Any carseat gurus out there?

[letsgoagainsoon]

I'm wanting to get my 8 yr old into a high back booster. He is currently in a nautilus (5 point)--which I'm going to be passing down to his brother. My son is tiny about 40# or so and 46".

I was going with the Graco Turbo, but then I was on the Carseat Boards, and they have me thinking a Monterey or Compass B570. I know nothing about seats. Unfortunately, cost is a factor, even though I want him to be safe. Apparently the B570 is better than the older models for petite kids and I can get that one at a great price. Still not sure if I should just go with the Turbo though since it gets good ratings from tons of people--it just seems so darn flimsy!

Unfortunately, the only boosters they have in stores in my area are the TB and Evenflo brands, so I can't try them out.

Any suggestions?

 

[amylynne01]

The Turbo is a great choice even though it's considered "flimsy"! The Monterey is a good seat for kids of all sizes but especially for huskier kids because the shoulders are wider. I don't know much about the Compass B570.

The thing with boosters is that you want to make sure there is a good seat belt fit on YOUR kiddo. There is no one booster that works for every kid, so you have to try them out in your car. Make sure the lap belt is low and snug across the hips, not the soft part of the belly. The shoulder belt should go across the middle of the shoulder, not down on the arm or up by the neck. Here is a link to see what it should look like. That being said, your 8 yr old might fit better in a Monterey over a Turbo or a Compass over a Montery, KWIM? The only way to know what is best is to try them out!

Some great high back boosters are:

Graco Turbobooster
Diono Monterey
Britax Parkway SG/SGL
Recaro Vivo/ProBooster
Clek Oobr
Harmony Juvenile Dreamtime

ETA: I just read on car-seat.org that the Compass does not adjust very high, so it might not last as long as the other choices. That would steer me away from that seat because you want to make sure you have plenty of room for growth!

 

[letsgoagainsoon]

The Turbo is a great choice even though it's considered "flimsy"! The Monterey is a good seat for kids of all sizes but especially for huskier kids because the shoulders are wider. I don't know much about the Compass B570.

The thing with boosters is that you want to make sure there is a good seat belt fit on YOUR kiddo. There is no one booster that works for every kid, so you have to try them out in your car. Make sure the lap belt is low and snug across the hips, not the soft part of the belly. The shoulder belt should go across the middle of the shoulder, not down on the arm or up by the neck. Here is a link to see what it should look like. That being said, your 8 yr old might fit better in a Monterey over a Turbo or a Compass over a Montery, KWIM? The only way to know what is best is to try them out!

Some great high back boosters are:

Graco Turbobooster
Diono Monterey
Britax Parkway SG/SGL
Recaro Vivo/ProBooster
Clek Oobr
Harmony Juvenile Dreamtime

ETA: I just read on car-seat.org that the Compass does not adjust very high, so it might not last as long as the other choices. That would steer me away from that seat because you want to make sure you have plenty of room for growth!

One of my concerns with the Monterrey --besides cost-- is that I have 3 seats across and that seat looks super wide?? Is the height higher on the turbo?

 

[kuhltiffany]

We have 2 Monterey's and they are very wide at the top. We used to have 3 Radians so we could have an extra seat in the middle, but now that the kids are in boosters we can't find 3 that will fit across. (We're actually going to upgrade the car to get some extra seats

 

[letsgoagainsoon]

We have 2 Monterey's and they are very wide at the top. We used to have 3 Radians so we could have an extra seat in the middle, but now that the kids are in boosters we can't find 3 that will fit across. (We're actually going to upgrade the car to get some extra seats

The Monterey isn't going to work for me. So it's got to be a turbo or the B570 I guess.

 

[amylynne01]

Oh yeah, with a 3 across, I'd cross the Monterey right off. The Recaro Vivo is pretty slim as well as the Turbobooster and Britax Parkway. But again, it depends on what other seats you have and what car you're working with. It's kind of trial and error at that point.

 

[momto2js]

When it is a tight fit the boosters are a huge PIA. The problem is having to be able to get your (or your kids hand) in between the seats EVERY time you get in or out of the car. The nice part about harnessed carseats is you can smash them in and as long as they are tight your good to go. However, now you need to have access to the buckle and that is a tall order 3 across!!

