Clek Oobr or Sunshine Monterey?...or something else?

Hi everyone.

This is my first post. I have spent the last week reading a ton of postings and the blog and have gathered a ton of infomation, but I still would like some opinions on a booster for my DD.

Some background: I have a DD that just turned 7 and a DS that just turned 6. They both are currently in Britax Regents. My DD wants to move to a booster b/c she is unfortunately embarrassed by her "baby seat". (I honestly think she is the only 7 year old I know that is still in a 5 point harness; most of her friends are lucky to be in a booster - most just wear a seat belt - especially in the car drop off line at school). DD and DS ride in Compass B510's in hubby's car.

I tried the B510 in the 2nd row captain's chair of our 2006 Odyssey, and for some reason the lap portion of the seat belt cut right across DD's abdomen - it does not do this in hubby's 2008 Enclave - so obviously this seat is not a good fit in the Odyssey.

So...I am on the hunt for a new booster. I definitely want a high back booster. I am leaning toward either the Oobr or the Monterey just b/c of the LATCH feature. There are no stores anywhere near me that carry either one so unfortunately she cannot try it out before I buy it. I will have to buy online and return it if it's not a good fit.

I like the side wings of the Monterey but I am afraid DD might call it too babyish. Obviously safety is number 1 for me, but I don't want this to be a constant fight as it is right now with the Regent. I am not thrilled with the $$$ of the Oobr, but if the consensus is that it's the better seat, I am willing to get it.

Oh, my DD is tall for her age -- 50.5 inches, 65 lbs. (stocky built) Most of her height is in her torso.

My DS will stay in the Regent for now; however I am afraid once he sees his sister in the booster he will want one too. So I may wind up buying two seats. (DS is much thinner -- 47.5 inches, 45 lbs) Is there another booster I should consider instead?

Thanks so much for any advice. I am driving the hubby crazy b/c I keep going back and forth.

I'm also looking at these two seats, as well as the Britax Frontier. I currently have a Regent in my Ford Escape, and I want to buy a seat to replace a Britax Decathalon that is in her dad's Saturn Ion, and also replace a Britax Wizard that is in my Mom's Nissan Maxima. My daughter is just 5 and is ~ 42" and weighs about 46 lbs. Long torso and long legs, and she is somewhat thin. I'm not as concerned about the "baby" factor, but I do want the safest seat that I can buy. While price is not a concern, it would be nice to get one of these on sale. The OP has hit the nail on the head with my concerns re: safety considering these two seats. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

I just went through this same debate myself for my ds (he's 6.5 and almost exactly the same size as your DD and also the only harnessed 1st grader -- to my horror most are just in seat belts since that is the minimum required by law here in CA;-<)

I went with the Monterey as I had read some other posts about the Clek being shorter in the seat area and thus not good for leggy kids as my son is. I saw and considered the Cybex Xfix booster that is new, but since it is new, no reviews yet and then saw some youtube clips of safety tests with it that didn't look good at all so I was not as excited about it then.

No official advice, just thought I would say I was in the same boat and interested if anyone knows any more about the Cybex or other possibilities for you and the rest of us with the same questions.

It sounds like the Monterey would be perfect for your dd :thumbsup: It fits bigger kids exceptionally well

My 10 and 9 year olds ride in Montereys. We got black ones so they blend right into the captain chairs. None of their friends have teased them or anything. They latch to the seat so basically they are part of the seat.

We love them.

Thanks again. I ordered the Monterey yesterday and I am going to order the Oobr today and see which one fits better. Hopefully I will get some use out of either one as a HBB and not have to convert it to a backless one right away.

I already have replied to the first part on your other thread...

for your son, I think what you should do is play it by ear... and remember... pick battles... you can always just tell him that he has to wait till he's the age his sister is now... age 7, along with being mature enough to ride in a booster full time, things like that.

Remind him that she's older and that's why she's using the booster... along with how she's outgrown her current seat... and that when he outgrows it, or is at least 7yrs old and such, you'll move him.

My oldest outgrew the Regent at 6.5yrs old (GIANT child), so I set the rule for my other kids that they had to be at least 6yrs old, going into first grade (really just another arbitrary thing to throw in there), and be mature enough.

Ironically, my youngest outgrew her Nautilus (she didn't fit well in the Regent as she is so very very narrow, but I did have a Regent and a Husky for my boys) a little before she turned 6, so I had to bend my usual rule... but of course outgrowing something trumps age sometimes.

What was wrong with the you tube Cybex videos? I'm also waiting for it. I really want latch for my boosters and the Monterey isn't likely a good fit for the skinny Hannah, and the Oobr has a short seat, plus the $$$ have made me wait. For the use it would get in my vehicle, it seems like a waste of money!

Kat_Momof3 said:

for your son, I think what you should do is play it by ear... and remember... pick battles... you can always just tell him that he has to wait till he's the age his sister is now... age 7, along with being mature enough to ride in a booster full time, things like that.

Remind him that she's older and that's why she's using the booster... along with how she's outgrown her current seat... and that when he outgrows it, or is at least 7yrs old and such, you'll move him.

Click to expand...

That is exactly what we did with my DS. We said once he is 7 then he can revisit the booster issue. He is also tall for his age but he's so skinny! I also reminded him that race car drivers wear the harness like he does and that put him at ease for now. He just turned 6 on March 11 and he always thinks he can do the same things as his sister, forgetting that she is 1 year older. Heck, sometimes I forget she is a year older and expect him to act more mature than his age. I think he would be swimming in the Monterey anyway. He does do awesome in the B510 that's in hubby's car -- better than I expected.