Which Booster? Pic heavy

I am trying to decide which booster to use as a primary booster in my van.
Child is 5 years 10 months. 42ish" 45ish lbs.
Vehicle is 1997 Honda Odyssey (first generation). She will be in the passenger side captains chair permanently for ease of school drop off.
I have three available to choose from: Diono Monterey, Harmony Dreamtime, Harmony Youth Booster

I took pics to help you give advice.

The Monterey I am having possible incompatibility issues with (http://www.car-seat.org/showthread.php?t=233804). In addition to that, there are belt guide issues. The belt falls out of the guide, and when it is in the belt guide it doesn't retract, and is very difficult to pull out for DD to buckle herself. We have been using it without the belt guide, and the shoulder belt fit is *barely* acceptable.

With belt guide:


Without the belt guide I have to move the headrest up a click or the wings push the belt off her shoulder.


Harmony Youth Booster:
Obvious downfall--it's backless. But it's the only one of the three that sits flush with the seat back (see referenced thread linked above). The shoulder belt falls across her shoulder where it should, but doesn't completely touch her shoulder without the guide.

Without shoulder belt guide


With:


Harmony Dreamtime:
Let it be noted this is DD's favorite of the three because it's the only one that's really easy for her to buckle.
The bad: I don't like the lap fit in HB mode. Call me crazy, but I think it's a tad too high. I also hate the shoulder belt fit. It's perfect (I think?) with the head rest all the way down. But I like the head rest positioning best when it's 3 clicks up, which places the shoulder belt on her neck, and is uncomfortable.

Lowest setting:



3 up:



Backless (because I like the lap belt so much better so I'm throwing it in):


So, none of them are perfect. Which one would you use? Or should I scrap them all and try something different?

How does the shoulder belt look on the Dreamtime on the 2nd click up? Can you get a shot of the lap belt head on in the Dreamtime?

Brianna said:

How does the shoulder belt look on the Dreamtime on the 2nd click up? Can you get a shot of the lap belt head on in the Dreamtime?

Click to expand...

She's at school now, but basically the shoulder belt is on her neck in everything but the lowest setting. The best pic I got of the lap belt in the dreamtime was this one I think.

I'll try to get more later.

None of them seem particularly awesome- the Monterey using the belt guide is nice except for it not retracting. My favorite is the backless Harmony. If you would prefer to keep her in a high back, can you try the Turbo booster?

Brianna said:

None of them seem particularly awesome- the Monterey using the belt guide is nice except for it not retracting. My favorite is the backless Harmony. If you would prefer to keep her in a high back, can you try the Turbo booster?

Click to expand...

I would prefer a high back. With substantial side wings that actually fit around her head. But I'm not opposed to backless in the meantime if it fits better until I can find one that works. I can try something else, but I'd have to sell one the Monterey first. I have a Turbo, but DD had difficulty buckling it, too. She likes the dreamtime best because it sits high enough that the (stiff) buckle stalk isn't crowded up against the lap belt guide so she has room to buckle and tighten, if that makes any sense to you lol. It lives in my dad's van because he sometimes takes her to school. It works best in his van so I'm not considering it an option for mine(all these had worse issues in his van).

She used the backless today and it inspired me to try something else. :-/ She is too little. Hoping to get a vivo, perhaps that will work better.

-Krista
DD~5.75~ Diono Monterey/HBturbo
DS~3.75~ FF Radian XTSL/Maestro
DN~2.25~ RF Coccoro

If the tb works in your car maybe buy another? Or try a tb with ss?

Oh my. This post just makes me sad to think of all the people who just buy any old backless booster and use it no matter what :S Or use an AO as a booster *shudder*.

You should take a pic of the TB and show us! Hopefully it will get easier for her to buckle with practice.

The shoulder belt wouldn't retract in my monterey either..

cm_nghs1 said:

Oh my. This post just makes me sad to think of all the people who just buy any old backless booster and use it no matter what :S Or use an AO as a booster *shudder*.

You should take a pic of the TB and show us! Hopefully it will get easier for her to buckle with practice.

The shoulder belt wouldn't retract in my monterey either..

Click to expand...

I was thinking the same thing today! I'm glad I know what to look for, even though I get made fun of by friends for having a new booster for her "every week."

Here's the TB. The fit is great, I think, she just struggles with the buckling.




Is that better than the others?

How are people liking the safety surround tb's? I noticed one at target with similar coloring as the monterey. She would like that.

My daughter couldn't buckle herself in a booster until 6yo. Your DD is close to that age, anyway. Just give her time and help her in the meantime. Go with the best fit and most comfortable and she'll learn how to buckle it later.

What trouble is she having with buckling the TB? It looks to me like she should be able to reach it ok- is she trying to thread it under the armrest first, and then buckle? I showed my kids how they can buckle the belt with the shoulder belt over the armrest (the lap belt generally slips right under there) and then they can pull up on the shoulder part to tighten it as they move it around and under the armrest. Solved all of their buckling difficulties.

I like the Turbo (based on the fit in your photos), and prefer a child that age to be buckled by a parent anyway.
How does the Monterey work if you raise the headrest a click? Does it retract better?

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Qarin said:

What trouble is she having with buckling the TB? It looks to me like she should be able to reach it ok- is she trying to thread it under the armrest first, and then buckle? I showed my kids how they can buckle the belt with the shoulder belt over the armrest (the lap belt generally slips right under there) and then they can pull up on the shoulder part to tighten it as they move it around and under the armrest. Solved all of their buckling difficulties.

Click to expand...

This is exactly what my daughter does in her turbo. Works like a charm.

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The Turbo looks great IMO! My DD buckles her booster with the shoulder belt over the arm rest and then tucks it in, that's the only way she can do it.

Her biggest hangup is really pulling the shoulder belt out. The angle of the shoulder belt in my car seems to create extra resistance. She has been bucking herself since she was three (in harness at first of course) so she has been doing it a while and I trust her to do it correctly by now.

Thanks for all the extra eyes!

-Krista
DD~5.75~ Diono Monterey/HBturbo
DS~3.75~ FF Radian XTSL/Maestro
DN~2.25~ RF Coccoro