HBB with a narrow base?

momtoM&D

New member
We just downsized from a Honda Odyssey to a 2012 Hyundai Elantra Touring. My daughter is almost 10 and is currently in a Britax Frontier in booster mode, my son is almost 8 and boostered in a Graco Nautilus. I found when switching the seats to the new car that it was very difficult to buckle the seat belts because the seats are so wide they partially cover the buckles. We can try to just get used to it, but I foresee a lot of frustration and struggles in the drop off circle in our future and am trying to decide if new seats are worth it. I'm ok going to backless boosters if we need to, but they prefer to have the head support, so I'm wondering if there is an inexpensive but narrow HBB on the market? We have an Evenflo Big Kid that may be a better fit for dd, but it's not very padded so she complains it's not comfortable. Honestly, my daughter isn't too far from passing the 5 step test, so it seems silly to invest much money. WWYD?
 
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joolsplus3

Admin - CPS Technician
You could try the Incognito, it's not padded, but it's so invisible my kid likes it best of all her seats (she's 9) Amazon.com : Safety 1st Incognito Kid Positioning Seat, Black : Child Safety Booster Car Seats : Baby (don't spend more than 19.99 and free shipping on it, the price varies considerably depending on stock or something, I buy open box ones for $16 or less, I have a few, lol). And if she really wants head support, you could look at the Cardiff headrest.
Chicco KidFit is at Target, it's a bit narrower at the back and might be easy enough to buckle, but not tall, about the same back height as the Nautilus.
Safety 1st Boost Air is a flimsy feeling seat, but it's super tall (as tall as the Frontier), super cushy, can be used backless later, and is very narrow at the back with flip up armrests. :)
 

bnsnyde

New member
Cardiff!! That could save us!

Is this safe?

If no highbacks fit, maybe this. If she falls asleep she is way out of position in her Harmony Youth.
 

momtoM&D

New member
Thanks! I like the Incognito, it looks like a good compromise for kids who complain about having to ride in seats when their friends don't! My son is convinced that when he turns 8 next month he won't have to ride in a seat anymore, even though his sister has been legally old enough almost two years and I still make her ride in one lol. I think the backless I have in my parents' car is a Harmony, I might steal it back and see how it fits. Sounds like it's time to go backless, I was spoiled by the captains seats in the Odyssey, but overall it was way more car than we needed. The Cardiff looks interesting, it might be a good thing to have for road trips.
 

JlynnB

New member
The Bubblebum is safe but not as comfy as it looks! My son, 7, really doesn't like using it. We haven't tried the Incognito but it looks to me like it would have more leg support, which is the issue DS has with the BB. It's still a great travel seat but not my first choice for every day.
 

tiggercat

New member
I just switched from a van to an '11 Touring, and boosters have been challenging!
So far I have discovered that high back boosters are a big pain for tall kids because the top is pushed inwards by the vehicle roof edge, forcing the base of the booster over top of the buckle receptacle.
The backless portion of the Diono Monterey (I think you call it Solana in the USA) works nicely, my 9yo can buckle it independently. Yay! I haven't tried it in hbb mode yet.
I'm still working on finding a good hbb.
 

LC2003

New member
I searched high and low for a narrow base HBB but never found one. Bubble Bum is fine for temporary use, but not great for every day. Incognito is good for that skinny 9-11 year old, but doesn't boost them that much, and has minimum weight of 60 lbs. I wish someone would invent a HBB with a narrow bottom that did fit in middle spots. I'd buy it right away!
 

Lemonade

New member
The harmony dreamtime is great and narrow. It's a cheaper booster and does not latch, but it's really nice for the price. The backless booster is also good. It provides more of a boost than the harmony youth or incognito. I have a skinny 9 yr old who still needs to be up enough to make the lap belt fit ok.

The bubble bum is good for travel and temporary situations. I think it might be good if someone really needs a 3 across. But it's short and offers no leg support. And having to put the belt through the clip might be annoying on a daily basis. I did talk to the company and the said it was perfectly fine to roll up a towel for leg support -- they have looked into making a longer/deeper booster but at that point said it was not possible because of the way the air bladder needed to move during a crash. I'm guessing it would need to be a second, separate, leg support air bladder or something.
 

LC2003

New member
The harmony dreamtime is great and narrow. It's a cheaper booster and does not latch, but it's really nice for the price. The backless booster is also good. It provides more of a boost than the harmony youth or incognito. I have a skinny 9 yr old who still needs to be up enough to make the lap belt fit ok.

The bubble bum is good for travel and temporary situations. I think it might be good if someone really needs a 3 across. But it's short and offers no leg support. And having to put the belt through the clip might be annoying on a daily basis. I did talk to the company and the said it was perfectly fine to roll up a towel for leg support -- they have looked into making a longer/deeper booster but at that point said it was not possible because of the way the air bladder needed to move during a crash. I'm guessing it would need to be a second, separate, leg support air bladder or something.

I tried that one and then had to return it as the shoulder area was too narrow for my kiddo. :(
 

bnsnyde

New member
My Dreamtime is going back to Target today since I can't get the headrest on.

At the suggestion of these forums, we put the Safety First Boost Air in a spot that's 3 in a row and the armrests flips up, which helps. It's for my 7 YO. It's kind of flimsy but I like how her head has air pillows around it.

Try a Harmony Youth though...it's awesome! My kiddo wanted head support too...but if nothing else, the Youth was so easy to buckle!

Britax Parkway (not super cheap) is another option that's narrow (but still seems a bit wide to me), but the Boost Air suits us so well, I chose that for now.

(I think your current seats are very wide and you'd be amazed by trying a narrow booster). And I agree I never found a PERFECT narrow booster. All seem a bit wide. The Dreamtime was good and if it had latch, I might have worked harder to assemble it. It is quite narrow though so you'd have to see if it fit your child.
 
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