Frontier or Monterey?

ElfJewel

New member
Kayla (7 yrs, 46 lbs) has about 1/2 inch left in her Nautilus. I don't want to use it as a booster, it looks big and bulky and I don't know if she could buckle around it (plus I want a new seat :whistle:) She fits well in Megan's Monterey, and sits ok for short trips, but she is wiggly and has attention issues, which is why we got her the Nautilus.I need to decide if I should start saving for a Frontier to harness her longer or a Monterey and just let her booster full time. What would you do for a 7 yo? She has matured a lot over the last year but I am still not sure she would stay put 100% of the time.
 
ADS

Kat_Momof3

New member
I disagree... wiggly and attention issues mean she's still lacking maturity and impulse control... I'd get the frontier... which also makes a great booster (and can also be paired with a slide guard clip for a little more of a reminder to sit properly when using it in booster mode)
 

ginny4

New member
i think its a hard decision.....because really at this point all my kids are having some serious staying still issues in the car & the eldest is nearly 12yo (& adult sized)!!! the issues seem to come & go....i just have to remind them more often then not lately that they NEED to sit well in their seats. my 2 eldest & perhaps my 3rd eldest (7yo) are all too big for a harnessed seat. They do all have to learn sometime how to.....a typical 7yo should be capable of sitting well in a booster (tho might need reminders)
 

ElfJewel

New member
I think I should add, she wants a Frontier (Cowmoo lol), I think I want to keep her harnessed but DH doesn't like the idea of spending so much $$ on a seat for her at her age. So I just can't decide.
 

murphydog77

Admin - CPST Instructor
Staff member
My kids both had trouble buckling over the high edge of the FR 80. I can't remember the last time either rode in it, but I want to say it was last year for my dd, so she would have been 7, and probably the same time period for my ds, so he would have been 9-10ish. That was in the captain's chairs in our '05 Sienna.
 

Baylor

New member
My son fits well in his Gn as a booster.. As for the big and bulky.. A FR85 is no small seat.. lol...

If there is even a question of a wiggly child, I would harness.
 

joolsplus3

Admin - CPS Technician
Gosh, there's so much handmeodown potential with the FR, isn't there? You could literally use it for the full 9 years with your crew.
If you haven't shopped at diapers/soap.com before, buy the FR at diapers.com and something cheap at soap.com (like, travel wet ones for a buck), and the FR is only 167 if you use code BABY9544 at checkout.
Yeah, I'm a baaaaaad enabler. Bad.

Nothing wrong with moving a 7 yo to a booster, though. Except you get tired of telling them to sit down/sit back/sit still/don't reach down to get that toy/don't touch your sister/brother/anything. At least that's how my kids are, lol.
;)
 

ElfJewel

New member
Yeah, I have one in my cart for $178, and a Monterey for $101. But I can't decide. Jamie and Ian are tiny, they will be RF in their Radians for a long time (even my 5yo has 3 or 4 inches above her head) so I don't think we will need more than the Nautilus for them, and we have 2 of those already.
 

Baylor

New member
Gosh, there's so much handmeodown potential with the FR, isn't there? You could literally use it for the full 9 years with your crew.
If you haven't shopped at diapers/soap.com before, buy the FR at diapers.com and something cheap at soap.com (like, travel wet ones for a buck), and the FR is only 167 if you use code BABY9544 at checkout.
Yeah, I'm a baaaaaad enabler. Bad.

Nothing wrong with moving a 7 yo to a booster, though. Except you get tired of telling them to sit down/sit back/sit still/don't reach down to get that toy/don't touch your sister/brother/anything. At least that's how my kids are, lol.
;)

You have to buy from both??? Enable away baby...
 

Chris

New member
If it makes you feel better, I am very seriously considering reharnessing my 8 1/2 yr old. He has been boostered for 2 1/2 yrs. We were in an accident and had to replace his turbo. He rode in a low back for acouple of months and was ALL over the place. We got a Monterrey, and instead of getting better, it has gotten worse. He leans to the side, or forward all the time. I am taking him to try out the frontier, I think he had about an inch of harness left before he would go into booster mode, so that might get him to a better maturity level. With 2 sibs, we will be able to use the frontier for the full 9 yrs, so for us it will be worth it.

If you really think that she won't be able to sit for longer periods of time, spending the extra $80 to keep her harnessed for a couple of years might be worth your peace of mind. Good Luck!!
 

ElfJewel

New member
We finally made our decision. We decided to get... both. Monterey for in town and Frontier for longer trips. Actually my mom decided. She wants to get the Frontier for DD1, who is too tall to ride in her car (no headrests and has just about outgrown all the hbb we can put in there), but she wants to keep it at our house, so K can use it too :love: She ordered the Frontier today, and we will get the Monterey when she outgrows the Nautilus.
 

Kat_Momof3

New member
what booster is dd1 in? I'm wondering if she could use the monterey.

but still, I say a wiggly child is enough reason to stay harnessed... and if that's what she wants, go with it.
 

hrice

New member
Gosh, there's so much handmeodown potential with the FR, isn't there? You could literally use it for the full 9 years with your crew.
;)

:yeahthatlove:

This is exactly why O just bought a FR85 for my 9 yr old. He is too tall for the harness but can use it as a booster and I can pass it down later.
 

ElfJewel

New member
what booster is dd1 in? I'm wondering if she could use the monterey.

but still, I say a wiggly child is enough reason to stay harnessed... and if that's what she wants, go with it.

DD1 is in a Monterey in my car. But she only has a couple of inches left as a hbb and she lost so much room in my moms car I don't know if it would be enough. In the garage she had 4 in left in the turbobooster, but in my moms car her shoulder is over. I am hoping the Frontier will last until she is ready to get a new car. And the Monterey is LATCHed in my car and I would rather not take it out. The straps try to get tangled when I unhook them.
 

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