Which booster?

NicoleCPST · Mar 25, 2013

We are flying to Tx in a few months and I want to start booster training DD for the trip. Which booster would you get for under $100?

I'm thinking an Affix or the graco with safety surround.

aeormsby · Mar 25, 2013

I would look at the Harmony folding booster if you want something for flying. That way it will fold nicely and should fit in the overhead bin on the plane.

NicoleCPST · Mar 25, 2013

I wont need it for flying. I'll have my mom buy a seat before we go and just let her sit in the seat on the plane. Thats ok at 5 right? I'll have day in his infant seat so I don't want to have to take the booster too.

hedgefun · Mar 26, 2013

NicoleCPST said:
I wont need it for flying. I'll have my mom buy a seat before we go and just let her sit in the seat on the plane. Thats ok at 5 right? I'll have day in his infant seat so I don't want to have to take the booster too.

She can't sit in the booster on the plane... You'd have to put it in the overhead even if you brought it with you on the plane.

ketchupqueen · Mar 26, 2013

I think she means she'll use the plane belt alone (which is fine as long as she's not built super-skinny) and have her mom have a booster waiting when they get there.

Phineasmama · Mar 26, 2013

ketchupqueen said:
I think she means she'll use the plane belt alone (which is fine as long as she's not built super-skinny) and have her mom have a booster waiting when they get there.

Why not super skinny? I was going to have my 6yo use just the seat belt when we leave tomorrow, she is very skinny but she's a solid kid and not tiny for her age or anything. Just skinny.

Stelvis · Mar 26, 2013

I just put DS in just the plane seatbelt this time (too tall for CARES) and it was fine. It tightened on him and he sat well. He's very skinny.

We are using the Harmony folding booster right now on vacation and I like it. It seems to fit him well and he's been sitting well in it for the most part.

aeormsby · Mar 26, 2013

Since you don't need to travel with it... Another to look at is the Recaro Vivo. I love ours, fits DD great (and even DS when he tried it out once or twice last year) and is super comfy. I think you can find them on sale for around $100 or less.

ketchupqueen · Mar 26, 2013

Phineasmama said:
Why not super skinny? I was going to have my 6yo use just the seat belt when we leave tomorrow, she is very skinny but she's a solid kid and not tiny for her age or anything. Just skinny.

It will PROBABLY be fine but I put my then-7 1/2 year old (55th percentile for height, 50th for weight, ish, 45 lbs. at the time, very small bones/frame, and willowy, lots of height in her legs rather than torso) in a seatbelt only on a couple American flights and the belt would not tighten enough on her.

Unfortunately we had no seat for her and had to just deal with it. She was scared and uncomfortable because it was loose the whole time. It all has to do with frame, I think, as well as the seatbelts- she'd probably have been fine on some airlines/airplanes where the belts tighten more. The different planes have different belts so it's only an issue on some.

momtoo3 · Mar 26, 2013

For use at home to booster train I would pick the Vivo or TB with Safety Surround. Both fit most kids from small to big. Ds3 is 34-35 lbs and about 40 inches and gets amazing belt fit in either, as does ds2 who is over 60 pounds (well ds2 outgrew the HBTB last year.) The Vivo is awesome for booster training because of the deep side and head wings. They help keep a kid in position and are so comfy. We don't have a HBTB with SS but got to try ds3 in one a while back during a carseat play date with Darren. We have a regular HBTB and ds3 did not stay in position while we were training in that...a month later he sits fine in it. He just needed the boundaries of the Vivo to start off.

Is your mom getting dd a booster to just keep there or will you need to bring it home after? Either way I think the Harmony Folding Booster would be a good choice as it is easy to store and easy to travel with.

Phineasmama · Mar 26, 2013

ketchupqueen said:
It will PROBABLY be fine but I put my then-7 1/2 year old (55th percentile for height, 50th for weight, ish, 45 lbs. at the time, very small bones/frame, and willowy, lots of height in her legs rather than torso) in a seatbelt only on a couple American flights and the belt would not tighten enough on her. Unfortunately we had no seat for her and had to just deal with it. She was scared and uncomfortable because it was loose the whole time. It all has to do with frame, I think, as well as the seatbelts- she'd probably have been fine on some airlines/airplanes where the belts tighten more. The different planes have different belts so it's only an issue on some.

Thanks for the info! We are flying Southwest...I guess we'll see how it goes

I think two seats might be all I can manage at this point.

Phineasmama · Mar 26, 2013

I suppose I could go get a CARES harness today...but I just bought a Bubble Bum already and don't they not work as well for taller kids because of the way the plane seat narrows at the top? I think she's about 45" tall.

ketchupqueen · Mar 26, 2013

Phineasmama said:
I suppose I could go get a CARES harness today...but I just bought a Bubble Bum already and don't they not work as well for taller kids because of the way the plane seat narrows at the top? I think she's about 45" tall.

CARES has a 40” limit, but the bigger issue is that it doesn't tighten the lap belt any.

Stelvis · Mar 26, 2013

Yes it has a 40" limit, after which it's not technically FAA approved unless you apply for a special needs waiver (although we totally used it last year at 40.5"). But now his torso is too long.

Also, the Harmony booster did NOT fit in the overhead bin. I had to gate check it. I was fine with doing that because it was packed in the original box (which has a carry handle). Just thought I'd mention that since they claim it fits as a carry-on.

InternationalMama · Mar 27, 2013

Stelvis said:
Also, the Harmony booster did NOT fit in the overhead bin. I had to gate check it. I was fine with doing that because it was packed in the original box (which has a carry handle). Just thought I'd mention that since they claim it fits as a carry-on.

Did you check to see if it would fit without the box? They only claim it fits by itself, not with the box. Also, were you flying on a large jet or one of those tiny commuter planes with the small overhead bins that don't even fit a lot of roll-ons? I'm asking because we're considering this booster too. Don't mean to hi-jack.

Which booster?

NicoleCPST

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aeormsby

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NicoleCPST

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hedgefun

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ketchupqueen

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