Help me debate which booster I want....

I am booster shopping for a booster for ds3 to use in dh's 2010 Malibu. He won't be using it until late spring or summer...or maybe not until fall...I don't know. He will be 5 in Sept and we started booster training for very short rides in my van recently. He does great but I plan to keep him in his FR85 until at least age 5 in my van other than the short trips we make for picking up the little girl I watch from preschool a few blocks away. The FR85 is more convenient. Right now he is getting cramped in the MR he has in dh's car and he is complaining again about the recline. I am hoping that when spring comes and he has less layers he will be better but I doubt it and it is a PITB to strap him in the middle, which is the only way the kids fit in the backseat.

I currently have a 3 across with a Cosco HiRise nbb, MR, Monterey. No headrest in the middle so only ds3 can ride there. The backseat is not 3 across friendly. Ds1 is very close to 5 stepping and will be 13 in July. That was my max for making him use a booster ( he has 5 stepped in my van for over a year.) Ds2 will be 8 at the end of June and I am fine with him in a nbb full time at that point unless he will be sleeping. So I need a hbb for ds3 and a nbb for ds2. I am considering getting a HBTB with Safety Surround for ds3 and either an Amp or using the HiRise for ds2.

If I don't decide to get the HBTB SS, I like the ProBooster. Does the ProBooster need head support? What about the Vivo? What seats besides the HBTB and PWSG don't require head support that fit smaller kids? Another harnessed seat is not an option at this point. The MR only works because of the super narrow base and how high the seat sits so the boosters fit under the sides of the MR. I have tried a RN, Maestro, S4Me, Pria, ProSport, Peg and SK.

Also if you had to put a booster in the middle of a 5 stepper and a nbb, which do you feel is safest for the other 2 riders to be up against. I worry that in a crash they would hit the sides of the hbb. I hate that my kids are growing and getting older .

We got the Kiddyworld CruiserFix today, and wow. I really like it. I don't know if it will work in your particular vehicle, but it's a pretty narrow seat. The cool part is it's loaded with EPS foam, and it seems like even the sides are soft and safe, hence perfect for next to an actual person. I was so pleased!!! It even has a crumple zone (only booster on market to have that, they say).

It too is for a newer 5-year-old, our daughter. It even latches in nicely.
So many of the boosters seem flimsy or lacking in SIP. This one seems quite nice and was tested to European standards, they say.

So I'd check into that if it sounds at all of interest. Amazon has free returns if it does not work out.

bnsnyde said:

We got the Kiddyworld CruiserFix today, and wow. I really like it. I don't know if it will work in your particular vehicle, but it's a pretty narrow seat. The cool part is it's loaded with EPS foam, and it seems like even the sides are soft and safe, hence perfect for next to an actual person. I was so pleased!!! It even has a crumple zone (only booster on market to have that, they say).

It too is for a newer 5-year-old, our daughter. It even latches in nicely.
So many of the boosters seem flimsy or lacking in SIP. This one seems quite nice and was tested to European standards, they say.

So I'd check into that if it sounds at all of interest. Amazon has free returns if it does not work out.

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If you are up for it, I would love to see a picture of your dd in it. Does it need head support? It is actually a seat I was considering for ds2. I hadn't thought about it for ds3. Does it look like it would be okay for a kid with short legs? Ds3 fits great in the Vivo depth wise so I worry that too much leg support would make him slouch.

When it's light I'll try a photo tomorrow. Wow, the belt fit is great! It does not need head support, if I read the manual correctly.

The leg support actually adjusts for the kid. I left it on the setting it came on (smallest). For us it's fine.

The Oobr, on the other hand, has no leg support, LOL. I feel my son looks about to slide out of it. I don't know if I love THAT seat, but DS is 6 and in a few years I might just give the Oobr seat to little brother, when he is about 6, maybe 5.5. Get something with more support for my oldest who will then be 8 or 9.

Here she is in the seat. She is about 43 inches and 42 lbs, by the way.
Don't you love the kick-guard on the side? Actually it's just a side-impact wing BUT it means little toddler brother can't kick her face anymore! Also it seems like whoever sits next to her would get the benefit of EPS foam. Double bonus.

The lap belt fit is awesome, by the way (hidden under her spring coat). It's 60+ degrees here today, negative windchill later this week!

