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When it comes to kids in cars, you can never be too careful. Yeah, I know that when we were little, laws on car seats didn't exist and we didn't even have to wear seat belts. Does that mean I want to expose my two precious little ones to all the crazy multi-tasking drivers out on the road today? No way, Jose! So when the Clek Olli Booster Seat came my way, I was thrilled! My inner safety patrol was thrilled, too.My one year old sits in a nicely padded and very sturdy car seat that has great safety ratings. My four year old has been sitting in a backless booster seat that appears to be safe, but that can slide around and isn't very secure, so I was overjoyed that the Clek Olli Booster Seat anchors to the car via the LATCH system. While most other booster seats are held in place only by the seatbelt, the Clek Olli Booster Seat snaps right into the LATCH anchors. Once snapped in, it sits securely in place until you're ready to remove it. Once in, it's pretty easy to get out, too. Recently, we had to switch boosters around and move the Clek Olli Booster Seat to the backseat. It was pouring rain and I was in a hurry. Having never unlatched the Clek, it took me a minute or two, but was quite easy to figure out.
For all its safety prowess, you might expect the Clek to look boring. Not so! Available in colors ranging from Bubblegum Camo to Zebra Stripe, the Clek Olli Booster Seat is a seat your kids will love to sit in, even when they're starting to think they're too big for a booster seat. The Clek has a sleek, modern look that doesn't look like a child's seat, and rides low so it's not obvious they're in a booster. My daughter loves it! She says it's very comfortable to sit in and likes the position of the armrests. The one and only minor drawback I see to the Clek Olli Booster Seat is that it doesn't have an official cupholder. It has a stretchy mesh pocket that can accomodate a cup, but it's a little awkward. But in this day and age of every car, SUV and minivan coming equipped with more cupholders than passengers, that's not really a big deal.
The Clek Olli Booster Seat is a bit more expensive than many boosters, but safety is an area where you just don't want to skimp. Even your big kids need to be secure, and the Clek Olli Booster Seat gives them a fun way to do it while keeping them happily in a booster for as long as you need them to be.
14 comments:
I have been doing some online research about the Clek.
Being as it is a booster seat it can only be used by children over 40 pounds. But tether and LATCH systems in cars are designed for children who weigh less than 40 or 48 pounds (depends on the model, but 40 lbs is the minimum and the most common measurement). I think this booster seat offers parents a false sense of security or at the most a very brief period of usage. Consumers need to research their vehicles safety specifications before buying this car seat.
This is what I've just done - and as my SUV's LATCH and tether are rated to 40 lbs - I'll just go buy a cheaper, more versatile, just as safe Graco.
Have you seen the Jane booster seat?? It is a high back, fully adjustable True Side Impact booster seat that uses LATCH to anchor it... true 200$ may be a bit steep for some, my 4, 2 and 1 year old are in over 700$ worth of car seats combined. There is no price on safety.
Also, for the person mentioning about weight... you still use a SEAT BELT to hold your child in place. The only weight put on the latch anchors is the weight of the seat itself, usually between 7 and 19 lbs for car seats.
Just thought I'd share what I found.. personally, I still have my 4.5 year old in a 5 pt harness with the sunshine kids Radian 80 which looks like a booster seat and is only 11 inches wide at the base compared to my britax seats which are 19!
The safest option for a 4 year old would be to use a carseat with a 5 pt harness rated to 65 or 80 lbs. There are several available.
Although it is true that the Latch system only goes up to 48 pounds or so depending on make/model of the vehicle and a booster seats require a child to be 40 pounds, you are missing an important point. You also have the child behind a normal seatbelt when they are sitting on the latched booster seat. The seatbelt is what suports the child over 48 pounds not the latch system.
It would be completely different if the boster seat has an attached seat belt or 5 point harness and the latch system is the only thing holding back a child over 50 pounds.
The latch system just secures the booster seat in place so that in the case of an accident (heaven forbid) the seat doesn't slide out from under the child and then the child slips out from behind the seat belt due to the booster seat disappearing.
6:12 pm is correct. The person who wants to buy the $20 seat doesn't understand that it floats around on the regular vehicle seat. When the child moves around, so does the booster seat. They don't have a latch to hold them in place, which is just shocking to me. I get that they are supposed to boost you up only and not secure you, but the seat needs to be secured to the vehicle, while the child is secured to the vehicle as well through the lap belt.
