Booster - Looking for best fit with SIP

Hello! I've posted several emails this year as unregistered, but finally had to register now to continue posting.

My DS is 4 years old, 46 lbs, 43" and rides in a Britax Regent in our van (which he rides in 95% of the time). I need to get a booster for him when he is with grandparents, etc. for quick trips in their cars around town. (He currently uses a Marathon in their cars, but has almost outgrown it.) The booster will be used in several different cars, but none have side curtain airbags in the back.

I've researched boosters and have come to a point where I can't make a decision and am hoping you can help. I am really concerned about the booster having side impact protection, especially after viewing the videos linked on this forum. Here is where I'm at....

Parkway - He sat in this and did not look like he fit correctly or was comfortable. Not because of the headwings, but due to his stocky frame.

Compass B510 - This is the one I originally wanted, since he isn't a tall kid and can pass it down to siblings when he outgrows it by height. But when we tried it in the store, the shoulder belt cut into his neck a lot.

Turbobooster - The belt was positioned well on him at the store. My concern is the headwings aren't deep enough to provide adequate SIP. Also it seems flimsy and I don't like that the height adjusts on accident when you pick it up.

Recaro Style - I like that this has SIP but it is not available around here to try out. Does this booster fit similarly to the Parkway? Would it fit a stocky kid well?

Jane Indy Plus - I looked at this online, but haven't seen it IRL and don't know much about it. Not all the cars will have LATCH, so it wouldn't be helpful in that aspect.


Is there another option that I'm not thinking about? Or do you have some insight or suggestions? Your help is greatly appreciated!

Out of the ones you listed, I the Recaro and Parkway are the only ones with SIP I *think* The Jane Indy might also have it. Elitecarseats.com has a lot info on both of those seats which might be helpful.

Britax is coming out with a new one, the Monarch. It's currently on their site and I think I've seen it online at various sites as a coming soon.

Maybe you could Froogle Google it.

Susan

That's too bad about the Compass cutting into his neck. We have the 510, and love it. My daughter can get herself in and out of it with ease, and it doesn't slide around on the seat, which is really helpful. She fits extremely well in it, and we don't have an issue with the seatbelt cutting into her neck. It comes out right over her shoulder, like it's supposed to. She's about 46-47 inches tall. How tall is your son? Maybe he's not quite tall enough for it yet? (BTW, the Compass advertises itself as side-impact tested, but I have no idea what that really means.)

My first choice was the Parkway, but DD hated the headwings so much that she chose the Compass over the *pink* PW I offered to buy. (Blew my mind!) But we're really happy with the Compass. I had a Turbobooster already on hand, but decided to keep it in storage because I just didn't like the way it fit in either of our cars. The fabric was also pretty scratchy. I've never seen the Recaro or the Jane IRL either. Perhaps holding out for a Monarch is the way to go, if you can.

One reason we LOVE the Parkway for grandparents and friends to use, is that there is no armrests. People are clueless about where to put the seatbelt when a seat has armrests (over? Under? around? through? lol), and if you give them one less thing to mess up, they are more likely to use a seat correctly on every trip, without constant reminders and re-training on your part.

That is also why we picked out the parkway julie, we love it my ds is 6 when he started riding in and actully he likes the head wings b/c they give him somwhere to rest when we take long trips which is quite often! DS is 6 y/o not to stocky but not think at all either...

Yes, ditto on the armrests....

Although, my mom always somehow managed to mess up the shoulder belt routing, too Leila's pretty anal about it, but I feel better now that my mom has the Dorel Prospect/Cubb in her vehicle -- Leila handles the lap belt portion & the fact that the armrests flip up are a reminder to my mom + there's no slot to guide the shoulder belt through, just an area. It does have EPS foam, but it's pretty narrow in the shoulders & WIDE at the hips.

The Turbo head wings are the most comparable to the Parkway, but a lot of people carry it incorrectly so that the back & base detach from eachother.

The Parkway really accommodates all size kids rather well, too! Tall & skinny or short & stocky, all my kids have found it very comfortable (those who are iffy on the headwings get extra dramatic "oohs n aaahs" from me to encourage appreciation of the sleeping support, LOL)

Does Britax have the dimensions of the Monarch on their site? It appears to be wider, so it might would work better.

I tried DS in the Parkway again yesterday (for the billionth time trying boosters). The poor kid, everytime we go into a store, he goes straight for the carseats because he knows I want to look at the boosters!