There is some mesh on the seat that I was a little sad to see, but actually they do that to make it comfy in the summer and it does look like the perfect summer seat. She is always "too hot" so breathable fabrics are good for her.

So is the whole side wing just foam or is there plastic too? How do you think the headwings will be for sleeping? I think it looks like a great fit.

On a side note...this weather is crazy. I'm in northern IL too and can't believe that we went from single digits to 60's within a few days and then going back to the teens. Never thought I'd have a 4 yr old in my bed crying about the thunder in January.

I lovelovelove my ProBooster!

Does the ProBooster need head support? I had one and it was tippy in the 3rd row of my van so I sold it..now I wish I hadn't...but it is fun buying new seats.

The headwings look good for sleeping. She already pretended to sleep once and seemed very comfy.

I don't actually know where the plastic is. There seems to be a lot of foam. Maybe plastic, too. There (on this forum) is a post somewhere about this seat (Kiddyworld Cruiser Fix) where it's naked and you can see the design under the fabric, if that helps. I found it once by searching under the seat's name. I think it was a review?

I must say customer service was disappointing. I called the # and they answered right away but could not "legally" give me any information. ????? Someone has to get back to me. I simply wanted to know if there is an extra step after latching it in. The Oobr pushes in after you latch it in. So this seat might do that, or maybe not. It didn't seem to budge to do that. I figured best to call and ask. Though, that's neither here nor there and we do love the seat.

Is he the little 4 yo in your siggy? 33 pounds and 40 inches? If I had to booster a kid that small/young, I've heard the turbo fits littles well.

I would try the Amp HBB. It's the only hbb I could get to fit in my 3 across when I had the Impala. I think you have an good chance of getting 3 of them in a 3 across


They are my middle 2 kiddos favorite hbb and I've had/tried just about everything

Athena said:

Is he the little 4 yo in your siggy? 33 pounds and 40 inches? If I had to booster a kid that small/young, I've heard the turbo fits littles well.

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Yes, he's my tiny one. I have a regular HBTB but don't like the small head rest. That's why I am thinking about a TB with Safety Surround.

love-pink said:

I would try the Amp HBB. It's the only hbb I could get to fit in my 3 across when I had the Impala. I think you have an good chance of getting 3 of them in a 3 across


They are my middle 2 kiddos favorite hbb and I've had/tried just about everything

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I looked at the Amp HBB but I don't think it will be good for sleeping. He is still a car sleeper when riding for more than 30 minutes.

I tried the Vivo in the middle and it doesn't fit well with the Monterey backless. I should have tried it with the HiRise but it is pouring rain and I am feeling like crap. I love the head support on the Vivo and he keeps asking to use it. I was hoping it would work but nope . I hate dh's car.

Both mine sleep great in the Amp. I really think it has more to do with the slope of your vehicles seats and the child than the booster

Although in the same vehicle they had terrible slump in the prkwy and fr85. Then later my dd2 had no head slump in the fr85 in the same car.

love-pink said:

Both mine sleep great in the Amp. I really think it has more to do with the slope of your vehicles seats and the child than the booster

Although in the same vehicle they had terrible slump in the prkwy and fr85. Then later my dd2 had no head slump in the fr85 in the same car.

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He's had horrible head slump in every seat but the MR, which he is complaining about the recline in. I love the recline because I don't have to keep pushing his head up. I hate the back seat of the Malibu, it is so upright. I wish I could find a Cybex X-Fix to try because I think the recline on the headrest is an awesome feature.

Am I correct in assuming that the ProBooster does NOT need head support by this in the manual?
NOTE: You many need to adjust or remove the vehicle’s head restraint to allow the ProBOOSTER to fit properly against the vehicle’s seat back. Refer to your vehicle owner’s manual for information on how to operate this feature.

ETA: I found this old thread http://www.car-seat.org/showthread.php?t=233149&highlight=booster+head+support , created by me asking about the head support issue. I am still confused with what is allowed/not allowed by Recaro. Ugh!

We have the Cybex too and the recline thing on the head looks silly to me, like it does almost nothing. I could be wrong. It just didn't impress me!

One cool thing I like about the Oobr is the recline feature. Never tried it, but I will on our road trip. Of course, it's not a narrow seat.

Basically all our FF seats are directly upright, doesn't matter so much the brand. It's just how they are in our vehicle, and I don't tend to use the recline features (which don't often do much of any recline anyway).