I’ve decided to document how various combination (harness/booster) seats fit my 4-year-old, 41 lb, 43″ tall son in booster mode. He’s at the size where most parents would be switching from the 5-pt harness to the vehicle’s lap/shoulder belt in booster mode if they had a combination seat with a 40 lb limit on the harness. In each case I’ll use the same seating position in my van – driver’s side captain’s chair in a 2005 Ford Freestar.
The IIHS booster study compared the fit of various boosters using the 6-year-old Hybrid lll dummy who weighs 51.6 lbs (23.41 kg) and has a standing height of almost 45″. I thought it would be even better to show belt fit on a child who was just over the 40 lb weight limit for the 5-pt harness. I’ve decided to focus exclusively on combination seats because of their popularity.
This week we’re back to Dorel (Cosco, Safety 1st, Eddie Bauer) and we’ll be looking at the 
Cosco High Back Booster with harness. There have been many varia
tions of this seat sold over the last 10 years and it’s still widely available today in places like Walmart, Target and BRU. Recently, I’ve noticed that these seats are being sold in clear plastic, zippered bags instead of traditional cardboard boxes. There have been many different model names over the years. Often this seat was sold without the harness (as just a booster) with names like Complete Voyager and Vista. I think it’s safe to assume that there are millions of these seats being used by children all over America today. Let’s see how this model stacks up as a booster….
As you can see in the pictures below this is an older model of the Cosco High Back Booster. This particular model had the shoulder belt guides sewn onto the side of the cover. The newer models have the shoulder belt guides molded into the sides of the shell. I started off with the shoulder belt threaded though the middle guide and then decided that it was too low on his shoulder so I moved it up to the top guide. This positioned the shoulder belt more squarely over his collar bone but if he turned his head – he wound up with the belt touching his face. I can only imagine that this would get pretty annoying, pretty quickly. To be fair, this is probably an issue with most highback boosters that have a one-piece shell.
The Good: Hmmm…. not much to brag about here. The shoulder belt when placed in the top guide position did place the belt in the correct area between the neck and the shoulder.
The Bad: The lap belt is positioned too high. It’s not touching the tops of his thighs where it should be. This means an increased risk of injury in a crash. The shoulder belt, even when positioned correctly with the guide, sticks out and would rub against his chin every time he turned his head.
Bottom Line:
This is an antiquated booster design and it shows. This seat seems more suited to 1995 than 2005 when it was made. I’m not sure if the newer models are any better. This is a seat that I frequently see used by CPS distribution programs (because it’s relatively inexpensive) but I don’t recommend it. As a forward-facing harnessed seat it’s not terrible but as a booster – I give it two thumbs down.
Personally I find it misleading to lot the new and old Cosco booster seats together. You show pictures of the new versions in the beginning of your review which is misleading because the old and new models are not the same and in truth you are only reviewing the old outdated versions of this seat . I think you should review the new models to make this review accurate or remove the new pictures.
Oh, and PS, I shouldn’t have been so surprised you had to use that model of seat…there are millions of this style that are a loooong time from expiring, so even if the new ones are better, it’s going to be awhile before kids are using them as boosters.
I just want to recall all these poorly fitting seats and recycle them into something useful, like polar fleece for cloth diapers 😉
The harness on these is only about 1/2 inch higher than the Scenera. It installs pretty easily, if not wonderfully, in most cars as a forward-facing harnessed seat, but those super-low top slots mean kids will outgrow it way earlier than some of the higher-slotted combo seats. We have one, but only because we were in a crash, my daughter needed a new seat while we waited for the Radians we already had on order to come in, and she was like a millimeter over the harness slots on the Scenera, and we didn’t have a budget for more than $60, and Target was the only place open. It was a passable backup seat when we had a kid that fit it, but now that she and her sister have both outgrown it and the baby is never going to fit it (her torso is already too tall for it to be used harnessed) I’m thinking I’d better get rid of it. But, I’m afraid to Freecycle it to someone who will probably either use it as a booster, or use it past the harness limits… *sigh*
this is possibly the worst fitting booster yet!
I love this series… because from now on, when people ask why we don’t like these seats as boosters… we just have to post a link to the correct blog post… with pictures!!
so thank you!
Yup, it’s week by week (more or less) so my model is getting bigger, his hair is growing longer, etc. This past week he got a much-needed haircut. By the time I’m done with this series – I’m sure he’ll need another. LOL
Glad you’re enjoying it!
This series is great. Tell me, are you doing it week by week, or did you spend a day with the seats? Because as time goes on, your model gets bigger, yes? lol
Again, awesome series.
This just happened to be a training seat that I had available to use. The local Heath Dept was giving these seats out a few years back. Hmmm, I wonder if the new ones are any better? I might have to check one out. Thanks for the heads-up.
Ugh, you still have to give THOSE out? I was hoping that design was totally gone and just the ‘Gotham’ style was being made now… check out how the cutouts are so much better on for the lapbelt… http://www.toysrus.com/product/index.jsp?productId=3420762
Your model is adorable, as usual 🙂