Diono Hip vs Safety 1st Incognito?

NessieNess

New member
Hello,

My daughter is 8.5 yo and on the large side, at least 90lbs and 4'6" (will have to double-check both at home tonight). She usually rides in a Britax Parkway SGL in high-back mode in the captain's chair of our 2006 Odyssey. We've tried it without the back but she finds it too tight and uncomfortable for her bottom. This morning, I noticed that her shoulder is barely below the shoulder belt guide on the Parkway, but I know she isn't quite tall enough to 5-step yet. We have a long roadtrip coming up, so I should probably get her used to a new seat before that.

I anticipated this situation, and first came across the Dino Hip as a good option for children with a wide bottom. And at $10.98 at Walmart, it's a steal. Now I'm having second thoughts and wondering if the Incognito ($5 more) would be the better option because it doesn't have armrests that limit the width (though I guess it wouldn't be very comfortable, not to mention unsafe, to have butt-cheek overhang on the sides).

Some other considerations: For the road trip, she would like to sit in the third row to escape the sibling germs that emanate from her sister (who sits in the other captain's chair), so I'm not sure which would work better in that seating position. She would also need to use the new seat to replace the backless Graco Turbo she uses in my MIL's Infinity because the Turbo boosts her up too high for the built-in/non-adjustable headrests in that car (and quite frankly, I'm not sure how she squeezes her bottom into that one). For the latter reason, I'm leaning toward the Incognito because the reviews says it's fairly thin, but I don't know how much thinner than the Hip. Although I would hope she doesn't hit 110lbs (the limit on the Hip) before she's ready to 5-step, the Incognito also offers a higher weight limit.

Thoughts/recommendation?

Thank you!
 
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2BunniesMommy

Well-known member
I was leaning toward the Hip for sure for comfort for the trip, but once you got to the height issue in MIL's car, that made the Incognito a winner there. Is there anyway you could swing both? At least to try both in both positions and maybe return one if the other works well for both cars? We tried an Incognito for about a second with my oldest, she found it very uncomfortable and we returned it. But with non-adjustable headrests, it could be your best option. I, personally, would feel the need to see how both worked in the possible spots and how DD likes them before I'd be able to decide.
 

jjordan

Moderator
Hm, personally I would probably go with the Incognito both because of it probably working better in mil's car and also because of the higher weight limit, which you may or may not end up needing. Unless money is extremely tight I wouldn't let the price difference factor in whatsoever. Spread out over the few years of use and it's like a package of floss each year or something like that. ;)
 

NessieNess

New member
Yeah, I'm not concerned about $10 vs $15, esp considering what I've spent in seats that are now in Memoriam 😉

I may order both and see which one works better in MILs car. For the road trip, which will be 12+ hours in one day, a friend reminded me that my other kid's Frontier has a taller back so I may try swapping seats so she could have the extra support of a HBB for the long drive. Maybe I can even get her to 5 stepping in the Frontier.
 

2BunniesMommy

Well-known member
If she fits comfortably in the Frontier, that does sound like the best plan for the long trip. I tried my 9 year old in hers a couple weeks ago, she hasn't used it for about 2 years and I was wondering if she still fit before we got rid of it. She is about 76 lbs and 56 inches, so fits by stated limits. She had a little less than an inch to used it harnessed, but not enough shoulder room to be comfortable harnessed or as a booster. I was impressed that she technically did still fit though. She would do better in a high back, but our cars don't have enough headroom, her boosters hit the roof starting about a year or so ago, wish that wasn't the case for sleeping reasons. So, if you can make it work for your daughter, I really hope you can because we are still working on not flopping when really tired.
 

NessieNess

New member
We did a similar drive last year with her in the Parkway, though split up into 8 hours in one day and about 5 hours the next, and this kid did not even come close to falling asleep, unlike her father (she's not much of a sleeper generally). But yeah, a road trip is not the time to find out that your kid can't handle a no-back booster when tired.
 

NessieNess

New member
Update: That additional inch-and-a-half in the back of the Frontier should at least get us through the trip. She said it seemed a bit wider and thus more comfortable than the Parkway too. Sister seems to accept the switch.

Additional booster purchase averted, I guess ;-)
 

mom of six

Active member
Even though the booster purchase was averted I am sure it will be an issue that will be revisited. I have both and used both for my large 7 year old son. I had him in the incognito in our Suburban but I noticed that I did not like the shoulder belt fit. It was too close to his neck. I switched to the Hip and it gave him that inch or so of height and the arm rests bring the shoulder belt down a smidge resulting in a much better fit. It could be all car dependent but :twocents:
 

NessieNess

New member
Thanks, we'll definitely have to revisit the booster issue in the new year when she rides in my MIL's car again. I guess there's a very tiny chance she could 5-step, but I doubt it, and the Turbo definitely boosts her up too high. I'm planning to get both the Incognito and Hip, and see which works better.
 

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