Is there a way to safely make child car seats more comfortable?

[11NigelTufnel]

Ds is 6 and tall for his age. He has a britax romer ifix iii high back booster. He is also autistic and struggles a lot with sensory overload. He has been complaining a lot about it being uncomfortable. Had to stop using the bit that hooks over the lap seat belt, as he can take it out himself. Luckily, he doesn't release the belt, so that is still safe for now. He is getting distressed, saying it is uncomfortable and he doesn't like the head protector and the seat is too hard.

Obviously can't remove the headrest, as it has the side protection. Also can't put a cushion underneath him, as it would make the belt looser. Are there options available to safely make it more comfortable? If not, are there more comfortable seats available? I would prefer not to buy a new seat if possible, as if he doesn't like it, it is a lot of money down the drain.

[GoneIsAnotherSummersDay]

We have two car seats for DD (7): a Britax Romer Kidfix and a Cybex Solution G.

The Britax has the central 'secureguard' bit that goes over the lap belt. I've noticed that when we drive DD's friends some of them also don't like this bit (it doesn't bother DD). Most HBB don't have this feature.

The padding on the Britax is thinner and firmer than on the Cybex. For long journeys, DD finds the Cybex more comfortable. It can also be reclined slightly, both in the seat and the headrest which is great for long journeys at night.

The hooks for the lapbelt on the Cybex are very deep which offsets the lack of the central fixing point.

To answer your first question though, you can't add anything to the cushioning of the car seat safely. I'd take your DS to a good car seat shop to try out the comfort of some other good seats. (If you're anywhere near MK, In Car Safety shop is brilliant (you need to book an appointment).

[BertieBotts]

Yes you can't really add to the seat unfortunately.

You could look at other high back boosters - try them out in store to check comfort for him? I do think the Britax ones can be a bit hard - I though this was just because the one we had (adventure) was basic, but it could be the brand. I do agree that Cybex I have heard are comfy, and they have some cheaper models. All their car seats are good for safety. Mamas and Papas tend to stock the most models, as they only do Cybex.

Silver Cross and Nuna are also supposed to be very comfortable. John Lewis may stock these. And Diono, though Diono are a pain as you can only buy them online.

Some of the cheaper/budget brands e.g. Nania, Harmony, Kinderkraft, the old Cosatto Ninja - have very shallow head support, which is likely less protective but might be more comfortable for him? You might be able to try these out at somewhere like Halfords or Smyths. Of course, the ideal is to have as much head protection as possible, which is why these aren't normally recommended, but that's no good if he can't tolerate the seat. The most important job of any booster seat is the lap belt position, head protection is more of a bonus. You are fine to take the SecureGuard (between leg) hook off with the Britax.

A backless booster is better than no car seat at all if it keeps him safely restrained, although it's really not ideal at six. If you do consider this, or a less-well-rated high back with shallow head support, you could put him in the middle to be further away from the edges in a side impact? Arguably, if your car is fairly modern and has curtain airbags in the back, then these do a decent job of protection too even for children.

You can add a neck pillow/seat belt sleeve in a high backed booster but these might not help with the thing he's complaining about.