Question Would you use a booster as 2ndary seat?

ZephyrBlue

New member
DD#2 will be 7 in January. She's 42# tall, 35lbs nakey, with a 15" torso.

Primary seat is a RNXT in my vehicle.

She rides to/from school in DH's minivan 2x week- it's about 3 miles each way, in a residential area. Very occasionally they go somewhere else, but it's rare. She is very good and will sit perfectly 100% of the time. Better than my 9.5yo does, really.

I have a Monterrey for her, but am not crazy about the fit- she's really petite. Technically, since she's over 30lbs and 38inches, she "fits" in it, but I'm still not crazy about the fit.

Will also have a Compass B540 in a week or so (got one on BabyEarth gaga deals yesterday for $40 :thumbsup:)

My question- would you let her ride in a booster or buy her another harnessed seat for Daddy's van?
 
ADS

Heather86

Member
If it were me I'd let her ride in the booster as a spare. A 7 year old who sits properly is very safe in a booster :twocents:
 

Maedze

New member
Yes, absolutely, but I wouldn't use either of those boosters. The Compass is not known for fitting most kids well, particularly petite ones.

I'd get her a Turbobooster or a Vivo.
 

wendytthomas

Admin - CPST Instructor
Staff member
I agree with Maedze. Piper is small too (though bigger than your 7 yo, which is unusual, she's at the 10% for weight) and she fits horribly in the Monterey and Compass. She fits fine in a Parkway, Turbo, or a Vivo.

Wendy
 

bobandjess99

Senior Community Member
Well, your 7 year old is smaller than my 5 year old, lol, but I think that around 6, regardless of the child's size, i woudl be fine having them boostered, secondarily or primarily, as long as they had the maturity. i don't believe we have any evidence to suggest that a 7 year old, of any size, is unsafe in a booster, or even less safe than in a harness for that matter. Her bones and muscles, spine, etc are all going to be as strong as in any other 7 year old, even though she is very small. I'd be sure she fit, and as has been said, probably get a vivo or TB for her. My 5 year old is 44 lbs and 43 inches tall, and rides very nicely in a TB.
 

ZephyrBlue

New member
Thanks for the input. We had a Vivo and I loved it except for the shallow front to back seating area- and now, looking at the NHTSA compliance test results, I would be hesitant to buy another- I believe that the Turbo did better overall?

Guess we're gonna buy a TB or maybe a 2yo Parkway.

Wendy, she's always been below the 3rd %ile for weight. At her 6yo WCC, she was below the 0 graph line. Happy and healthy, though, so we just feed her and wait for her to grow, lol!
 

Raegansmom4

New member
Thanks for the input. We had a Vivo and I loved it except for the shallow front to back seating area- and now, looking at the NHTSA compliance test results, I would be hesitant to buy another- I believe that the Turbo did better overall?

Guess we're gonna buy a TB or maybe a 2yo Parkway.

Wendy, she's always been below the 3rd %ile for weight. At her 6yo WCC, she was below the 0 graph line. Happy and healthy, though, so we just feed her and wait for her to grow, lol!

My just-turned 4 yo is a tank then - she was 45.5 lbs last week at pedi, lol! She's 95th for weight!
 

thepeach80

Senior Community Member
She's smaller than AJ but older by a little bit. I've let him use a booster when needed for a long time now, more frequently after he hit 5.5yo or so.
 
My 5 y/o has the same stats, and despite what everyone says, I think he fits as well in the Monterey as he does the older Parkway. Their is another thread on here about the Monarch and how many inches from shoulder to shoulder, and my DS is 11.5" - the OP's were saying 12" seem to fit good.
 
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Maedze

New member
My 5 y/o has the same stats, and despite what everyone says, I think he fits as well in the Monarch as he does the older Parkway. Their is another thread on here about the Monarch and how many inches from shoulder to shoulder, and my DS is 11.5" - the OP's were saying 12" seem to fit good.

Do you mean the Monterey? :confused: That's a very different seat.
 

Kat_Momof3

New member
she's 7... at 35lbs, she's not just AT the minimum (I always worry about weights dropping from illness when a kid is too close to the minimum)... She's more than old enough to booster train and I think it would be good for her to start training now.

However, I'd get her a Recaro Vivo or Graco Turbobooster over the Monterey or Compass booster... they are so wide (and the belt fit on smaller kids in the Compass tends to be bad on the lapbelt) as one of them would fit her much better.
 

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