Now I'm worried. Compass B540 for 4yr old?

My son is currently harnessed in a Nautilus in both my Chrysler Town and Country minivan and my husband's Prius. He is 45" and 48lbs with VERY broad shoulders. We have been reasonably happy with the Nautilus but my son's shoulders are hitting both sides of the seat and is starting to roll his shoulders forward when in the seat. He says it's uncomfortable to sit back. Also, when he starts kindergarten, I want him in a booster that he can buckle and unbuckle himself. That will never happen with the Nautilus in the Prius. We have tried the Nautilus in booster-mode and it is a PITA to buckle, even for me because the seat-belt buckle always finds its way under the seat.

So, we are thinking it's time to change seats. I know when I bought the Nautilus', I was warned that they would not last forever because he's so broad. But, it was what I could afford at the time. My husband just wants to go strait to a low-back booster, but I vetoed that idea.

I took him to Buy Buy Baby to try out their selection and the ONLY high-back seat that his shoulders weren't pressing against the sides was the Compass B540. We tried Recaro ProBooster AND Vivo, Britax Parkway, Graco Turbo... nothing else worked. They didn't have another B540 in stock, and I wasn't taking the floor model, so I ordered one and it is supposed to arrive tomorrow.

Of course, today I start looking for reviews and see that lots of folks say that the B540 has a poor lap-belt fit for younger kids. So, what do I need to look for when I buckle him in?

Do I have any other options (preferably less than $150) that will accommodate his wide shoulders?

Thanks!

You want the belt to be low on his lap, resting on his bones not the soft part of his tummy.

You might want to look at the Evenflo Big Kid booster. Kmart and Walmart sell them, and it works well in a Prius. My DD is fairly narrow so I don't know how it will fit your DS. But the Prius buckle stalk is short so if the booster is wide and deep it's hard for the kid to reach the buckle stalk. I've only had my Prius a week, but I had to switch DD from a Graco turbo booster to the Evenflo because she couldn't buckle the Graco with the short buckle stalk. The evenflo is cheap too!

The Diono Monterey is good for wide shoulders, but since it's fairly wide so he might not be able to buckle himself in the Prius. (DD is in a Monterey in my siggy, the back adjusts wider for bigger kids) I haven't tried it in the Prius.

I was going to suggest the Monterey as well since it has adjustable sides so you can make it wider for bigger kids

Don't panic yet.... it might fit him really well. I bought one for DS1 and it fits him really well. Its actually his preferred booster - and although he is older than your DS he is super duper thin. The lap belt fit is great as is the shoulder belt fit. I really like it TBH.... so don't count it out yet, and if it doesn't work, as the PP suggested you could give the monterey a try as well.

I would not recommend any booster for a 4yo. I would try to keep him in the Nautilus for a while, but if it just won't work, go for the Frontier85.

It depends on the 5 yr old which I'm assuming he will be when starting school next year.

I would try the Monterey. I love the Probooster but it was tippy in my car.
Your boy sounds like my 4 yr old except mine is 46 inches and 56 lbs. I would have no issue boostering him now. He is a good booster rider. I'm getting a Monterey for him.

He's okay in GN still. But we use fr85 for Long trips.

auto correct hates me

I use a B570 for a 4 yo in my car, that has belt guides to hold the lapbelt lower, it's nice. Anyway, see if the 540 holds the lapbelt low, touching the thighs (try a fun wiggle session... put him in, make him squirm around, tickle him, etc, to make sure the belt stays properly positioned after he's scootched all over the place ) If not, might try an Evenflo Secure Kid 300/400 due to his young age and the nice price point, or the Monterey.

carseatcoach said:

I would not recommend any booster for a 4yo. I would try to keep him in the Nautilus for a while, but if it just won't work, go for the Frontier85.

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I will probably be keeping 1 Nautilus for now... the other one was in an accident and has to be replaced.