I have to say the Parkway did fit him better than I remember from last time. This was the first time I tried him in a test seat with a seatbelt at the store, versus just sitting him in the seat. The belt is definitely positioned correctly. As far as his frame, he looks like he fits in there snugly. I am wondering if it will become less of an issue as he grows taller and the side wings will be positioned lower on his torso.

Also I appreciate the point about the Parkway having a better chance of being used correctly by grandparents. This is definitely a concern for us.

Between the Parkway and Recaro Style, which do you think would be a better fit for a solid 4 year old? Would the Style fit him differently or be wider/better in the torso/shoulders for him?

Thanks! (In a perfect world, I would have a Regent installed correctly in every vehicle DS would potentially ride in!)

For a stocky child, the Parkway is a better choice than the Recaro Style due to the weight limits: Parkway (100 lbs) and Recaro (80 lbs).

The RYSyle is slightly different than the RSPort, but I found that my SD (8) fit the Parkway better for width at hips although she found the RYSport comfier -- my parents are clueless about the lap belt positioners on the RYSort & DD (4) was beginning to practice to learn it herself, but I had a feeling a grandma would rush her so it wouldn't be done properly

My son is built similarly to yours- he's 4, about 43" and 48 pounds. I, too, thought that he looked too snug in the Parkway, especially when compared to the Husky he usually rides in. However, he doesn't mind at all- in fact, he begs to ride in my husband's car just so he can ride in the Parkway with the "real seat belt"!

Thanks for the advice and help everyone. I think I'm going to get him a Parkway.

I just measured him in our spare Marathon that he uses in other cars. His shoulders are just right at or just right above the top slots. Time to get the Parkway soon!

It can be so hard to make a decision!

I went to the store today to buy the Parkway, but the Compass B510 kept looking at me. Comparing them side by side, the Compass headwings were about as deep as the Parkway's. And with the Compass, there would definitely be enough width for him.

I didn't have DS with me, so I couldn't try him out in the seats again. I was wondering if the Compass shoulder belt would fit him better if I made sure the belt guide was at just the right height and maybe I hadn't done that last time.

So, comparing the Parkway and B510, I know the following disadvantages to the B510... will grow out of by height sooner, won't fit in narrow seating arrangements like Parkway, more difficult for grandparents to use correctly.

My concerns with the Parkway are: that he will fit in it, but fit snugly. I have no issue with the headwings being so close to his head, but worry that he will lean forward past them to see his sister next him, etc, which would defeat the purpose of the headwings.

Are there any other disadvantages to the B510 I'm not thinking of? And what is the difference between the B510 side impact EPS headwings and Parkway "true" SIP EPS headwings? I know the Parkway also has torso protection, but not EPS foam.

Thanks again.

I don't know the answer to many of your questions, but I can tell you that both my daughter and I adore the B510. I think the flip-up armrests are helpful, since they make it possible for my daughter to buckle herself into it. (She always remembers to flip them down.) It's a really comfy seat, and the cupholders are very sturdy. I had no trouble getting a great fit in both our cars. I had initially preferred the Parkway, but my daughter really didn't like the wings, after coming from her nice, wide Marathon. I was afraid she might be inclined to lean forward to see around them.

My daughter is extremely tall (97th percentile consistently since birth), so I think it's possible that she will outgrow the B510 before she can use a regular seat belt. I figure at that point, I'll either buy a new highback seat, or use a backless booster. Meanwhile, she seems to have plenty of growing room and is so comfortable in the seat that she never wiggles or squirms out of position.

Happy shopping.

Forgot to add: the B510 also stays in place very well in both our cars--one with leather seats, one with cloth. This is really helpful, since it means we do less adjusting when my daughter climbs into it.

Definitely test the B510...some kids actually think it's terribly uncomfortable compared to their Parkway...and some other mom had the cover rip on her twice (giraffe) and was bummed to have to replace it. Not that the Parkways are all glowingly perfect, but the B510 seems to be disappointing to some folks in a way the Parkway generallly isnt

Okay, a decision has finally been made! I bought the Parkway today and so far my DS loves it.

I took him to the store and tried the Compass B510 and Parkway in our car with him in them. The Compass still didn't have a great fit, although better than last time. The Parkway still positioned the seatbelt well on him.

I asked him several times which one he wanted, and he told me Parkway each time. Perfect, Parkway it is! Now I just have to overcome my anxiety of my DS riding in a less safe (than 5 pt harness) booster when he is in other cars.

Thanks again for everyone's help!