technically, the “Go” can be installed in harness mode with a lap-only seatbelt as long as that seating position has a top tether anchor. I didn’t have a chance to install this seat with that type of system so I cannot comment on how likely you would be to achieve a tight installation with this installation method.
Lap/Shoulder Belt Installation- I ain’t gonna sugar-coat this (and not sure I could if I wanted to), if you have a switchable retractor on your seatbelt (which means the seatbelt locks by pulling the shoulder belt webbing all the way out), you may not be able to achieve a proper installation. The seat cannot move more than 1″ from side-to-side or from front-to-back once it is installed. I don’t think I have ever been able to achieve a really tight installation using this method. The best I could ever accomplish was 1″ or 1.5″ of movement and that was after a lot of work. Now, keep in mind that this is just one person’s experience with this model and the previous Go model that I have owned. Perhaps it might work better if you had a lap/shoulder belt that had locking latchplates. Maybe I’ve just had bad luck with incompatibility issues. I really don’t know. I just know that the seatbelt installations I have attempted over the years have not had particularly positive outcomes. If you need to attempt a seatbelt install – please make sure you carefully READ THE INSTRUCTIONS! Belt routing is not intuitive – at all.
LATCH- It’s a dream. Once you’ve practiced once or twice it shouldn’t take more than 60 seconds (unless you need to go searching for the top tether anchor in the vehicle). Since almost all vehicles since 2003 have LATCH anchors in at least two seating positions (there are some exceptions), and all rental cars and most modern taxis in the U.S. have LATCH somewhere in the vehicle – it should be possible to take advantage of the easy LATCH installation in the majority of cases.
Advantages:
- Lightweight (just over 10 lbs)
- Narrow
- Energy-absorbing EPP foam lines the sidewings (it’s a thin layer and only on the sides but something is better than nothing!)
- Highly portable when packed in its travel bag – fits in the overhead bin of an airplane!
- Easy installation with LATCH
- Easy to adjust harness height
- Easy to buckle
- Tall maximum harness height
- Depth of base provides excellent leg support for older kids
- Comfortable and well-padded
- Could be a good option for newer vehicles with fixed, angled head restraints
- SafeGuard components
- Made in the USA!
Disadvantages: (In fairness, these aren’t necessarily problems but I list them here to inform potential consumers of specific Go Hybrid issues)
- Requires using a top tether anchor
- Difficult to install with seatbelt
- Difficult process to detach and re-attach back portion from lower booster portion (if you detach it you really don’t want to have to put it back on – trust me)
- No central front harness adjuster – each side of the harness is tightened and loosened independently
- Headwings may not provide ideal support for sleeping heads (if you can recline your vehicle seatback a notch or two prior to installation – that might help)
- Not a good option for pick-up trucks with funky tether routing
- Not FAA approved – cannot be used on an airplane because aircraft seats don’t have the required top tether anchor
Conclusion:
The Safety 1st Go Hybrid Booster is a fantastic option for families with forward-facing kids ages 2+ who use rental cars or taxis. It fits easily in the overhead bin on an aircraft so you never have to gate check it and worry if it’s getting damaged out of sight. It also tends to work very well in 3-across situations if you have the ability to use LATCH. Additionally, it could also be a good option for child care providers, grandparents and agencies that transport various forward-facing children in vehicles with LATCH anchors. It cannot be used on a school bus or an airplane because neither of those have top tether anchors. However, if you’re flying I suggest pairing it with the CARES harness (for use on board the airplane) then you have all the important bases covered – in the air and on the ground!
You can find information from Safety 1st on the Go Hybrid Booster here. Thank you Dorel and 360 Public Relations for providing the sample used in this review. No other compensation was provided and the opinions in this blog are solely those of CarseatBlog!
Great review! I have borrowed the old SG Go from a friend on occasion and found it a great travel seat. Would love to have one of our own!
really excited about a lightweight seat with a 5pt harness. would be perfect for DS.
I would you this seat for when we have my goddaughter. I would suit her well and it would make our life easier (and her mothers). She will be with us more and I need a great seat for her especially when transfering her back to her mom’s.
