Best Booster Seats for Kids

As the name suggests, all booster seats are designed to “boost” your child up so a seat belt can fit correctly over his or her hips and chest. But there are a few different types of boosters you can consider: The right booster seat for you will depend on your personal preferences, your vehicle, as well as how portable (or not) you need a booster to be.

Highback booster seats, also sometimes simply referred to as booster seats with a high back, have a structure that’s more similar to a forward-facing car seat. These seats lift your child up while also providing head and neck support, so they’re a good choice for cars that don’t have a built-in head restraint. In the event of a rear collision, your child will have extra support with this kind of booster.

Highback-to-backless booster seats have bolsters around the head and torso to provide additional comfort and side impact protection. But with these types of booster seats, you can also remove the back, turning the seat into a backless booster that’s easy to store or take with you on the go.

Backless booster seats are sold without any head and neck support. If you’re looking for a booster seat to use exclusively for travel, for example, these can be a good option. They also work well in cars where the rear head restraints interfere with a highback booster.