If You Need an Affordable Booster Seat that Will Grow with your child...
Written: Dec 07 '01 (Updated Dec 07 '01)
Product Rating:
Pros: Plush, comfortable, five-point restraint, guiding flap, adjusts to shoulder harness, solid center clip
Cons: Low cupholder, straps occasionally twist, no armrests
The Bottom Line: A solid booster, converts from 5 pt to shoulder strap. Plush and comfortable, well rounded back, good strap adjustment. Previous clip issues apparently resolved. A solid booster for the price!
WorkingMomof2's Full Review: Angel Line Jenny Lind Crib
We're getting to be car-seat experts, so I was shocked at how disappointed I was with the last two booster seats I bought (and promptly returned). We're a two-car family, and I didn't want to spend a small fortune on a booster seat for my husband's car. It was with great joy (and relief), then, when I finally found the Evenflo Express Comfort Booster.
The Basics on this Booster
With the coming 6/60 law, I knew that selection of a good booster was critical. I'm sure you know that in 2002, the law is changing to require car seat restraints for kids who are not six years old or sixty pounds. If you've read the statistics on carseats, and the injuries including whiplash, crushing and even death, that a standard seat belt can cause to a youngster restrained only by a seatbelt, you'll understand the value of this new law. Other products like seat-belt buddies, etc. have even been shown to increase injury rates. Unfortunately, for those of us with smaller kids, it means that our kids may be in booster seats until they're close to the teenage years (if not by law, then because their size will prevent a safe seat-belt positioning). In any case, this meant that I went booster seat hunting with a specific list of requirements:
• Comfortable Seat: Comfort is important to me, not only because my kids are amazingly small -- not surprising, given my frame -- but even if they were tall the fact is that they are, well, kids. That means that if they're uncomfortable, I hear about it. A comfortable seat means a happier ride for everyone concerned. So comfort was a high level criteria. The Evenflo Express seat is nice and plush, with a well-padded and soft seat cover, and a nice roomy seat area (unlike another carseat with a rather slim seating area!)It also has a nice high, rounded back which supports the child's head if they nod off enroute. I've had carseats that didn't provide adequate head support, and hated them, so this was an important factor for us!
• 5 Point Restraint Adjustable to Shoulder Harness: Not all booster seats are created equal, and not all booster seats adjust to a shoulder harness. Some offer only a five-point (or bar) restraint, and some offer only a shoulder harness. The Evenflo Express Comfort seat allows the child to use a five-point restraint up to 40 pounds, then converts to a shoulder restraint system (for kids 30-80 pounds).I also wanted to avoid a flimsy center clip; the Evenflo Express Comfort has a nice, solid center clip that closes easily and slides up and down the straps to adjust right to the correct position. By the way, when I did my research I read some reports of issues with the adjustment ability on the five-point center clasp. These have evidently been resolved -- ours works wonderfully and all of those that I tested in the store worked flawlessly as well! I'd guess that some of the reviews are simply out of date, reflecting a since-resolved issue! Just doublecheck this feature when you get yours, in case you're getting old stock without this issue resolved!
• Easy Installation: Call me lazy, but I've had carseats that were tough to install. I'd rather spend the extra $5 or $10 and get a carseat with a guide, or access panel (like this one) to help position the strap. This one is very easy to install, with a slit in the panelling that allows you to reach through from the front to guide the strap through as you center it in your car (when it's in the five-point restraint mode). The seat also comes with a tether, if you need one.
• Affordable: We were buying this for a second car, and were on a tight budget. I compared this side to side with carseats with far higher pricetags and was pleasantly surprised by the value. On sale, I got this for under $50 and was thrilled!
• Washable/Durable/Other features:Basically, I wanted to get as much bang for my buck as possible. So even though I was on a tight budget, that didn't keep me from eyeing those $120 boosters longingly. I was surprised to find that I got almost all the same features with this seat as come on the far more expensive seats. These include a nice plush fabric that is easily removable (remember I have kids who love to initiate new carseats with vomit and assorted spills, this one was of course no exception!) and washable. The cupholder is low, but is there - if you need this, it's a decent option but honestly with the low positioning it isn't really very accesible for little hands (it's hard to get a cup back in without dropping it!) so we don't use it.
Anything Else?
I would mention, in addition to the one caution about the older models of this seat having a clip problem (which is resolved) that there are two things I might caution you about. The first is that like every single carseat I've ever had, the straps occasionally twist in the clip. Not frequently, mind you, but often enough to annoy me. I will say that they do this far less often than in other models with wimpier center clips, so I really shouldn't complain.
Secondly, as I mentioned, the cupholder position is essentially worthless to me. If you want a booster with a good cupholder, check out the Century Breverra Ascend instead. We own this, and it has well positioned cupholders that work beautifully. The Evenflo ones are down low, and so anytime the child tries to put their cup into them, they inevitably drop it and it leaks all over your floor or seat. Of course, it could be that my sweet angel is especially clumsy, but a cupholder that is essentially out of view for the child is not worthwhile in my estimation. We took it off of our seat altogether, and frankly don't miss it!
Finally, if you really want armrests, this seat does not have them. Frankly, they're a mixed blessing - a nice place for your pumpkin to rest her arms, but they make it far more difficult to climb in and out of the seat. If your child is bigger or you have a cramped seating area, I'd recommend skipping the armrests anyway. If you really want them, I'd refer you again to the Century Breverra Ascend (which I love and reviewed, see below).
Overall Recommendations
For the money, this is a solid booster that performs. The fabric and extra padding make it a comfortable ride, with a nice headrest area. The clip is wonderfully solid, versus the flimsy clip on other products in this price range (see my review of the Breverra Transit, below). The problems that Evenflo evidently had with the early version of this seat's clip are now resolved, as evidenced by the great performance of our clip and every seat that I tested in two separate stores. On the downside, the cupholder is worthless due to poor positioning, and there are no armrests so if that is a must-have, this seat is not for you.
I have to give this four-stars as a booster, and am confident that it will continue to meet our needs as my daughter grows! It's certainly performed to date and held up to two active (and car-sick prone) children, without a problem. We're highly impressed with this seat, for a budget-friendly booster. It lacks a few of the extras that put other seats into the five-star class; but then again, it lacks a three-figure pricetag, too! For us, this one is a winner!
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If you're interested, please check out these other booster seat reviews and save yourself some of the shopping pain we went through!
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Info on the 6/60 Carseat Law, Effective in 2002 (your state may vary, check the NHTA site for specifics):
http://www.nhtsa.dot.gov/people/injury/childps/boosterseat/CPS_Week.pdf
http://www.nhtsa.dot.gov/people/injury/childps/
http://www.nsc.org/traf/sbc.htm
http://www.carseat.org/Resources/632.pdf
http://www.ci.vancouver.wa.us/vanpd/crstinfo.htm
http://www.buckleupbaby.org/belt_positioning_boosters.htm
http://www.safekids.org/tier2_rl.cfm?folder_id=170
http://www.medem.com/search/article_display.cfm?
path=n:&mstr=/ZZZIX2327BC.html&soc=AAP&srch_typ=NAV_SERCH
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