Yesterday we went & bought our second Fisher-Price Safe Embrace booster car seat in 9 months. That’s a good thing! It’s not because the first one broke & we needed a replacement but because we were so impressed with the first that we decided to get another for our second child who is now 38 pounds. If you are shopping for a booster for your child please consider the Fisher-Price. Here are some of its features & specs…

- It is designed for children who weigh between 30 & 80 pounds & are between 37 & 55 inches tall. Some boosters only accommodate children up to 60 or maybe 70 lbs.

- This seat MUST be used with a car’s lap AND shoulder belt system. DO NOT use this seat where there is only a lap belt.

- This seat does not secure to the vehicle using the seat belt system but simply sits in the car’s seat with the seat belt system used to secure the child in the booster. Therefore it is easy to remove the booster from the car whether it be for cleaning the car’s interior or to move the booster seat from one car to another. This is beneficial in our family since moving boosters that utilize a locking clip to secure to the car is a big hassle.

- The seat is very lightweight.

- Assembly is extremely easy. All it takes is fitting the pad over the seat & then attaching 2 plastic loops to clips on opposite sides of the pad. Trust me it is VERY easy; I didn’t even bend a nail let alone break one!

- Adjustable shoulder belt positioners are located on either side of the booster seat. Once the child is sitting in the seat you are to slide the shoulder belt into the positioner & then adjust it so the belt fits over your child properly. For example, the shoulder belt should not cross your child’s neck or arm; it should cross their SHOULDER (that’s why it’s called a “shoulder belt”!). Those cheap seat belt adjusters that slip over the seat belt & buy at Wal Mart for a few dollars are not safe … your less-than-80-lb child should be in a booster seat!

- Since we’re talking about the adjustable shoulder belt positioners you should be warned that these are NOT handles for carrying the booster seat. They can warp or break if you do. In the beginning we were a bit careless & did use them as carrying handles but learned our lesson & have stopped that after we noticed a slight warping afterward. Since the positioners are located on both sides of the seat you could always move the booster to the other side of the car if one of the positioners should happen to break.

- This isn’t the best seat for napping in the car but none of the boosters that I know of are so I can’t count that against the Fisher-Price product. What I do know is that neither of my boys (ages 8 & almost 5) have made ANY complaints about this seat. In fact, last week when I had purchased another brand of booster seat, they both fought over the Fisher-Price. We took that other booster back to Wal Mart & got the Safe Embrace at another store!

- There is an optional cup holder that comes with the Safe Embrace. We have not attached that to the seat yet & I do not know if we will since our van has plenty of cupholders already. It is quite a small holder & pop cans will not fit inside.

- Until December 31, 2002, Fisher-Price is running a $10 rebate on the Safe Embrace. This isn’t the cheapest booster available but the rebate brings the price down AND I really feel this is a booster worth the money anyway. The rebate form is located inside the owner’s manual. By the way, I don’t know where Epinions gets $130 as this seat’s price. I paid just $59.99 before rebate!

Since this is an easy seat to assemble I suggest you try the Safe Embrace. Put it together, put it in your car & try it out. If it doesn’t work for you or your child I would bet it would be ok to return it provided there are no sticky messes on the padding! I’ll bet you’ll be happy, though, & will keep those sticky messes AND the booster seat.

[April 3, 2001- PS: I just read a review on booster seats by CPSMom which reminded me of another benefit of this booster - Children can buckle themselves into the Safe Embrace. Adult help is not needed at all, except maybe the first few times your child uses the booster. It's great having my 2 older sons buckle themselves in to the car when we go out!]


Recommended: Yes

Amount Paid (US$): 59.99
Age Range of Child: 6 to 8 Years