The Product: Baby Booster Seat

Featured Merchants

Over the past five years, Britax has been in and out of the booster market with different offerings. First it was the Bodyguard, which was replaced by the original Parkway, which was then replaced by the Monarch. The Monarch’s resign was very short lived though and it was recently replaced by the new and updated Parkway SG Booster.

We purchased the original Britax Parkway for our daughter when she first came out of her convertible seat as it was one of the few boosters with side impact protection. The new Parkway SG builds off the original Parkway model, but is better in almost every way. To start the SG in the new model name stands for Briax’s exclusive new SG (Slideguard) Belt Anchor, an anti-submarining clip that helps prevent the child from sliding under the lap belt during a collision, reducing the risk of abdominal injury. It’s very easy to use and you child will even figure out how to do it pretty quickly.

The overall build quality of the new Parkway SG Booster is also improved over the previous model as it is thinner, the fabric material is softer and the EPS side foam wings are more subtle and integrated into the design. We had issues with the old model with pieces of the foam breaking off as it was not well secured by the fabric.  The Parkway SG has the same side “wings” with EPS Foam, providing side support for the torso and the head. The also have the added benefit of serving as a good head/neck support for naps. The Britax Parkway SG has some other neat features including a two position recline and an easy to use handle above the headrest to adjust the height with one hand. There are also built-in retractable cup holders for snacks and drinks.

The Parkway SG easily converts to a backless booster while maintaining the SecureGuard feature, and fits children from 40 pounds and 38 inches up to 120 pounds and 63 inches. When your child is bigger and no longer needs the belt guide or the top support, you can simply remove that portion and use the base portion on its own, so you will not have to buy another booster seat. Having read many reviews, I am confident that this is the best booster seat on the market today. It was also recently named a best pick  as a “best bet” booster by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, a private group funded by auto insurers whose test are much more stringiest than the government. We recently purchased the Britax Parkway SG Booster Seat for our daughter. What I thought set the Britax Parkway apart from other models was the additional side impact safety protection. The Parkway has substantial side “wings” with EPS Foam, providing side support for the torso and the head. The wings were also designed to serve as a good head/neck support for naps. Given that we were moving the booster to the outside position, this was something that was important to us. The Britax Parkway has some other neat feature including a two position recline and an easy to use handle above the headrest to adjust the height with one hand. There are also built-in cup holders for snacks and drinks. When your child is bigger and no longer needs the belt guide or the top support, you can simply remove that portion and use the base portion on its own, so you will not have to buy another booster seat.

Having read many reviews and seen other booster seats first hand, I am confident that this is the best booster seat on the market today.

Devil's Advocate:

Although the added padding around the head increases the seat’s safety, make sure it doesn’t drive your child crazy by having them try it out in the store. If this is the case, the Graco Turbo Booster is a good option as its head support has a little more breathing room.