My son is 5 years old, weighs about 45 lbs and we are homeschooling so I would be doing a lot of “carschooling” with this wonderful seat. On a tight budget and the need for a new seat anyways, this would be a huge deal for my family:) (plus I’ve never won anything before!) I am glad to see more products out there in a reasonable price range to harness bigger kids for longer. at the height and weight allowances for this harness my son could be harnessed for a long time! Which makes me very happy:) Good luck everyone!
I would love this seat. It would be great to take our son to the beach. Last time we rented one and that was a mistake we will not make again. Also, we’re getting ready to downsize one of our cars and this sounds like it would give our older child a little more space than his current seat.
I would love to have a Go to use in my Odyssey with multiple children I care for. I see being able to still slide my captain’s chair forward for access to the 3rd row with a Go installed. That would be awesome!
I’d use it for the kids I babysit that are in and out of my car. It would be nice to be able to fit 3 kids in the back seat!
Gosh – this is perfect timing! My twin 4 year olds need to move out of their current seats and I’m looking for a good booster. I definitely want a 5 point harness for safety, but like that it can go backless as well. Pick me! Pick me!!
This would be perfect for my son! We’ve used Safety 1st air protect seats since we brought him home from the hospital. He isn’t 2 for another 1.5 months and is already so tall he is only 1 height notch away from being out of the convertable seat. Weare very strict with carseat safety and were already questioning what we would do next. This is for sure be the next seat, free or not!
I would love one for my 3yo, who will be outgrowing her rear facing seat in our car soon. Her current seat won’t fit forward facing next to her brother, so I’ll need to get something new anyway!
We have at least 4 vehicles our current seat is shared between. This would be perfect for us.
This would be great for when we travel up to grandmas house so we aren’t constantly switching our car seat back and forth. Also when my husband wants to take our 2 year old out on a quick trip!
I have two children that are 3 & 4! And we are constantly on the go! I would put the new seat to good use if I won…I am always concerned about my childrens safety in the car and everywhere else;) But I always read the reviews before I buy and am always looking for the newest safest seat on the market! Thanks for the chance to win one of your awesome seats 🙂
I would put my GO to good use because we are constantly switching car seats from vehicle to vehicle. We travel a lot. It would be wonderful to have!
This would be a fabulous seat to keep in the back of the car for when friends want to ride with us or to use as a spare in the event of a potty mishap.
I could so fit 3 across in the back of my odyssey with this, it would be an awesome seat for my 5 year old who is tiny and not ready for a booster at all
Definitely on the plane! We travel a lot and lugging around our Radian XTSL is….heavy.
This would be a fantastic solution if I do end up flying alone with all 3 boys–the oldest could carry this and I’d only have 2 regular carseats to wrangle onto the airplane (besides the infant and toddler)! Add that to the fact that the vehicle on the other end is an Odyssey with lots of latch and headrests and we have a win-win!
I would love one of these for traveling with my grandson!
I would love to try a “Go” out in the car.
I would use it for my DD
I would love to have a highly portable carseat for an upcoming trip for my 3.5 yr old. Thanks!
Thanks for the review! I am excited about using this for taxi rides and such when it’s just not practical to bring a car seat. (Currently I end up needing to take the bus to the airport or have somebody drop us off).
I am constantly driving my daughter, her friends and/or cousins around and this seat would be great for some of the older, forward-facing kids. I wholly support having children in a 5-point harness as long as possible and as long as they are in my car, they will be! This seat would be perfect.
Thank you.
Great review, Kecia! I have the second version of the original SafeGuard Go Hybrid Booster. I use it as the everyday restraint for my 7-year old son in my wife’s Prius. In addition to having a relatively good maximum harness height of over 17.5″ (depends on vehicle), it also takes away minimal shoulder room from older kids in the adjacent seat. Using a typical combination seat or high back booster for my son would mean that my older son or daughter would be squished sitting next to him in a smaller vehicle. It’s also easy for him to buckle himself, a big plus. I have not tried the Safety 1st version personally, but I expect it is an excellent seat as well. I can honestly say the SafeGuard model I have is one of my favorite seats of all time, without question. It’s clearly not for every situation, but it works extremely well for travel, for 3-across and even an everyday seat depending on your vehicle and child.