Full Review ⭐ Graco Affix Backless Booster Car Seat: Pierce

The Graco Affix Backless Booster Car Seat with Latch System is a popular and well-reviewed booster seat option for older kids who have outgrown their forward-facing harnessed seats. This backless booster allows kids who are at least 40 lbs and 40 inches tall to be secured in the car using the vehicle's seat belt rather than an integrated harness system.

The Affix booster seat stands out for its easy, one-hand front adjust Latch system that helps secure the booster to the car seat so it doesn't shift around. While Latch is not required for booster seats, Graco's system provides an added safety benefit by stabilizing the seat and allowing proper seat belt positioning. This makes the Affix a smart choice for active kids prone to wiggling around.

Seat Specs

The Graco Affix Backless Booster Seat comes in 3 different color variations: Go Green, Atomic, and Pierce. It weighs about 7 pounds and has dimensions of 16 x 15 x 8 inches. This makes it a nice compact and lightweight option that's easy to transport between cars. The seat is designed for children who weigh 40-100 pounds and are 38-57 inches tall. With its sturdy steel frame construction, it can accommodate kids up to 100 pounds. The open backless design allows it to be used safely by bigger kids who no longer need the back support. Overall, it offers a smart space-saving solution while providing essential safety for older children who still need a boost in the car.

For parents looking for an alternative car seat option, the Graco Enhance Convertible Car Seat is a great choice. This car seat has some excellent features that make it versatile, safe, and convenient. It can be used rear-facing for infants from birth up to around 4 years old. Once your child is big enough, it converts to forward-facing to accommodate kids up to 7 years old. So you can use this single seat for a long time without needing to buy new ones.

The Enhance car seat has a 5-point front adjust harness that you can easily tighten and loosen as your child grows. This ensures a secure and customized fit. It also has side impact protection and a steel-reinforced frame for safety. The seat pad and harness covers are machine washable, making cleanup a breeze. When rear-facing, a removable head and body support cushion keeps infants cozy and stable. As your child gets bigger, you can remove the cushion. There are multiple recline positions so you can find just the right angle for comfort and safety at each stage.

This car seat is suitable for babies and toddlers weighing 0-18kg when rear-facing and 9-25kg when forward-facing. It meets or exceeds all applicable US safety standards and has been side impact tested. The fashionable black and grey pattern gives it a stylish look. So if you're seeking a convertible car seat that truly grows with your child, the Graco Enhance is a smart investment that could be the only seat you'll need from infancy through the early school years.

Installation

Installing the Graco Affix Backless Booster is simple and straightforward. It uses the vehicle's seat belt to secure the booster and child in place. Make sure the back seat is cleared out and there is nothing under or behind where the booster will sit.

Position the booster on the vehicle's back seat. Have your child sit on the booster with their back flat against the vehicle seat back. Pull the seat belt across your child and fasten it. The shoulder belt should cross midway between their neck and shoulder. The lap belt should sit low across their hips and upper thighs, not on their stomach.

Adjust the headrest on the vehicle's seat to line up with the top of your child's ears. This ensures proper head support. Tighten the seat belt so it fits snugly. The booster should not shift or slide when your child moves side to side. Do a final check that the seat belt fits right and the booster is secure. Refer to the user manual for full installation instructions.

For extended rear-facing use, the Graco Contender 65 Convertible Car Seat is an excellent choice. With its steel-reinforced frame and impact-absorbing foam, it provides safety and comfort as your child grows. The Contender 65 transitions from rear-facing up to 40 lbs to forward-facing up to 65 lbs. The no-rethread harness adjusts easily with one hand as your child's height changes. This helps ensure the proper fit.

The Contender 65 features a Simply Safe Adjust Harness System. You can adjust the height of the harness and headrest together in one motion. This makes it easy to get the right fit as your child grows. To change modes, just flip the seat over. The integrated cup holders keep drinks within reach. The removable body support cushions smaller babies. Overall, the Contender 65 is designed for safety, comfort and convenience.

Comfort

The Graco Affix Backless Booster Seat offers a high level of comfort for children, thanks to its thoughtful design and padding. The seat features ample foam padding on both the bottom and backrest to cushion your child during drives. The padding feels soft yet supportive. The backrest padding is especially important for providing lumbar support and preventing fatigue on long rides.

The seat is also designed with comfort in mind through its adjustable armrests. The armrests can be easily raised up and out of the way when putting your child into the seat or taking them out. When lowered, they provide a place for kids to rest their arms. The armrests have padding for added comfort. This adjustable armrest design helps accommodate children of different sizes.