 

[bumbershoot]

Why not keep him in his Nautilus? DS is in it as a highback booster, and he still really likes it (7 year old). (I am assuming that the tiny son you're talking about is the 8 year old, by the way, but I could be wrong)

Then just buy another one of them for the younger brother to be harnessed?

 

[tanyaandallie]

The turbo is a great lower cost choice. It fits smaller kids very well.

Forgot to add......if you purchase a turbo, please remember to install the screws in the armrests. They are a very important part of the seat!

 

[letsgoagainsoon]

Why not keep him in his Nautilus? DS is in it as a highback booster, and he still really likes it (7 year old). (I am assuming that the tiny son you're talking about is the 8 year old, by the way, but I could be wrong)

Then just buy another one of them for the younger brother to be harnessed?

Well he keeps complaining that the strap bothers him between the legs. It does seem to be very close to him. But, yes, he is the tiny one. Amazingly most of His friends are not in any kind of seat at all and even ride up front! He never complains about a seat but he does say he wants one with a seatbelt.

 

[bekkiz]

One option for 3 across the back is putting him in a Ride Safer travel vest. It is as safe as a 5 point harness (preforms exactly as well in crash tests). I think an 8 year old would be able to put the seat belt in the straps properly. I just bought some for my tall and big 3 year olds for a travel option so I've never seen on in person, but I think it will work well for us.

 

[lucigo]

My 8yo is about 45 lbs, probably very similar to your son. I have taken the 5pt harness out of his Nautilus and he uses the seatbelt with it as a high back booster, and its a very nice fit for him. You might give that a try.

 

[letsgoagainsoon]

One option for 3 across the back is putting him in a Ride Safer travel vest. It is as safe as a 5 point harness (preforms exactly as well in crash tests). I think an 8 year old would be able to put the seat belt in the straps properly. I just bought some for my tall and big 3 year olds for a travel option so I've never seen on in person, but I think it will work well for us.

Never heard of it. Would this work as his primary restraint??

 

[letsgoagainsoon]

My 8yo is about 45 lbs, probably very similar to your son. I have taken the 5pt harness out of his Nautilus and he uses the seatbelt with it as a high back booster, and its a very nice fit for him. You might give that a try.

Well, I'm wanting the Nautilus for his little brother, who is riding in a seat that is about to expire and figured it would be better just to give him that as a 5 point and get the 8 yr old a booster. Glad to hear it works well as a booster though, because eventually one of the boys will be using it that way!

 

[bumbershoot]

Well he keeps complaining that the strap bothers him between the legs. It does seem to be very close to him. But, yes, he is the tiny one. Amazingly most of His friends are not in any kind of seat at all and even ride up front! He never complains about a seat but he does say he wants one with a seatbelt.

The Nautilus is totally intended to convert to a booster, so I'd just get a new one for the little guy and keep the older boy in his same seat, just with the seatbelt. The complaint he has about the Nautilus would be TOTALLY taken care of by taking out the harness and using the belt, so it's really moot anyway.


The other issue would be giving an older seat to a younger child; the younger one might end up hitting the expiration date of that one, too, just like he already is. Giving the new booster to the older boy, when thinking of expiration dates, doesn't really make sense to me; i'd rather give the newer seat to the child more likely to be in it for a longer period of time.

 

[dragonfly08]

The Nautilus is totally intended to convert to a booster, so I'd just get a new one for the little guy and keep the older boy in his same seat, just with the seatbelt. The complaint he has about the Nautilus would be TOTALLY taken care of by taking out the harness and using the belt, so it's really moot anyway.

This.

Both of my girls ride in a Nautilus configured as a high-backed booster. DD #1 never used it any other way, DD #2 used it for a year and a half as a 5 point harness carseat first. I think they're great boosters, and as the pp said, the strap issue would no longer be an issue once you removed the straps. Plus this way your younger child would have a new seat and maximum time before it expires.

 

[letsgoagainsoon]

Thanks for all your great input. I've decided to get a booster for the 8 yr old it makes more sense to move the 3yr old into the GN ( it's actually a pretty new seat), otherwise I would need to get him a new convertible and I really love the GN as a harnessed seat.