Big Lots has Big Kid Confidence boosters

[TerisBoys]

For $60.

I hadn't seen one in person before - but I really did like it. It seems much more substantial than the regular Big Kid.

[Judi]

All EPS foam. Pretty nice, just not the tallest booster.

[heyruthie]

does anyone know how wide this booster is? does it work well for 3-across. i still need at least 1 more booster for my 3-across.

[Maedze]

They look pretty, but the belt routing path is pretty poor. Makes the belt rise pretty high on the belly. IIRC they got a 'worst bet' on the IIHS eval of boosters two years ago. And aren't they discontinued :confused:

[Qarin]

And aren't they discontinued :confused:

BigLots! is a closeout store, so much of what they sell has been discontinued.

[NannyMom]

$60 seems like alot. They had the TBs for $25.

[Maedze]

BigLots! is a closeout store, so much of what they sell has been discontinued.

:doh:

[safeinthecar]

They look pretty, but the belt routing path is pretty poor. Makes the belt rise pretty high on the belly. IIRC they got a 'worst bet' on the IIHS eval of boosters two years ago. And aren't they discontinued :confused:

That hasn't been my experience with it at all. Since it doesn't have armrests, you have to make sure to put the belt on so that it is positioned correctly not rely on the armrests to redirect the lap portion to the correct spot (same as adults should be doing to ensure proper seat belt positioning, so it is good practice) , but it does position the belt well for every child in every car I've used it in when used properly. I find the Parkway and the Confidence fit to be nearly identical in most cars actually. The only trouble I have ever had with it is with the shoulder belt falling out of the guide if the shoulder belt is anchored to the vehicle farther toward the front of the car than the booster sits.

I'll take some pics of my kids in it after school tomorrow.

It is a great seat for 3 across. It is low profile, so it puzzles in behind the wings of high profile seats. The base narrows toward the back to give room to buckle. It works fantastic next to the RN. Both seats narrow down at the bottom at exactly the same spot so you end up with a huge space to buckle. No armrests works well for fluffy kids too. The padding is nice, as is the adjustable seat depth for long legs. The belt guide is just a smidge taller than a TB. The reading lights suck, but you can pick it up without the back falling off, so that makes up for it. The side wings are OK, not hugely deep, probably about equal to the Compass booster.

All in all, it is one of my favorite boosters.

[heyruthie]

They look pretty, but the belt routing path is pretty poor. Makes the belt rise pretty high on the belly. IIRC they got a 'worst bet' on the IIHS eval of boosters two years ago.

bummer, because that one was rec'd for me, since i'm looking for one where the belt path is hard to "mess up." (for grandma.) and since the parkway and FPSV booster are discontinued, and they were the other "easy" ones. I recently bought turboboosters and gave her several tutorials (see where the red part is? the belt should only go where the red part is.) but depsite this, the other day I saw her buckle DS in with BOTH the lap belt AND shoulder belt OVER the arm rest--SOOOOOO obviously wrong! i wonder if the confidence (when used properly) would still be safer--i'm thinking yes.

on another note, some of the findings are surpising! why the backless turbo scored better than the one with the back is a mystery to me! Also, my DS is uing the Apex as a booster in our van right now, and the belt fit is certainly not a "top 15" for me. but he is skinny. i think it's much better on bigger kids.

ETA: lastly, am i right that only 4 of the "top 10" IIHS booster are even available to us? here's the link:
http://www.iihs.org/research/topics/boosters/best_bets.html

[heyruthie]

bumping because i have the chance to drive to Big Lots today, and i'm so tempted by this booster because Grandma is still having trouble routing the belt right on the TB.

does everyone really hate this booster??

[joolsplus3]

Kimberly loves hers (see above ;))

Yeah, the fact that so few of the boosters available that IIHS tested is just testament to how fast the market changes....

[sirrahn]

bumping because i have the chance to drive to Big Lots today, and i'm so tempted by this booster because Grandma is still having trouble routing the belt right on the TB.

does everyone really hate this booster??

I had one for a weekend once. I ultimately decided not to keep it, but it fit both of my boys nicely. I don't recall a belt fit issue at all in the 3rd row of my Sienna. It's sturdy, fully lined with EPS and very adjustable. IMO it should be worth a try at least....

[MonsterMom6]

I find the Parkway and the Confidence fit to be nearly identical in most cars actually. The only trouble I have ever had with it is with the shoulder belt falling out of the guide if the shoulder belt is anchored to the vehicle farther toward the front of the car than the booster sits.


It is a great seat for 3 across. It is low profile, so it puzzles in behind the wings of high profile seats. The base narrows toward the back to give room to buckle.

The padding is nice, as is the adjustable seat depth for long legs. The belt guide is just a smidge taller than a TB.

The reading lights suck,

but you can pick it up without the back falling off, so that makes up for it. The side wings are OK, not hugely deep, probably about equal to the Compass booster.



Hmmm.... I disagree on much of this.

For me it's too wide for 3 across. But I'm not puzzling with harnessed boosters. Well, I can put 3 on my conversion van bench if the Confidence is ONE of them, but it's wider and has more "fudge" room on the outside of the seat than most mini-van bench seats.

I like it for the shoulder belt path, as the belt doesn't come out of the guide on my rear bench like every seat that has a c-shaped shoulder belt guide. Only the Confidence and Monterey work in this regard in my van.

I also like it for the adjustable seat depth and the way the back adjusts in the middle AND the shoulders. My DS has pretty long legs and the Confidence accommodates him nicely. Now he is also comfortable in the Monterey and Air Booster, but he outgrew the seat depth of the Turbo a few years ago.

The low profile and not having to thread under arm rests is good. But because of the angle of the lap guides, it seems to position the belt more on the abdomen and less on the hips. It's not horrible on my DS, but it's not like the Monterey.

I see no comparison to the Confidence and the Parkway. The PW is so much narrower and has such a short seat depth. The fabric is so much more plush on the PW. But the Confidence padding is pretty good and my DS finds it to be comfortable. I think the PW is best for younger/smaller booster riders and the Confidence is best for bigger kids.

Yup, the reading lights are worthless and I won't be replacing the batteries. I think they are gimmick for getting sales when kids are trying out the seats in stores.

Back to the fabric... The ugly beige is the biggest downside to me. But I did see that Big Lots also had a blue. The colors and fabric just look "cheap" to me. But the fabric is holding up for us. If you are used to Britax, then you won't like the fabric on the Confidence.

Honestly, the only reason I have this seat is that I bought it at BRU to try it in my van. It sat in my dining room until it was too late to return for my money back. And they didn't have it in the store anymore to try to get store credit. This was before BRU got more stingy on their returns. So we decided to keep it and use it when my DD needed the Turbo and DS was getting uncomfortable in it.

[musicmaj]

I have this seat and we like it. It has fit both my dd and ds well with the lap belt in the right place. DD is now starting to outgrow it. She is long torsoed.

She is sitting in it in my avi.

[heyruthie]

argh...OK...How I wish there was a BL closer to me--each one is probably a 45 minute drive, which is SUCH a comittment since neither one is anywhere near anything else I ever do. So, I'd need to make a dedicated trip out there just to even SEE if they have any of these, much less if I like it.....I'm so stingy with my time now that my due date is getting closer and closer!