Review Introduction

The Safeguard Go child restraint is a portable, hybrid carseat. It combines the advantages of a 5-point harness with the portability of a booster. In some sense, it really is more similar to a travel harness system that converts into a backless booster. Using the harness front-facing, it is for children over 1 year, weight from 30 to 60 pounds and 34 to 52 inches tall. As a booster, it is rated for children over 3 years old, 40 to 100 pounds and 43 to 57 inches tall. To make it portable and light, the “Go” has no hard seatback shell. For that reason, the vehicle seat back or headrests must provide adequate head restraint for the child.

Update

The Safeguard Go is now called a Hybrid Booster and has had some minor changes.  An updated review can be found at http://www.carseatblog.com .  This full review is for the original SafeGuard Go is at http://www.car-seat.org/showthread.php?t=7391 .


Conclusion

The Safeguard Go is a great choice for parents who want to keep their kids in a 5-point harness beyond 40 pounds. It is a good choice for many vehicles and seating positions that only have a lap belt, since boosters are not safe unless they have both lap AND shoulder belt. Finally, the Go is also a nice alternative for some situations that might otherwise need a travel vest or harness system. Since it lacks a true shell, it’s not going to meet some people’s needs. It does fill a niche that might help many parents looking for an alternative to more conventional child restraint models. As a bonus, once your child has outgrown the harness, you can still use it as a backless booster up to 100 pounds. I rate it 5-stars overall for a portable child restraint option and when used with the LATCH system, provided it fits your vehicle and you have adequate head restraint. For parents using it daily as a primary seat and installing with seatbelts, I would give it 3.5 stars.

Safeguard is relatively new to making child restraints for consumers, but they are not new to the business. Safeguard’s parent company, IMMI, has been a major manufacturer of child restraint components like harnesses, buckles and LATCH system attachments for decades. They are a supplier to many of the largest child restraint manufacturers in the world and also have manufactured specialty bus restraints and other transportation safety products for many years. Safeguard also operates their own advanced crash testing facility. Safeguard’s official webpage for the Go can be found at http://www.safeguardseat.com/go/index.htm .


For more information on child passenger safety, please visit:

http://www.car-safety.org

http://www.seatcheck.net

A review of the updated Go Hybrid Booster can be found here-

http://carseatblog.com/?p=403

Recommended: Yes

Amount Paid (US$): 179
Age Range of Child: Other