Cosco Topside Backless Booster Car Seat

This car seat is a booster seat from the type of booster seats without back support. It is recommended for kids who are older than 6 years and compared to other similar booster seats this seat is for older kids because most of the related products are recommended for use from 4 years of age. The age recommendation is made based on the weight and height restrictions where the child should be with minimum 40 pounds of weight and should not be heavier than 100 pounds, and regarding the height, the seat is suitable for kids who are at least 43 inches tall up to 57 inches. On the positive side this item is pretty lightweight and with around 2.2 lbs is one of the lightest product compared again to the similar booster seats. It is also a compact product with its dimensions of 16 x 15 x 3 inches and combined with its lightweight it makes it a perfect seat for constant moving from one vehicle to another. The Cosco company gives one year warranty for the product, which is also useful info to take into account.

In order to use the booster seat of this type without back supporting the first thing to make sure is the child to satisfy the requirements regarding how tall or heavy is he or she, in order to use the seat properly and safely. This booster seat is recommended for families who may have a need to fit more than one of these seats in the back seat, or for other reasons like the small size of a vehicle have a need of a narrower seat. The users recommended the seat for taller kids and agree with the minimum and maximum restrictions. Many of the users also claim that they use the seat on the Uber rides so it is a great product for families who travel a lot, change the vehicles or use different types of transport. As the seat is without support it is definitely for a child who can keep the upright position comfortable by being leaned back on the seat from the vehicle.

The particular booster seat that we are reviewing today is in a design called Leo, and it is a combination of grey and black. It is indeed a gender-neutral product and you can use it for kids of a different gender. However, if you want to have a look and see what other colors are on the offer, we are sure you will find your favorite among the 6 available colors that this product is offered in. The design is usually simple and plain without any pattern but with a combination of two colors so you can find among them the one that will mostly fit your car interior. The booster seat has only a bottom and does not have back support. There are armrests on both of the sides, they are fixed and cannot be rotated and unfortunately, there is no cup holder. As it is a narrow seat, it will be suitable for families who would like to fit three of these in the back seat of their vehicle. The compact design also makes it easy for storing so practically you can pack it in your suitcase if there is a need for such a thing.

One of the pros of this booster seat is definitely the portability. So if you and your family are always on the go or you are in a need to change vehicles all the time we are sure you will like this booster seat because it is compact, light and portable. However, although most of the users agree that portability is its great feature, they also agree on another issue and that is, that most of them would recommend this seat for shorter trips, short rides to the town or nearby places. The reason for this is that first of all it is a booster without back support which means that the kids will have to stay in upright position all the time and if you are on a long trip this might involve sleeping, too.
Another reason why it is not recommended for longer trips is the fact that this booster does not have an adjuster for the seat belt, that on one side can cause problems with the shoulder belt especially if the kid is not seated high enough. What makes this seat different from the other seats without back support in terms of use is the fact that the belt for the shoulder should not go below the armrest but over it. And again in dependence on the types of vehicles and the height of the child for some this might be a problem as it happens that the belt comes very near to the neck of the kid who is seated. For other types of vehicles where this belt lays more on the outer side of the shoulder, this booster seat can even have an advantage when compared to the related boosters because in this case, it offers a good fit for the child. However, based on the experience of users, this seat will be much more suitable for a taller kid because even the seat itself is not very high. Again, on the other side because of its narrowness, it is not recommended for bigger kids.

Since this is a booster seat it does not require complicated assembly or installation. When you place the seat you should pay attention to put it on the seat next to a shoulder belt and a lap belt and never use a shoulder belt from the side door. The head of the child should rest on the headrest and the back of the child should be properly supported by the seat of the vehicle itself. At all time make sure that the shoulder belt lays across the chest of the child and does not go near the neck. To ensure the safety of the child who is seated in this booster make sure to buckle the shoulder belt above the armrest while the lap belt should be positioned below the armrests. There are some other tips regarding the safe use of this booster seat and this is why we encourage you to read the instructions before use. This seat, unfortunately, does not have a LATCH system, and this is a reason for some of the parents’ comments about the instability of the seat. One very important thing to have in mind, when using a booster seat for your child is that every child is different and although he/she might satisfy the least height or weight restrictions it does not necessarily mean that he/she is ready to use the booster seat especially because it does not contain back support or a LATCH system. This seat because of the lightweight does not press on the car seat and there is no mark on the back seat of the car.

The seat has a frame that is made of plastic. Although it is advertised as an extra padded there is quite a big number of customers who complain about the foam and claim that the seat is pretty hard for kids to feel comfortable in it. Most of the customers who complain about the layers of foam also add that they have purchased additionally extra foam and inserted it by themselves just for the comfort of the kids. The fabric is also not of the highest quality and one of the biggest cons is that the cover cannot be washed in the machine and it is really hard to remove. Instead, the company recommends cleaning the fabric only by hand with the help of mild soaps. It would have been really nice if the seat had a removable cover that is machine washable. Still, having in mind that the booster seat is designed for older kids there are of course fewer chances for spills so simple spot cleaning will be enough in most of the cases. This seat has a 6 year period of lifespan. All the information about the model and the expiration date can be found on the back of the seat, where you can find the instruction for proper use of the seat, as well.

The seat can be purchased for a very affordable price and you can find a bargain for not more than 20 dollars. For this price, you can choose your kid’s favorite design and a combo of two colors to fit your style. It is definitely on the low-range of cost and thus it can be attractive for the budget-savvies. Compared to the other similar seats without back support this one is a great deal for the price. You can purchase it at almost any retail shop and it is the best selling product of Amazon in the category of child-safe boosters. For this price, you get the extra height that you have been missing for the child to be properly and safely seated and fastened with a seat belt.

If you are in a search of a light, easy to carry around and portable booster for your grown-up child you may well think about this item manufactured by Cosco. It is a topside seat that can easily fit in almost any car and it is especially convenient and recommendable for families who have a need to change vehicles and travel with the kid at the same time. For an extremely affordable price, you can purchase a booster that can be used for a 6 year period. Certainly, it is important to make sure that your child satisfies the requirements of using a booster without back support. It comes as a ready product and does not require any assembling and the setting up is extremely easy using the lap and shoulder belts for the safety of the child. The cover of the seat can be removed but only hand-washed and unfortunately cannot be put in a machine for washing. On both of the sides, it has armrests that cannot be rotated and does not also contain any cup holder which is not a big con because this seat is designed for older kids. If you need a booster for not so long and durable rides, a booster that is more than affordable and easy to set up and move from car to car and definitely the child fits the requirements for the use of a booster, the Cosco seat can be a good option to think about.