Harmony Secure Comfort Deluxe Booster Review Part II – Belt Fit

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It finally stopped raining long enough yesterday for me to get outside and snap some pics of my boys in the Harmony backless booster (aka the Harmony Olympian).  Last week I posted my initial review of this seat and compared it with the Combi Dakota backless booster.  DS1 was less than thrilled to model the Harmony but I bribed him with the promise of a Churro and Icee at BJ’s.  DS2 was a little easier to coax but he wanted a Churro and Icee too!  LOL!

First impression – it’s wide!  I mean, I knew it was but when I put in on the captain’s chair in my Freestar it practically took up the whole seat!

  

DS1 looked like he was spilling out of it even though he did have enough room in the seating area to be comfortable.  He’ll be 12 in a few days and he weighs 85 lbs.  He’s about 58″ tall and he rides safely in just the adult seatbelt now.  I think the seating area is a little higher than the Combi Dakota (which he used up until last September when he finally passed the 5-Step Test in my van) but the armrests are a little lower and that combination produces the spill-over effect that I didn’t see when he used the Dakota.  I don’t think it’s a safety concern but he may not be afforded the full benefit of the side impact protection that this backless booster claims to provide.  Okay, so that’s a joke but I just had to say it.

    

DS2 is 4.5, 43.5″ tall and about 42-43 lbs.  The belt fit was good on him also (as I expected based on the design) but he literally swam in the seat.  Honestly, this seat wouldn’t be my first choice for a child under 50 lbs (even an older child) but if I had to use for DS2 in a pinch, I would.  Also, the shoulder belt would have fit him better if I had remebered to lower it.  I had jacked up the height for DS1 when he sat in it first.  The seat does come with a shoulder belt adjuster clip but I’m not a big fan of these things.  IMO, if the shoulder belt still doesn’t fit properly, even when the kid is sitting on the booster, then the child is too small for a backless booster.  Of course there are going to be some exceptions but that’s my general rule of thumb.  Anyhow, in the last picture I had him scooch all the way to one side so you could see how much extra space there was.

    

Overall, I really like it – for bigger/older kids.   And for about $20 it’s a nice, affordable option.  The fact that it’s rated to 110 lbs is a huge plus too.  Just don’t plan on this seat fitting in narrow seating positions.

9 Comments

  1. Michelle August 5, 2009
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  3. skaterbabscpst May 22, 2009
  4. Kate May 8, 2009
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  9. ThreeBeans May 8, 2009