As you may have heard, the AAP updated their car seat recommendations yesterday, advising that parents leave their kids in a rear facing car seat now until the age of two, not one. This means means getting a little creative when it comes to the back of the seat they’ll be staring at, and making sure your toddler seat is convertible, and won’t be soon outgrown. But the recommendations are also saying that kids should remain in a booster seat until they are at least 4′ 9″ and between the ages of 8-12.
12? Whoa!
Since it looks like our kids are going to in that booster until they’re close to driving themselves, we’ve rounded up some of our favorites seats that are safe, built to last, and stylish–even for a super picky tween who thinks he’s too cool for booster seats.
The Clek Oobr booster seat
(say it out loud, you’ll get it) was a pick for Cool Mom Picks Editors Best for 2010 and with good reason. Aside
from the cool collab with Paul Frank, the seat, shown above, is easy to install, and
features an adjustable headrest and reclining seat, you know, for those
kids who are too big for naps. Right.
If you’re more inclined towards a backless booster seat,
Clek offers a wide variety, all of which attach using the LATCH system
and are super comfy for even the smallest bum. We love the Julius the Monkey booster for looks as well as practicality.
If a new booster isn’t in your budget, consider giving new life and comfort to your neighbor’s hand-me-down with a Keester booster seat cushion from Diggity Kids.
They’re rigorously safety tested in the same facilities as booster seats, and are
also portable too – for restaurants, airplanes, even sports bleachers. They help make the seat far more comfy, and considering discomfort is the number one reason kids ask out of their seat, it seems like a smart investment to us. –Kristen
For more details about the new AAP car seat recommendations, check their website. If it’s small changes to our car seat positioning to keep our kids safe, we’re all for it.
Thanks for this! That second seat is super cool. I posted some more info. on the new standards here:
https://www.modernparentsmessykids.com/2011/03/why-you-really-do-need-to-squish-your.html
I don’t know if I should be scared or happy that my kid is going to hit 4’9″ by the time she’s like 8. She’s working on 4 ft before she turns 5, so what is another 9 inches in three years. Here is hoping the next kid is more average in stature.
I have the Clek Oobr for my daughter age 6 and I love it. She is still a car sleeper so the larger head rest wings and the ability to have the back rest at a slight recline are a huge plus. It is pricey but it has an expiration date of 7 yrs so it will get passed on to my younger daughter is ready for a booster and #1 can go in to a backless.
Oh that skull booster seat is so cool! I love anything with skulls, guitars, stars basically anything that ROCKS!