Okay, please reassure me that I made the right choice here

Okay, so I posted before that Ruthie was no longer comfortable in the FP booster... well, not only that, but now that she's in the seat more frequently and more comfortable in her dad's car AND we're taking longer trips there... she doesn't just sit stone still as a statue... she will turn her head to look at something... play with her toys, read a book... and ANY of these things makes the seatbelt go from perfectly placed to just off her shoulder. I have tried raising the headrest, lowering it... no help.... the shoulder guides are just too wide.

SO... I was gonna wait and buy a turbo or evenflo big kid (as you guys advised a compass wouldn't work for her) in a couple months... but today, I just couldn't take it... we were doing all kinds of errands... soccer, a movie, then runs to stores... and every 5 seconds (I had to have my rearview mirror aimed to view her) I'm having to nag her and have her brother fix her seatbelt because it's slipping off her shoulder. I watched her and literally at one point all she did was SIGH... her shoulder drooped a little as they do when you sigh... and the belt was off...

Anyway... she HATED the turbo because she couldn't buckle it herself... she'd mastered the FPSV, but with the turbo being wider and the armrests different... she just couldn't do it... and the Evenflo fit better with the cobalt headrests.... she said it was comfier for her head when I had her "pretend" to sleep in each seat.

So I got the Evenflo one... but here's the thing... I've always just HATED evenflo boosters... I never thought I'd buy one... let alone like it.... but it was SO much better padded than the ones I looked at when booster shopping for my boys... and it fits Ruthie SO well... watching her on the way home (I put the thing together in the parking lot because she was so excited about it and the idea of mommy not constantly reminding her to keep the belt on her shoulder)... she did all the same stuff she'd been doing... but the shoulderbelt didn't budge from the middle of her collarbone.

It just feels so flimsy to me compared to other boosters... please tell me I made the right choice!

and for those who just have to have a visual... here's her in the FPSV... you can see where, because she dared lift her chin, the belt was a little further over than I like already.



and her in her new Evenflo BK

Shoulder looks better - you'll need to watch the lap fit on the Big Kid though.

Also, check her armrests - looks like the one closest to the door is higher than the one on the inside. 99% sure the Big Kid has adjustable ones.

I personally like the Big Kid - it always fit Josh nicely, had a decent depth for his long legs, and adjusts really high. Sure, it doesn't have quite the SIP as some of the others, but if it works, it works. The best seat is the one that fits car and child, and can be used properly every trip. Be it Clek, Britax, Evenflo, or Cosco.

that's the angle on the camera (I was in the driver's seat totally doing a one-handed pic... they're both in the highest setting)

The lapbelt fit is perfect... it is ON her thighs (maybe you can see in the first picture, between her arms)... it's hard to see in the pics, but IRL... very easy.

Thanks for the reassurance... she certainly likes it and looks comfy in it... and I like not having to wear out my voice and her brother's nerves constantly bugging her about the seatbelt.

I thought maybe it was the angle. Just wasn't sure.

Lapbelt was hard to see with the dark shorts - figured you knew where it should be though.

She looks happy - and I love her pigtails!


Josh in his - taken Fall 08.



Compared to the FPSV - taken March 08.

I used to have a Big Kid and always liked it just fine. It expired last year after being used as a spare for all 3 of my older kids and always provided a good belt fit on them. When and if I need a highback spare again, I would definitely consider another. The new more padded version with eps can only be an improvement!

I agree that it looks like a much better fit on your DD.

You know that the key is how the seat fits your child. Does the Big Kid have as much sip as some other boosters? No. Is it a better choice for her than the FP booster? YES!!! Much better fit.

thanks guys... as much as I know that it's all about the fit of the seat with vehicle and kid... I am just working to get past the seat feeling flimsy and not looking as protective... but reassurance is really helping me put that part away and listen to my head on this one.