Child safety seat with removable booster

A child safety seat comprising:

• a shell comprising a base having a platform and a back, the base further comprising a receiving portion;
• a connecting rod fixed to the shell and extending across the receiving portion of the base transverse to the back of the base;
• and
• a booster sized and shaped to be received in the receiving portion, the booster comprising at least one clamp assembly, each clamp assembly comprising a locking wheel, a pawl, and a biasing element,
• the locking wheel defining a clamping notch opening from a peripheral surface of the locking wheel,
• the locking wheel being mounted for rotation about a wheel axis oriented generally parallel to the connecting rod;
• wherein the locking wheel is rotatable between
• (i) an open position in which the clamping notch is oriented to receive the connecting rod as the booster is seated into the receiving portion, and
• (ii) a captive position in which the clamping notch wraps around a portion of the circumference of the connecting rod so as to retain the connecting rod within the clamping notch;
• wherein the locking wheel is arranged such that, as the booster is seated into the receiving portion, the connecting rod bears against an inner surface of the clamping notch and thereby drives the locking wheel from the open position to the captive position;
• and
• wherein the pawl is configured to engage the locking wheel so as to permit rotation of the locking wheel from the open position toward the captive position while preventing rotation of the locking wheel from the captive position back toward the open position until the pawl is released.