Overall, between the padded seat bottom, backrest, and adjustable armrests, the Graco Affix Backless Booster Seat prioritizes comfort for kids. The thoughtful padding materials provide softness and support in the right areas to prevent discomfort even on lengthy trips.

Safety

The Graco Affix Backless Booster Seat prioritizes safety in its design. It meets or exceeds all applicable US safety standards and has been rigorously crash tested.

The seat features effective head and torso side impact protection to shield your child. Energy-absorbing foam lining provides cushioning and impact absorption. The seat back absorbs crash forces and helps reduce injury risk.

For optimal safety, the Affix has an adjustable headrest with multiple height positions to properly fit your growing child. This ensures the headrest can be positioned to prevent whiplash and injury by supporting the head and neck. The seat guides the seat belt properly across your child's body, keeping the lap belt low on the hips and shoulder belt centered on the chest and shoulder.

The sturdy steel frame reinforced with metal components provides strength and durability to protect your child even in crashes. The integrated LATCH system offers a secure installation if your vehicle is LATCH equipped.

With rigorous crash testing and safety features like side impact protection, adjustable headrest, and steel-reinforced frame, you can feel assured your child is safe and secure in the Graco Affix.

Convenience

The Graco Affix offers several convenient features that make it easy to use on a daily basis.

• The integrated cup holders on either side of the seat are a handy place for kids to store drinks and snacks during car rides. They can hold standard cup sizes and have high edges to prevent spills.

• There is also a storage compartment on the back of the seat. While not very large, it can hold small items like sunglasses, books, or a phone.

• Getting kids in and out of the seat is simple with the one-hand, front-adjust LATCH system. The LATCH connectors click in and out of the lower anchors easily without needing to dig around behind the seat.

• To adjust the height, there is one lever on the front that can be lifted to move the headrest up or down. This allows you to find just the right height for proper shoulder belt positioning.

• The seat sits flush against vehicle seats when unoccupied, so it doesn't get in the way. Some users mentioned the seat had a tendency to slide around when empty, so securing it with the LATCH system is recommended.

Overall, the Graco Affix offers convenient features that make it hassle-free for parents to use every day. The cup holders, storage and easy installation are handy additions.

Appearance

The Graco Affix Backless Booster Car Seat has a sleek, modern look that will blend in nicely with most vehicle interiors. It comes in two color options - Pierce, which is a gray/black combination, and Atmosphere, which is mainly light gray.

The seat itself has a streamlined design without a lot of bells and whistles. The padding is smooth and uniform in appearance. There are no patterns or distracting textures on the fabric. This gives it a clean, minimalist aesthetic that won't clash with your car's interior.

The smooth padding also makes the seat easy to wipe down and keep clean. Kids can make a mess in the car, so an easy-to-clean seat is a big advantage. The solid colors hide stains and marks better than patterned fabrics too.

Overall, the Graco Affix has versatile, neutral styling in soothing, modern hues that will coordinate well in any car. The streamlined design looks sleek without added ornamentation.

Price

The Graco Affix Backless Booster Car Seat typically retails for around £30-40. This is a very reasonable price point for a backless booster seat. Many comparable models from other brands retail in the £50-70 range, so the Affix offers good value.

The Affix doesn't have as many bells and whistles as some higher-end booster seats, but it doesn't skimp on safety or quality. The materials and construction feel sturdy and durable. For parents looking for an affordable, no-frills booster that will get the job done safely, the Affix is a great option that doesn't break the bank.

Some key factors that make the Affix a good value:

• Sturdy, steel-reinforced frame for safety and durability
• Meets or exceeds all applicable safety standards
• Front adjust system for proper seatbelt positioning
• Portable and lightweight for easy transport between vehicles
• Cup holder and storage compartment included

While it lacks some convenience features found in pricier models, the Affix delivers very solid quality and safety fundamentals at an affordable price point. For budget-conscious families, it hits a nice sweet spot between price and value.

Pros

• Lightweight and portable design makes it easy to move between vehicles
• Open back allows you to use vehicle seat belts for installation
• Armrests provide additional comfort and support
• High back boosts height to improve seat belt positioning
• Meets or exceeds all applicable US safety standards

Cons

• The seat can be slippery, which allows kids to slide out of position while seated. Parents report needing to constantly re-adjust their child.

• While lightweight, the plastic shell feels cheap and flimsy. Durability is a concern for long-term use.

• The seat sits high, making it difficult for shorter kids to comfortably rest their feet on the floor of the vehicle. Their legs dangle instead.

• The belt guides are tricky to thread properly. Installation takes some getting used to compared to seats with LATCH systems.