When it comes to car safety, you can focus on driving safely and you can focus on choosing a safe car. However, if you have children, you also need to focus on choosing a safe car seat. This is one of a series of reviews I’ll write on what I consider to be the best car seats currently available in the United States.

Kiddy Cruiserfix Pro – What’s the big deal?

The Kiddy Cruiserfix Pro is one of the latest car seats by German car seat manufacturer Kiddy. It comes with a range of interesting features that makes it one of the more impressive booster seats on the market. It’s a single mode booster car seat, which means it can be used exclusively as a high back booster, but not as a backless booster. Let’s take a look at why the Kiddy Cruiserfix Pro is among the best boosters on the market for parents of booster-age children.

Kiddy Cruiserfix Pro Limits for Weight and Height

High back booster: 33-100 pounds, and between 38 and 60″ in height, or until the top of the child’s ears reach past the top of the headrest.  The seated shoulder height of the child in terms of the belt guide can range between 15  and 20.5″ in 10 adjustable steps.

Remember that research into car safety indicates children should remain rear-facing for as long as possible (the average is 4 years in Sweden, which posts the lowest child fatality rate on Earth), and after rear-facing, the child should remain forward-facing as long as possible before switching into a booster. Remember that children should remain in booster seats until their seat belts fit them over the shoulder, across the chest, and flat on the upper thighs.

Buy the Kiddy Cruiserfix Pro on Sale with Free Shipping at Amazon here.

Dimensions of the Kiddy Cruiserfix Pro

The seat is 23″ wide at its widest point, which is at the shoulders, and 12″ wide at the bottom of the shell. The seat weighs 16 pounds.The internal width of the seat at the shoulders ranges from 19″ to 23.” The depth of the seat adjusts from 15 to 18.”

Why Buy the Kiddy Cruiserfix Pro?

I’ve had the privilege of reviewing some pretty awesome car seats over the last few years, both as a parent and as a grizzly guy writing a car safety blog. I advocate rear-facing to the limits, forward-facing to the limits, and only then switching to boosters. I prefer convertible seats to infant seats and combination seats to boosters, simply for efficiency. Dedicated boosters, in the end, are designed to do the same thing as combination seats in booster mode: to properly position seat belts on children who are old enough to sit in them. So if there are combination seats that do as good of a job as dedicated boosters, why would I review and even suggest a dedicated booster?

First of all, it’s an incredibly comfortable seat. There’s a great deal of cushioning everywhere, and it’s a roomy seat! I’m too big for it, but kids will enjoy it. And comfort is where the Kiddy Cruiserfix Pro starts to shine. It has an expanding shoulder section that moves outward as the headrest is raised. As a result, when kids are growing upward, they also have room to grow outward. At the lowest belt guide, the shoulder width is 19″, while at the highest belt guide, the shoulder width is 4″ wider at 23.” This alone is reason for me to recommend the Kiddy Cruiserfix Pro.

Secondly, I love that the seat depth can be adjusted at the thighs. What this means is that kids who have longer legs won’t have to choose between slouching and dangling legs. There are 4 positions that span 15 to 18″ in seat depth.

Buy the Kiddy Cruiserfix Pro on Sale with Free Shipping at Amazon here.

Third, I’m a fan of the Thermotex material used in parts of the seat. The goal of the fabric is to keep air moving through the seat so the child doesn’t overheat. Because the fabric is breathable, kids are more comfortable in the seat over long trips and in warm weather, which can make a significant difference with children with medical conditions. I love this.

Other great things about the Kiddy Cruiserfix Pro include the use of k-fix anchors, or lower LATCH anchors, that can be used to anchor the seat without the use of a seat belt when the seat isn’t being used. It’s a nice little convenience feature that should be included on more seats as the years go by.

The manual is written clearly and includes good graphics that make sense and are actually helpful when installing the seat. A storage pouch is included that allows the manual to be kept as a reference directly on the booster’s back. I like that, since I have a habit of throwing manuals away after reading them once, only to find myself looking for them months later.

Overall, I’m quite a fan of the Kiddy Cruiserfix Pro. It fits kids well and was even declared a best fit booster by the IIHS, which suggests it’s easy to install in a wide range of vehicles. The seat has several unique features that make it perhaps the most child-friendly booster I’ve reviewed so far. While part of me wishes it had a backless configuration, I generally believe that high back boosters should be used over backless boosters whenever the choice is available, and I like that this booster makes the choice for you.

Finally, I like that the seat has an 8 year lifespan, as there are an awful lot of boosters that expire after 6 years, and every extra year increases the likelihood of the seat being useful for younger siblings.

The Kiddy Cruiserfix Pro is a solid car seat and, in my opinion, one of the best booster car seats currently available in the United States for children above the age of 4.  It’s likely to be the last seat your child needs before s/he is ready for a regular adult seat belt. You can buy the Kiddy Cruiserfix Pro in a range of colors here. Canadians can buy it here.