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.
I just bought this for my 5.5 year old DD. She is above the 75th percentile in height and weight every year. She looks like a 7 year old and I knew it was time to go to a booster. We were going to go with the new Britax, but for the cost, I think she’s only going to be using a booster with a back for a short time. I went to TRU with the intention of buying the Graco Backless Booster that got great safety ratings. They, of course, didn’t have it, but had this model. I had my daughter sit in it AND in the Graco with the removable back. Her long legs hung over the edge of the Graco by at least an inch. The Harmony was a perfect fit for her legs. Yes, she has room on the sides, but I don’t think she needs to be a “big girl who reads chapter books” to fit into this seat.
I haven’t actually opened the box and put it in the car, but now I’m worried about the safety issue. BTW, she rarely sleeps in the car. Even during a road trip where we were on the road in the late hours, she stayed up with my husband and I while her brother slept.
Any personal experience with a tall 5.5 year old and this seat would be greatly appreciated. Email me directly.
Thanks,
Michelle
Thanks for your review! I saw these on Walmart.com and was interested in the high back because you can’t beat that price! But I think it would be too wide for our Focus. We have a very hard time getting a Monterrey in there, and this looks to be the same width…not to mention I have a very narrow almost 9 year old and he’d probably swim in it.
Nice! I’ll have to pick up a pair of those.
Yeah – I think I’m going to have to pick some of these up for our program. I’ve had way to many kids who cannot fit (width wise) into a cosco or graco backless… this looks like it would provide a ton of room.
I picked up this booster at a TRU in NY. Not sure if they’re available at all TRU stores but that’s where I found this one.
thanks for the review/pics Kecia – nice to see there’s an affordable backless with enough depth for bigger kids (although with that width I’m not sure if I’d pick it up as a spare for my skinny leggy kids… )
OK – never mind… found it on their partner site: http://www.securejuvenile.com/index.php
Thanks for the review! Is it available in any B&M stores?
Also, the Harmony website doesn’t show this one, as far as I can tell… it may be one of the other two they show, though (Baby Armor and Literider?) Does it go by any other names?
Nice photos! And I’m really glad we have a great AFFORDABLE option for big kids in boosters.