What is a Five-Point Booster?
A five-point booster car seat is the next step after your child outgrows their convertible car seat. They are forward facing ONLY car seats, yet unlike lap-positioning boosters, they still have a five-point harness for added safety and support. They typically are suitable for children from 25-120 lbs and 34-63″ approximately. However, it is HIGHLY ENCOURAGED to keep your child rear-facing until they outgrow the height or weight limit on their convertible seat before they “graduate” to their booster. We love talking car seats with families and helping them find the best seat for them. Here is our guide to the Top 5-Point Harness Boosters of 2022.
A Note from an Expert
One of the reasons we initially bought a baby store was to educate parents on the importance of car seat safety. It was very overwhelming trying to decide on an infant seat for our first son, since there were so many options online. We wanted to be the go-to place, for local families initially, to answer gear questions, explain features and teach proper installation. Eight years later, I still take car seat safety super seriously and often help my patients install their seats, or check them to make sure they’re installed correctly. Between being a Child Passenger Safety Technician and a prenatal and pediatric Chiropractor, I’ve spent lots of time comparing seats and narrowing down our top picks.
– Dr. Rachel Rising, D.C.
CAR SEAT TIP: Before upgrading your child to the next seat up, or switching from rear to forward facing, make sure they’ve outgrown their current seat/position. Rear-facing until at least age 2 is HIGHLY recommended.
The Thing about Boosters
With the newer development of all-in-one car seats, five-point booster car seat options are slowly dwindling. One huge perk of getting an all-in-one is that you are one and done – You use the same seat for your infant, toddler and school aged child! Whereas, a five-point booster traditionally would be the third car seat you would transition your child into, after their convertible car seat.
Many all-in-one car seats are excellent 5-point boosters but I want to focus this blog on strict, forward-facing only, 5-point boosters in case you didn’t do the all-in-one route (which wasn’t an option for me at the time). We’ll cover our TOP All-in-One car seats in a separate blog! Stay tuned!
BABY LOGIC’S TOP 5-POINT HARNESS BOOSTERS OF 2022
- SAFEST + EASIEST TO INSTALL: Britax Grow with You ClickTight Plus
- FAMILY FAVORITE: Chicco MyFit Harness + Booster
- MOST AFFORDABLE: Graco Tranzitions SnugLock®️
- MOST LIGHTWEIGHT: Evenflo Maestro Sport
SAFEST + EASIEST TO INSTALL:
BRITAX GROW WITH YOU PLUS
The Britax Grow With You ClickTight Plus wins our TOP PICK for SAFEST + EASIEST TO INSTALL five-point booster seat. Even if you have the safest seat on the market, but it isn’t installed properly, your child is at risk. This is why this seat wins our top pick. It installs with Britax’s ClickTight technology and ensures a super tight install with one click. It also has added safety features like a reinforced steel frame, 3 layers of side impact protection and SafeCell that acts as a crumple zone, taking crash forces away from your child.
FEATURES:
- Installs using ClickTight technology. Get a tight install in just 3 steps! (open, thread, click!)
- SafeCell acts as added crumple zone
- Steel reinforced frame
- 3 layers of side impact protection
- V-shaped tether
- No rethread harness adjuter
- 4 cup/snack holders
- 9-position adjustable headrest and harness, adjusts one-handed
- 2 recline positions
- Removable/washable cover
- 9 year expiration
- Color coded belt guides
- Quick-pull harness
- Suitable for children 25-65 lbs in harness mode, 40-120 lbs in booster mode
- No added fire retardant chemicals
MOST AFFORDABLE:
Graco Tranzitions SnugLock
The Graco Tranzitions Snuglock seat wins our award for MOST AFFORDABLE 5-point harness car seat (keeping enhanced safety in mind). I love an integrated steel frame and have seen enough crash test videos/and auto accident patients to understand its importance. So for me, it’s a must. I also love a seat that has a higher harness limit of 65lbs (some are only 50lbs). The SnugLock system ensures a tight install every time, making it an easy choice for many families.
FEATURES:
- Harness mode from 22-65lbs
- Booster mode (high back OR backless) from 40-100lbs
- No rethread harness
- 8 position adjustable headrest
- Belt guide for shoulder belt
- Machine washable fabrics
- Dual cup holders
- ProtectPlus Engineered
MOST LIGHTWEIGHT:
Evenflo Maestro Sport
Our TOP PICK for MOST LIGHTWEIGHT 5-point booster seat is the Evenflo Maestro Sport . It’s a good basic seat, without all the bells and whistles, yet still meets all required crash testing. And, it only weighs in at 9.6 lbs!
FEATURES:
- Machine washable cover
- Dual cup holders
- Suitable for children from 22 – 50 lbs in harness mode and 40 – 110 lbs in booster mode.
- Shoulder belt guide
- Up-front harness adjust
- Multiple harness slots
FAMILY FAVORITE:
Chicco MyFit Harness + Booster
The Chicco brand has been around for years and have a reputation for being tested and true. Our FAMILY FAVORITE 5-point booster seat is the Chicco Myfit Harness + Booster. It has all the bells and whistles, reinforced steel frame (which I personally love in any seat), and consistently ranks within the top car seats.
Features:
- 2 layers of side impact protection
- Steel reinforced frame
- Made with EPS energy absorbing foam
- 9 position headrest
- No rethread harness
- Ergoboost comfort with three layers of padding in the seat
- LockSure belt system with built-in lockoffs
- Machine washable fabrics
- Breathable backrest
- 4 position recline
- 2 cup holders
- LATCH
- Harness mode from 25 – 65 lbs
- Booster mode from 40 – 100 lbs
Time to decide!
Our TOP 5-point harness boosters of 2022 list is meant to guide you and help you make an informed decision about your car seat. Many factors go into deciding which seat is best for you including:
- The size of your vehicle
- How many car seats you need
- Additional safety features
- Weight
- Budget
- Portability
- Easy of installation
- Etc.
Prioritize which factors are most important to you and choose a seat that has those features. We’re always here to help answer questions though, so never hesitate to reach out to us at Rachel@baby-logic.com!
WANT MORE?
Here are some other TOP car seat lists and safety information that you might find useful.
- What do car seat recalls mean?
- What type of seat should my child be in?
- How to find the expiration date on your car seat?
- TOP 6 car seat installation mistakes
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