Ride Safer Delight Travel Vest, Large Black – No Tether or Neck Pillow

We are long time users of the SafeRider Vest. We believe in car seat safety and my kids are small for their age so they were in a 5pt harness seat forever. Their school was tiny and had parents drive for field trips so we needed a vest system for them to ride safety in other parents cars (as it was a pain to move their 5pt harness and I wasn't ready for booster seats).Our first vests were great!! (Picture A) We loved them and my kids used them for years field trips and when we traveled (starting at 4.5 and 6 years old). I have zero complaints. They went on easily and the kids could secure themselves. We knew they were safe and it was a great alternative to their 5pt harness for when they were away from our car. Our vests went on vacation with us and out of the country.Now my kids are age 7.5 and 10 and the size smalls are too small so we had to order a large (again my kids are small for their ages and know we don't compromise on car seat safety so they willingly wear their vests when we are vacationing or for car pools and in their booster seats in our cars).We order two vests.... an older model (Picture B) and the newest model (Picture C). My first disappointment is they now expire 10 years from the date of manufacturing. Why?!? Our first vests (A) didn't. There is no plastic on it to disintegrate like a car seat. The (B) that we bought brand new from Amazon is already nearly 3 years after manufacturing so we have only 7 years left (granted we won't use them for 7 years but we pass stuff down). This doesn't make me happy.Second issue is that the buckle has undergone changes. Again... why?!? (A) had a seatbelt like buckle, metal, wonderful. Secure, wouldn't break and an older child could get themselves in and out of it. (B) has a similar buckle but its plastic. Plastic breaks overtime. This is a negative in my book. (C) has the new "Houdini" buckle so kids can't get out of it. Well it sucks. My 10 year old couldn't get it bucked or unbuckled and I had to help. He didn't mind wearing a vest but when mommy needed to help he felt like a baby. This won't work. He needs to feel good about wearing it. For this reason (C) goes back.And the other change was from the full vest to just the straps (A and B had a full vest where C is just straps). I don't care either way but my 10 year old prefered the full vest. Oh and (B) didn't have a crotch strap. While my older ones don't need it, I prefer it to have it so the vest doesn't ride up.Overall I still think this is a great product and my kids will be in the (B) for a while still. I'm just bummed on the changes.

My autistic son figured out how to get out of his car seat and duct tape over the locks worked for awhile but it didn't last long and he outgrew the weight and height restrictions of the car seat. This is an amazing solution that works extremely well. There are instructions on how to operate it but I had to watch the video online in order to really understand the "Houdini" lock. (We had actually nicknamed our son Houdini because he has figured out how to operate every type of lock, strap and clip he ever came across so this is truly fitting!) After using it a few times, it is easy for me to get him in and out. (I do have a belt lock that I purchased here to prevent him from undoing the actual seatbelt from the car also.) It is easy to move from car to car also. You can just undo the velcro at the shoulder, slide the seatbelt strap out of the clip at the shoulder and slide out the lap belt from the clip at the waist and move it to another vehicle. I leave those two places attached if I don't need to move it and it takes less time to buckle him in than it did in the carseat. He cannot open the Houdini lock because of the angle, strength and coordination it takes to open it while in it. If you haven't been shown how to open it, it is very hard to open so I have no worries about siblings and other kids unlocking him either. (I carry a seatbelt cutter for emergencies even though I can open it easily!) This was worth every penny for my peace of mind and the safety of my child. I did not purchase the booster that is available due to the cost but if your child likes to look out the window while driving, it may be worth the cost depending on what you drive. In my SUV, my son cannot see out the window without a booster but the only one certified with this is the one they sell so if you can afford it, it is something to consider! I have told his various therapists about it in case any parents came to them looking for solutions and I know that at least two of their clients have come back and said they are so happy that they got this, too!

My family travels internationally, a lot. With two kids under five, taxis were necessary, regular and highly stressful for me as a mother. This vest is a game changer. Obviously, not cheap, but I feel so much better with my kids restrained safely. Based on the reviews, people seem to have problems with the buckle system. It takes some practice, but once we figured out how to misalign the loops (I know that sounds wrong, but that's what allows the buckle to slip on and off the catch mechanism), it's not very difficult to get it off. Plus, we put them on before we flag a cab, and take them off after we get out. So we don't find ourselves in a rush. The vests are obviously pretty comfortable for our kids. The first time our younger son put his on, he thought it was cool and refused to take it off; he just walked around the house in it for an hour. When my father traveled with us, he was so impressed that he said he was going to recommend it to other family members with young kids who lived in a city and relied on Ubers to get around.

The new style of buckle is much harder to use than the standard red button type. It also has a wide opening in the front. If you have a skinny child, this space is too big. The older style (Type 2) closed this front with over lapping fabric, and I feel much better about that. Over all, I'm much happier with the Type 2 vest than this Type 3.

I wish I could give it 5 Stars just for the concept. But that front buckle that is supposed to be child-proof is almost adult proof...

I love these vests! I purchased them to travel solo with my three children 4 and under. The oldest two were able to use these in our rental cars AND it made getting through the airport so much easier (especially since I was managing 3 kids, a suitcase, one infant car seat...all while holding a one year old 😂). They fit snugly around my children, who figured out how to secure the vests themselves and it is so much more convenient than lugging around huge, plastic, heavy booster seats