Tuesday, April 29, 2014

RECARO Performance SPORT Harness Booster Seat Review

 
Disclosure: I received a RECARO Performance SPORT in exchange for my honest review. All opinions and experiences are 100% my own and may differ from those of your own. 

The RECARO Performance SPORT is an Award-Winning Child Safety Seat in which meets all new FMVSS 213 Standards. RECARO Performance Series car seats all feature comfort enhancing memory foam, Cool Mesh ventilation and performance infused fashions. It also has the deepest side wings on the market which have metal reinforced side walls for racing-inspired, full body side impact protection. The ultimate protection for your child! The RECARO Performance SPORT is fairly slender and can fit three across in most midsized vehicles. This seat has easy adjustable no-re-thread harness straps, making adjusting the straps as your child grows so much easier! This seat will truly grow with your child with an upper limit of 65 pounds for harness use and up to 120 pounds in the booster mode! The 65 pounds for harness use accommodates an average 9.5 year old child. My daughter is 8 years old and a bit on the taller side, she weighs about 85lbs and fits in the RECARO Performance SPORT in booster mode perfectly! In all honesty, she actually asked me to get her, her own RECARO Performance SPORT booster seat!


RECARO Performance SPORT Harness Booster FEATURES!
  • Side Impact Protection - RECARO's Side Impact Protection is designed to distinctly protect 5 vulnerable areas of a child in a side impact collision - their head, neck, face, torso and pelvis.
  • EasyGuide Belt Guide - Whether in Harness or Booster mode each belt guide is color coded so you can easily identify the proper belt path and positioning of either the LATCH strap or vehicle seat belt.
  • EasyAdjust 5-Point Harness - Harness and head restraint are adjusted together so no re-threading is necessary to properly position the harness shoulder straps to the child.
  • ErgoShell Structure - The ProSPORT's shell is designed to offer child occupants the comfort qualities RECARO seats are known throughout the world for.  
  • SoftTouch Seat Cushion - Memory foam cushion in the seat of the Performance SPORT ensures a comfortable ride. 
  • Safety Stripe System - This one-of-a-kind racing-inspired white stripe, clearly visible on the outside edge of the 5-point harness, alerts parents to improper harness alignment.
 

We received a RECARO Performance SPORT Harness Booster for review. I chose to use this seat for Ezio who is 2.5 years old and weighs about 32 pounds. I absolutely love this seat! Super easy to adjust the straps and this seat truly grows with your child. The Performance SPORT is the perfect harness booster for transition from a convertible car seat to a booster and I highly recommend this child safety seat. 

Please don't fret, the hoodie he is wearing in his car seat is very thin and will not compress. This hoodie is no different then him wearing an undershirt and a nice shirt over it. In the winter months my children do not wear jackets or thick hoodies/sweaters in their car seats as they compress. 

For forward facing with a 5 point harness the straps should always be above the child's shoulders, as many parents know children grow rapidly. One of the things I never looked forward to doing with any of my children was adjusting their straps as they grew taller because as you know with the older car seats you had to completely re-thread the straps, with the RECARO car seats and many other new models you just grab the 'handle' and pull up or push down to the correct strap height for your child. SO much easier! The crotch buckle is also so much easier to move forward or back.

Before installing the car seat in our vehicle I decided to see if my 8 year old daughter would fit as this seat is said to fit a 9.5 year old child. Sure enough she fit! She is about 56 inches tall and weighs about 85 pounds. Yes, she is a big for her age, but I was very pleased that the seat did actually fit her properly and even made the seat belt lay properly across her thighs instead of against her belly which is dangerous and can cause harm when in an accident. Unfortunately for my daughter her height would cause her to no longer be able to safely use this seat. Please note that all children grow differently.

Installing the RECARO Performance SPORT.
Installation of the RECARO Performance SPORT was extremely easy! We use the LATCH system and didn't have a single issue securing the seat in our vehicle. Since the initial install we've had to take the seat out a few times for family members to use in their vehicles with Ezio and several of their vehicles do not have the anchors for the LATCH system so I had to install it with the seat belt. Installing with the seat belt was just as easy and I was still able to establish a secure and snug fit. It's really a simple seat to install in a variety of vehicle models and sizes, I've installed this seat in our crossover, my dad's large SUV, a mini van, a Kia Soul and even a couple compact cars. 

I definitely give the RECARO Performance SPORT Harness Booster a five star rating all around!  

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17 comments:

  1. I need to look at another car seat option. My almost 4 year old will soon be out of her car seat. Thanks for the review.

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  2. That looks like a great car seat. He looks really comfortable in it too.

    Michelle F.

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  3. Seems to be a great car seat, when my little one is old enough to get out of her infant carrier I will keep this one in mind.

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  4. I love the versatility and how long this will last 1 child. The cup holder is great too! http://www.parentinghealthy.com/

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  5. That looks so comfy!! I love how it grows with your child!

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  6. I love the size limits bing high
    I like the white strip on the strap to see if it's twisted
    I love the colors

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  7. I love that this seat will grow with my 3 year old...who is about to outgrow her Britax... Oh the problems of a tall child.

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  8. My favorite features of the recaro performance sports harness are the Side Impact Protection and the ErgoShell design. Comfort and safety, yea!

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  9. My favorite part of the Recaro is the side impact protection! Want my little one as safe as possible. I also love that the fabric is temperature balancing.

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  10. I love the Easy-Adjust 5 point harness and the Side Impact Protection. I have the ProRide, and the harness is the easiest to use out of all the car seats I've ever used (Chicco, Britax, Diono, Safety 1st/Cosco) Also the side impact protection on Recaro's seats is unbeatable in my opinion! They really know how to make safe seats!

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  11. I really like that it has the side impact protection!!

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  12. i love that you can use it as both a harness and a booster!

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  13. i love the easy to adjust 5 point harness straps!

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  14. I have three boys all in car seats I love that I can use this for any of the three since it's adjustable and a grow with me.

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  15. I really like how big it goes!

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  16. I love that the harness can fit up to a child that is 65 pounds! Most children at the age of 9 1/2 (in which they say is the average weight of a 65lb child) are using just a booster and a seat belt. I never liked the fact of a child that small using the seat belts because they can easily slide under it or put it behind them without parents knowing unless parents are watching them the whole time. I also love that is fits in compact cars!! I really should look into one of these for our son, if I dont win this one, since he will be in a booster soon!

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  17. What I love the most about this car seat is how sage it is! Also, the fact that it grows with kids up to 120lbs is so awesome!

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