Reviews for RECARO Start booster seat

I was very torn as to which car seat to buy for my 2 1/2 year old son. His little sister was outgrowing her infant seat and my son's Britax Boulevard was going to her. I wanted a car seat with side impact protection. The car seat testing in the US is disapointing to me. This seat was the only option I had for side impact protection in a convertible seat. I was unable to find it in any store on display. I had to purchase it site unseen over the internet. I am very pleased with this seat. It is extremely well made. I feel much better now knowing that both my children are in a car seat that will protect them beyond standard testing. You can't put a price tag on their safety.

This is by far the best booster seat on the market and worth every penny. I have tall, slim kids and it was very reassuring to put them in a seat that felt this secure. By weight they could have been in their Britax Marathons until they were 8, but their legs were dangling into the front seat. I love the fact that it is so heavy - it is so much more stable and secure than any of the plastic ones on the market. Definitely go for the footrest as well - it eliminates the kisking issue. We bought this initially when my now 5 yr old turned 4, and just bought one for his little sister because we love it so much!!

The Recaro Booster Seat is STELLAR! Not being an online shopper I am absolutely amazed that I was able to find a product that so perfectly fulfills ALL our needs. We live in a rural area and must drive great distances regularly? so the reclining seat is ideal for our 5 year old daughter to kick back and listen to a CD or watch a DVD (scholastic books or something science related FYI) using the plug in adapter for the buil-in speakers (after easily adjusting the back height to fit perfectly) while we're on the road. The built in speakers are great? we had numerous problems with headsets being too big and falling forward or ear buds regularly falling out so the built-in speakers have solved all these troublesome problems - yeah. We keep the seat permanently in recline position - so that elevates any fooling around with it with a sleepy kid eager to get in and rest. When not tired she usually sits in ?lotus? (after easily adjusting the seat length to fit perfectly) or uses the must have footrest. We also have the travel pillow that just stays put, too, which she loves and seems to actually induce calm behavior if not inviting enough to at least just rest her eyes. (Which alone is worth the price of this entire set-up because our little spitfire would rather be in the pool or on her bike than sitting in the truck again!) Overall our daughter loves her new seat, she is better behaved and actually falls sleep now, too, and when she wakes up no more neck aches, either. My only concern is my personal installation of the seat into our Land Rover. I'm unclear if it is truly secure. The review from the Dad in Milwaukee seems to really have a grasp on it - so I'm going to follow his advice and purchase a second strap to secure the lower area because, as he said, it is a heavy seat. And why else do we strap our kids in these contraptions anyway - but to keep them ultra safe. My wish and special note to Recaro is to design a more installation more user friendly: why not a double strap, like a backpack if you will, that goes over the truck seat down the back then slips through the seat & back cushions and double hooks onto the base of the seat! Easy. Or better yet - hook up with car dealerships (our Land Rover in Appleton has a sister Porsche dealership right next door!) and let them professionally install it for us! If you would do something like that you would get a sixth, maybe even a seventh, star from me! Meanwhile, thanks Recaro for everything? so far. Safe & Happy Travels to al, Suzanne from Door County, Wisconsin

My 4 1/2 year old little girl and I opened the box and I was instantly impressed by how sturdy this seat is. It doesn't even compare to any others I've ever seen. Her Compass seems so flimsy now -- I can only imagine how much safer she's going to be . The side impact protection she has now is worth every extra dime we spent. She had been complaining about her back hurting when in her seat for longer than 20 minutes, and with two 7+ hour trips ahead of us, we had to do something different. After hours of research online, I think I've read every review out there for a booster seat that reclines, I finally settled on the Recaro Start. I had her sit in the seat for me to make the adjustments (Which were not at all difficult), and now I can't get her out of it. She's sitting in her seat reading books and told me it's her "special comfy seat". I feel so much better KNOWING that she's so much safer and much, much more comfortable. The experiece with EliteCarSeats.com was also one of my best online shopping experiences and I do A LOT of online shopping.

After many hours/days/weeks of researching car seats - we picked this one. Although there is much debate about "5-point" harness, this seat is tethered in the back to help keep it in place. It doesn't move around at all. Our 4 yr old son is very comfortable and the seatbelt fit securing exactly where it should over his shoulder. Wish we would of ordered the footrest -- but we will soon when we purchase another Recaro for our other car! One thing we could of used is a video on proper installation ... a visual to make sure we have it installed correctly. A concise 10 minute video to complement the instruction manual would of been a big help. This site was great -- fast shipping and no problems at all!! Will order from them again.