The LATCH makes the booster safer for *other* people in the car. Most boosters must be buckled in whenever you drive, even if no child is in the seat. This is to prevent the booster from being a projectile object during a crash and hitting someone on the head. However, most parents don't know this or forget to do it. Having the booster seat LATCHed in keeps it from flying around in an accident in which no child is using it. It may also make the seat slightly more stable, less tippy. But it is the seatbelt which is actually restraining the child in the seat and technically it is not safer for the child in the seat than a non-latching booster. The point of any (backless) booster is just to raise the child up higher so the seatbelt will line up and work correctly.
Clek is coming out with a high backed LATCH booster in December '08. It's called the Oobr. I emailed them about the price and it will retail for $139.99 -- $60 less than the Jane. I'm considering one or the other for my 5 year old. I'll wait until December when I can compare the 2 side by side.
Has anyone read this article? It says that boosters seats ARE SUPPOSED to move with the child. ????
http://ezinearticles.com/?Warning-to-Parents:-Booster-Seats-and-the-LATCH-System&id=286937
The above link is no longer available. Here is something useful that I found at http://www.car-safety.org/latch.html : Most current LATCH models in the USA use a flexible belt to attach the carseat to the anchors. There is also a rigid attachment system that tends to be extremely easy to use. Currently, the only harnessed rigid LATCH model on the market is the Baby Trend LATCH-LOC infant seat, with rigid LATCH connectors on the base that make LATCH installation particularly quick and easy. Belt-positioning boosters are beginning to utilize rigid LATCH for added stability and protection, such as the Jane Indy Plus and Clek Olli. Consumers should note that, like any carseat, any particular rigid LATCH model may not work in some vehicles. The shape of the seating cushions, spacing and location of the LATCH anchors can cause issues with rigid LATCH systems. In most vehicles that do work with rigid LATCH restraints, they have been extremely simple to install in just a few seconds - literally, "Click and Go." Plus, rigid LATCH seats tend to be extremely secure in frontal impacts and are proving to provide extra protection in side impacts as well.
Hopefully this can put the dabate at rest and other parents at ease knowing that a rigid LATCH system as mentioned above is an acceptable application of safety for our most precious cargo.
-Sheralyn
Oops! I meant "debate" :)
-Sheralyn
Here is a link to an article about why using the LATCH system with a booster is unsafe. It is not on ezinearticles. It makes perfect sense...so please reconsider if you are intent on using the LATCH system w/your boosters. By the way, my oldest child, who is now 16, was in a "cheap" backless booster when he was 3. We were involved in a terrible accident. Man passed out, ran a stop sign and t-boned us. My son was fine. His cheap Walmart booster did just fine and his seat belt caught like it was suppose to.
http://www.thecutekid.com/parent-resources/WarningtoParentsBoosterSeatstheLATCHSystem.php
No references, no resources, no proof in the "cute kid" linked article!
I cannot see how the boosters sliding around when you slam on your breaks could possibly be a good thing for your child's body! And it sounds like the seat belts were the problem, not the boosters! Hal
Latch with booster seats, Latch does not restrain the child but the seat itself is restrained as intended. The child is restrained only by the seatbelt, and the booster helps position child and belt correctly to the other. In a crash the it is the CAR'S SEATBELT that restrains the child. The latch is meant to keep the seat from moving around, flying around, in a crash when a child is not in the seat. A 'booster' is an aide, NOT A RESTRAIN, neither is the LATCH on a booster a child restraint.
Hense the weight limit on the vehicle LATCH is non-appicable with booster application.
It's a BOOSTER not a RESTRAINT, the car's seatbelt IS THE RESTRAINT.
Children are safer and better off in a 5 point harness for as long as possible. My daughter is 5 and tiny. There is no way a seatbelt will fit her correctly and keep her safe. Have you guys seen the story of the 3 year old who died in a MINOR car accident due to internal injuries caused by her seatbelt. 3 is just way too young for a regular seatbelt and backless booster. Have you seen the safety videos on youtube showing the difference between a child in a 5pt harness compared to a child in a shoulder belt? After seeing those videos, there is no way my children will be using shoulder belts until they are too big for a 5 point harness. There are 5 point harness carseats that hold children up to 80-100lbs depending on brand. I don't know how some of these carseats and boosters are allowed to be sold considering they are not on the 'good' list. http://www.iihs.org/news/rss/pr101311.html
You also have to consider if the carseat/booster is made to fit the particular vehicle you are driving. There is just too much risk taking for me to use the $15 backless booster at Walmart. Everyone is entitled to their opinion but my kids are staying in 5 point harness in a booster that has LATCH and that has a high safety rating.
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