13 out of 13 people found this review helpful.
A Great Third Car Seat
Date of Review: Aug 26, 2006
The Bottom Line: If your child is already in a convertible, is growing out of it, but still not ready for a booster, get this seat.
The Evenflo Traditions Booster is our son's third car seat, and if it had a recline position then it could have been his second and last car seat. He started in an
Evenflo On My Way, and moved on to an
Evenflo Titan 5.
The Traditions has a superb 5 point harness that's easier to adjust than anything I've seen to date on the market. It is rated for a child of 20-40 pounds when used with the 5 point harness, but is rated for a child of 30-80 pounds when used as a booster. It will also accommodate a very tall child, and our son grew too tall for his second car seat. He's been in about the 80-90 percentile for height based on age throughout his young life.
The seat is now converted to a booster, and the conversion was quite easy using the instruction booklet--which I read online at the Evenflo website.
As with almost any car seat made in the past 6 years, it comes standard with a LATCH belt. There's a small cup holder and snack tray as well as a small zippered side pouch. I find the arm rests of questionable value, but they don't seem to hurt. The cup holder has to be slipped under the seat padding to attach, and that didn't seem a well thought out detail. However, it's a relatively minor annoyance that doesn't detract from my 4 star rating of this car seat.
The Traditions does lack the ability to recline, and that can be a huge negative for many parents with a 12 to 18 month old who's too big for an infant seat but might not be ready to sit upright always in the car. If your child is already in a convertible car seat and he or she is growing out of it, but not quite ready for a booster, this will make a great third and last car seat. Start them in the 5 point harness, and when they're ready it's a booster.
We purchased this one at Babies R Us, and we've purchased all our kids car seats either there or at Baby Depot in Burlington Coat Factory. The staff are usually quite knowledgeable and very helpful, and there are samples on display so you can have your child sit in the seat, try it out, and buckle them in to ensure a good, comfy fit.
I'm rating the Traditions 4 stars because it lacks a recline position. The Evenflo Generations Booster appears to have all the same good features of the Traditions, but with a recline position. I should think it's the ideal second and last car seat.
