Darren says: Looking for an inexpensive backless booster to keep your older child safe? Want one that LATCHes into your car to keep it from moving around? Look no further! The Graco Connext, $17.98 at Walmart, keeps big kids in a low profile booster from 40 to 100 pounds and up to 57″ tall. It measures 16″ wide, so it’s not particularly wide, either. Most older kids should have no problems buckling themselves in most seating positions. For the cost of a few premium cups of coffee, you can keep your older child safe in a booster until they are big enough to fit properly in the adult seatbelt. For most kids that doesn’t happen until around age 10-12, when they can pass the 5-step test. It’s light, easy to carry and tapers nicely in the back to allow small hands to reach the seatbelt buckle. It may not fit the narrowest seating positions, but it should be wide enough to fit your older child!
Kecia says: This is my favorite new backless booster! My almost 9-year-old son (pictured below) recently went through a huge growth spurt and packed on 15 lbs in the last year! He went from being thin to ummm… not so thin! Lol. I’m not too concerned about his extra chub right now because it’s summer and he’ll burn some of it off between sports, camp and swimming. But his size has given me a new appreciation for wider boosters that also have good leg support for older kids with longer legs. At the moment he is 54″ tall and about 85 lbs. That puts him somewhere between the 90-95th percentile in weight for a 9 year old boy. And around the 75th percentile for height. He is a big kid, no doubt about that, but he doesn’t pass the 5-Step Test yet in the captain’s chairs of my minivan so he still needs a booster to help the adult seatbelt fit him correctly. The Graco Connext is wide enough and deep enough to accommodate him comfortably and I love the lower LATCH attachments!
Pros:
Lower LATCH attachments- Inexpensive, under $18 at Walmart!
- Lightweight
- Good belt fit on children of different sizes
- Fits well in contoured seating positions
- Smooth bottom is vehicle upholstery friendly
- Includes shoulder belt positioning strap (if necessary)
- Cover is machine washable (cold water – delicate cycle – air dry)
- 10 year lifespan before expiration
Cons:
- Made in China
- Not as well padded as some other models (cover is padded but there is no additional comfort padding)
Thank you to Graco Baby for providing the Connext used in this review. No other compensation was given. Please visit the Graco website for more details!
Not manufactured anymore!
I’m thinking this will be my backless for carpooling in the fall. It can stay latched in the 3rd row and I don’t have to worry about digging it out from one of the seats when I need it.
@KQ – to my knowledge the Connext is still a Wal-Mart exclusive. I’ll let you know if I hear otherwise.
Is anywhere other than Wal-Mart carrying the Connext? I hate it when seats I love the looks of are Wal-Mart exclusive because I refuse to buy anything from the Evil League of Evil. Sigh.
Oh, they obviously need to make black and tan leather models for fancier cars and kids who want to look like they are riding in nothing. (Hint, hint, Graco, maybe you could get them sold right there in the auto dealerships…)
It’s so nice to see another narrow option hitting the market, yay to Graco! I’d probably own one by now if any of my local Walmarts would bother to open the box and put it on display :p Heck, maybe I’ll go get one today even if it’s not out 😉
My van and SUV make the shoulderbelt ride to the outside of the shoulder too easily, so I’m always looking for a *short* seat that won’t *boost* my tall kiddos too high for the shoulderbelt anchors in the car, so that the belt can lie closer to the middle of the shoulder, rather than the outside of the arm, and this looks like a pretty decent choice for that situation (the main love of our life right now is the bright green Evenflo Amp, but it’s just too tall for my cars so it doesn’t get used).
It’s lightweight which is a nice bonus. Weighing in at only 2 lbs 5.5 oz!!
I’m happy to hear that others are feeling the Connext love too! It really is a great option for bigger kids who still need a booster but may be too wide to fit comfortably in other boosters. Plus, it seems to fit average-sized school-age kids (5+) well too, so it’s not just a niche product for the biggest kids.
I bought this for my 8 year old because she continuously complained about the backless turbo being uncomfortable. She really likes this one. It’s just as easy to use and it doesn’t slide all around like the other do. It gets 5 stars from us.
I recently bought one of these for my 12 yo daughter, who is 90+lbs but on the short side. We searched high and low for a backless booster that she would fit in. She still fit in her backless Sunshine Kids Monterey, but my 9 yo daughter was outgrowing her Oobr and we needed to pass the Monterey down to her. We literally tried every backless booster available at all the local stores – Target, Walmart, etc., and nothing else worked for her. I love boosters that latch since my kids never want to buckle their seats when they get out!