Question HBB advice

Naturlover

New member
My daughter will be 7 years old at the end of November. She is in a Foonf Clek and we drive a 2016 Colorado Chevy, extended cab. Last we looked she has 2 inches to go before she outgrows her Foonf. She still needs the 5 point harness but will transition out of it later.
I am looking at:
Diono Radian R100 $319.99
Britax Frontier $449.99
Britax Pioneer $299.99

Does anyone have these or know much about them? Any preference?
They seem similar except the Frontier has larger side impact head protection, and looks more like a car seat.

Thanks.
 
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ketchupqueen

CPST and ketchup snob
Staff member
She has 2 inches above her shoulders? That's quite a lot of growth.

If so, unless she has special medical or behavioral needs, you probably won't need another harnessed seat. So I'd look at dedicated boosters.

The Dionos are really convertibles (rear and forward facing) with a mostly-unusable booster function and a highly overinflated harness limit; they aren't really taller than what you have. I would not recommend them for a 7 year old.

The Pioneer and Frontier are both combination (forward facing harness/booster) seats; they have the same harness height and the same headrest. The only difference is that the Frontier is a much easier install in harness mode. Both are wide and, like most combination seats, can be difficult to buckle in booster mode. Some vehicles have retraction issues with the shoulder belt too. It tends to fit best as a booster once the harness is outgrown. So again, I'd only recommend if there's a special medical need for further harnessing; otherwise I'd recommend a dedicated booster.

What are the child's weight and height?
 

Naturlover

New member
Thank Ketchupqueen. :)
She isn't mature enough to remain seated properly, so I am concerned about putting her in a booster with only a seatbelt.
She has 2 inches from her total height as per Clek recommended max height.
She weighs about 48 pounds.
 

ketchupqueen

CPST and ketchup snob
Staff member
Most kids will be ready very soon after 7 if they aren't at 7.

For most kids the stated height is also irrelevant- how much space is above her shoulders to the top harness slot?
 

Naturlover

New member
I'll check her shoulder space next time we are out. Thank you.

For a dedicated booster, would you recommend the Frontier or the Pioneer?
Or is there another booster you prefer/like for a slim/petite child?

Thanks
 

ketchupqueen

CPST and ketchup snob
Staff member
Neither of those is a dedicated booster. They are both combination seats- harness and booster both. If you intend to harness they are exactly the same fit wise, the install is the only difference.

For a dedicated booster for a slim child I like the Graco TurboBooster, Britax Parkway, sometimes the Peg Perego, Evenflo Spectrum, or Clek Oobr; it depends on the child's build, the vehicle, etc.
 

Naturlover

New member
We have decided on the Diono Cambria. We wanted a booster that gave some head support when sleeping and could click in.
I spoke to someone at Snuggle Bugz and they told me the expiration is based on date of purchase and not date of manufacture. This doesn't seem right to me.
I read some where on this site that the Diono Cambria is discontinued, is this true?
What are you thoughts on the Cambria?
Thanks
 

2BunniesMommy

Well-known member
Expiration is for sure based on date of manufacture, not when the seat is purchased. The Cambria expires when it is 10 years old.

I am pretty sure that the seat has been discontinued, that sounds familiar to me also. I'll see what I can find out in a minute. ETA: As best as I can tell, the Cambria is not discontinued, but the Solana does seem to be.

We had a Solana, which is the backless version of the Cambria. Really liked it, but it is wide and it was really hard to buckle in our car, so we didn't end up keeping it.
 
Last edited:

Naturlover

New member
Thanks 2bunniesMommy, we ended up ordering one from Snuggle Bugz website, it arrived very quickly and the manufacturing date is January 2018 and is good for 10 years, Yay! We have only used it a couple of times, but our daughter loves it and says it is comfortable and can buckle it herself (when the kennel isn’t in the way).
 

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