Inexpensive booster for field trips?

essnce629

New member
DS1 will be going to summer camp this summer and for smaller field trips around town they drive the kids in vans (bigger trips are taken in buses). I'm thinking we should just get an inexpensive highback booster for him to use in the van for those days, since he's still using the Frontier (and Regent) in harness mode and I don't want to change it to booster mode and it's too heavy to carry around anyways. So what inexpensive booster would you recommend? He's 6 1/2 years old, 48" tall, and 52lbs. He rode in his Frontier in booster mode a few weeks ago for a school field trip and did well.
 
ADS

bobandjess99

Senior Community Member
the good ole turbo? It's sort of annoying in that it comes apart though....You'd have to teach him how to carry it. So maybe the vivo?
 

Evolily

New member
Do you know if the van will have adequate head support? I, personally, might consider a backless booster in that situation- it'll be more portable than a highback.

Otherwise I'd go with a turbobooster.
 

Maedze

New member
My guess is the van will not have head rests. I'd get the Vivo for the high back and the fact that it won't separate.

I'd also make 100% sure that ALL seating positions have lap shoulder belts. There's a very good chance that many of them will be lap belts only.
 

essnce629

New member
My guess is the van will not have head rests. I'd get the Vivo for the high back and the fact that it won't separate.

I'd also make 100% sure that ALL seating positions have lap shoulder belts. There's a very good chance that many of them will be lap belts only.

We talked with the director of the camp and they said they rent out new vans each year and that all the seats have lap shoulder belts. I want to stick with a highback booster, as DS1 has only rode in a booster once and I don't think a he'd be ready for a backless for a few more years.
 

essnce629

New member
So what happens with the turbo-- it comes apart? Does the back come off the backless part of it? It happens easily, like everytime you move it? Does it have to click back into place or something? Odd.
 

Maedze

New member
So what happens with the turbo-- it comes apart? Does the back come off the backless part of it? It happens easily, like everytime you move it? Does it have to click back into place or something? Odd.

Well, it's designed to separate. And if you pick it up without taking care, the bottom clicks off. And I can see people who don't care/know what they're doing, not putting it together correctly again.
 

Kat_Momof3

New member
I think what I'd do depends on who will be putting the seat in and out... the turbo is very very easy to snap together, but also comes apart easily when moved in and out of vehicles...

if an adult (who you can ensure knows how to use the seat) will be moving it... then I'd get a turbobooster and not think twice... it's enough easier to buckle than the vivo that for a seat when I want someone else buckling him correctly who may not take the time to read the directions on the side of the booster, I'd want the easier one.

if it will be him... rehearse until he knows exactly where his belts need to be on the vivo and go with the vivo...

Part would also depend on how likely he is to fall asleep... only one of my kids has slept well in a graco turbobooster (or the nautilus as a booster) regardless of how upright it is... and that was Jeffrey... so I just instinctively always crave deeper and more supportive side wings for if a child will be falling asleep.... I know all kids are different and I'm in the minority with this problem, but there it is.
 

essnce629

New member
Hmm, so it looks like the vivo is a better choice than the turbobooster. It will be going in and out of the van at least once a day (he'll take the van to camp in the morning) and then if they go on a field trip that will be at least 2 more times it will have to be moved. I think it will be a pain if the turbobooster is constantly falling apart. I can teach DS how to buckle himself in correctly or at least show him how the belt is supposed to be positioned so even if an adult has to buckle him in and does it wrong, he can move the belt into the correct position. DS still falls asleep in the car, but I'm not sure if he would during the field trips since the times they'd be going in the van is when they're just going on the trips close by so he wouldn't be in the van for all that long anyways.

Does anyone know if the turbobooster is lighter than the vivo or are they the same?
 

babyherder

Well-known member
Not sure on exact weight but both seemed pretty similar to me. Very light and easy to carry. I found the vivo easier to carry cause I wasn't worried about it falling apart.
 

Kat_Momof3

New member
they're pretty similar... the vivo to me feels lighter just because I don't have to worry about the back falling off... but I'm sure they're pretty much the same.
 

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