It figures that after I bought this seat for my 40lb 4 year old, I read about the Safeguard Seat(that's the full name). That also has an aluminum frame but is not necessarily a booster seat. If you still have a very young toddler, look at that one also because it's awesome and goes to 65lbs with the 5-point harness. Back to the Start. PROS: 1. This thing adjusts 9 ways to Sunday! What fun! In fact, you can even fully extend the tushy cushion so your child can fold his/her legs on long trips. 2.It's V-E-R-Y solid. It also has a steel subframe under the tushy area not unlike the "SIPS" (side impact protection) system that Volvo patented in the early 1990's. 3. The rubberized webbing for the seat and back allow air to flow through which is great, especially if the lil one is still using pull-ups. 4. There is also styrofoam on the OUTSIDE of the base, which is great because in the event of a severe impact, my other two sons' pelvises will be protected somewhat from the nearly 30 lb seat. 5. If you want to, and your child is big enough, you can forego the use of the upper belt router, which is what we do because our Sienna has ratcheting seatbelts. That upper belt holder was originally designed for European cars which do not have ratcheting seatbelts, at least until recently. If we still had our beloved Volvo 960 wagon, that upper holder would be a lifesaver! 6. The speakers are cool, but other tots are jealous. 7. The upper tether helps secure the seat, which is EXTREMELY important since it's designed to fold forward for portability. If you use this seat without the upper tether, you will risk serious injury to your child who could get sandwiched by the heavy backrest. CONS: 1. The main one is that there should also be lower tethers to secure the heavy seat. In a rollover, since the bottom is hinged to the top, the bottom could put an inertia load on the child and cause injury because it would push his legs toward his chest. Just hold the seat upside down to see for yourself. Now imagine that at 20+ G's. In a frontal, it could also cause a dangerous inertia load because the child's abdomen would also be holding back the seat. As a result, I bought a lower tether strap and installed it myself. I put it around the vertical aluminum bars at the base of the backrest. 2. The armrests are too small. They should also be adjustable. 3. The speakers do not get very loud at all. You will have to CRANK up the AAA batteries on your mp3 player half the time, so stock up! 4. It is very difficult to use the recline function because the heavy seat sinks into the cushion. If your child falls asleep in the seat, you'll have to remove her first, so what's the point?! 5. The side impact wings for the shoulders (like 1st generation side airbags) seem only moderately helpful in a side crash as your bigger child's torso will come out far past where they extend to. Like newer airbags, they need to be redesigned and lengthened. 6. Like German cars, it takes a very well educated user to use it correctly. The instructions are barely adequate. It's easy to get it wrong, so don't leave this one for a fragile Gramma or babysitter. Spend time to put it in correctly. All told, if I could do it again, I would buy the Safeguard Seat for him until he was 50-65lbs and THEN graduate to this seat. We also have a Britax Parkway but it tips back and forth if you corner too fast(also needs upper tether). We like the Regent, but there is almost no side impact protection, it's too wide, no adjustability, and will not likely fit an 80lb American child anyways! Besides, if you have a Regent, know that U.S. safety standards only go to a 60lb assumed weight for child, and about 25 lbs for the seat. If you use that seat without the car's belt, a latch-weld on the car could fail due to the 80lb child and 30lb seat. Depends on the car so look into that if you have a Regent. DONE!

Comments from The Staff:

Britax's instruction manual for the Regent states that LATCH can be used up to a certain weight limit, after which, the seatbelt must be used for installation. This is common in some car seats - you should ALWAYS check the car seat's manual, and the manual for your vehicle before installing a car seat. Different vehicles have different anchor weight limits.

Christina
Call Center Manager
Certified CPS Tech

we have originally purchased (two) matched seats for our two growing up babies. We have done a lot of research since 2001, decided to go this route with safety concern as major issue. now our daughter turned 10 last month and our son turning 7 soon, we are still planning of keeping our kids in our Recaroes till they turn 12. (perhaps like some Europeans) We are vey satified with our choice. They are solid, well-built booster seats. Our kids are happy with easy to buckle Recaro seats. Only thing, American market limits very few colors and patterns.

I know you've read everything about the safety of this seat or you wouldn't even be reading these reviews. So, I'm writing to tell you the best feature on this seat is the built-in speakers in the headrest! I can't believe no other companies are doing this. What a joy to go on a family trip and not have to listen to the DVD player or complaints about how the headphones won't stay up, or are uncomfortable. Only my son can hear his movie, we can enjoy the radio, and everyone is happy. We've had the car seat for 3 years now and have very little complaint. It is very comfortable, washes well, and was not difficult to make growth adjustments. The seat belt guide does lock sometimes and can be frustrating (the reason for only 4 stars). We are now purchasing a second seat for my daughter. I had planned on passing my son's seat down to her when I made the original purchase, but he still has plenty of growth and is very happy with it, so I guess he'll be in it for a few more years. The seat is expensive, but well worth the money for safety and convenience.