My Monterey Arrived!!

Kat_Momof3

New member
:love:

Okay, I was very surprised and thrilled when I opened it and saw how super thick and sturdy the headwings were.

As surprised as I was by the flimsier feel of the Parkway, that's how amazed I am by the overal toughness of this booster.

The cupholders, which Jeffrey was concerned with, are fabulous and he loves that there are two... so he has more than his sister.

But more importantly, he has tons of grow room... see the pics that I took on the sofa

MontereyJeffrey1.jpg


now fully widened and heightened

MontereyJeffrey2.jpg


I'll write a review after I get pics in the van.

The whole seat seems really well made and the only thing that could have been made better would be if they used alligator-style latch connectors instead of the typical ones.

So, then I put Damian in it to test it... OMG... he had 1.5" of grow room.

MontereyDamian.jpg


If he didnt pass the 5-step test and declare that I would be the meanest Mom to get him one, I would get a second one for him.

As it were, though, fitting two in my van would require putting Ruthie alone in the third row, so I don't see that happening... or Jeffrey in a backless alone back there (height issues of my third row), and that's senseless to put him in a backless and his brother in a highback, so I guess we'll leave things with Damian in a seatbelt, but it does make me want a taller ceiling in my third row.
 
ADS

Stretchy Glue

New member
Kat, don't you totally love it? I swear I've never liked a seat I've owned as much as this one. I too am working on a review, but time has been an issue.
Isn't it amazing to have room in a a seat for once?
 

Kat_Momof3

New member
YES... and SO MUCH room.

I already wrote a big sappy feedback email to Russ... I'm just enamored with love for this seat.

If only I had a Toyota Sienna... I bet one would fit in ITS third row...

Jeffrey has a 19" torso... I checked today and he's over the top slots in the Nautilus now. He has more room in this as a booster, though.

I still love the Nautilus, for the same reason... goes so wide, tall, and does so much, but when Ruthie outgrows the Nautilus as a booster, I'm getting her one of these... cause Damian was JUST too tall for the Nautilus for the belt to fit right on his shoulder and in the guide when we got the seat, but look... this seat has room.

I'm amazed... stunned.... and wishing he hadn't outgrown his backless until I'd gotten one of these... because I just keep thinking that I would have figured out SOMETHING.... or just learned to live with Ruthie (my baby) all the way back in the third row by herself.

My third row bench is in my garage (I know, weird, but my hubby is using the van to haul stuff) and I know two of these and a Radian would not fit, so that's keeping me from feeling guilty of having tight funds.
 

Stretchy Glue

New member
It will fit differently in the car, but the way Damian fits in it on the couch is the way H fits in it in the car (fully extended). I think on the couch H and Jeffrey fit the same. He's a year older than her:(
 

Kat_Momof3

New member
wow... that's quite a bit of difference... I remember H not having a much bigger torso than J before... did she have another spurt??
 

April

Well-known member
I know two of these and a Radian would not fit.

Comments like this are really starting to scare me! You guys are foiling my summer plans:eek:

I should drive down to the states with DH's truck to see if I can find a store to let me try them in there, because if I can't fit two Monterey's in DH's truck with the Radian, that money is going towards two Frontier's for the little kids instead of one Frontier and a Nautilus....

Sorry for threadjacking. I'm on the prowl for anything referring to three across with 2 Montereys and a radian.

Oh P.S. - I'm glad you love it!
 

Stretchy Glue

New member
Every week Kat! Here are the pictures on the couch, then in the car to show how much it changed.

100_1711.jpg

100_1717.jpg

100_1786.jpg

fully extended

100_1789.jpg


The kid is extraordinary.
So, in the car she fits like Damian fit on the couch. She is about the size as Jeffery (who is actually 8 months older.) She weighs 60 lbs now!
 

Kat_Momof3

New member
Comments like this are really starting to scare me! You guys are foiling my summer plans:eek:

I should drive down to the states with DH's truck to see if I can find a store to let me try them in there, because if I can't fit two Monterey's in DH's truck with the Radian, that money is going towards two Frontier's for the little kids instead of one Frontier and a Nautilus....

Sorry for threadjacking. I'm on the prowl for anything referring to three across with 2 Montereys and a radian.

Oh P.S. - I'm glad you love it!

oh, I wouldn't be able to fit that combo, either... I have a dodge caravan...the third row benches are TEENY.

Even using a Radian, booster choices on either side would be limited to a select super-narrow few (Parkway, FPSV booster, and backless cosco).
 

Kat_Momof3

New member
Every week Kat! Here are the pictures on the couch, then in the car to show how much it changed.

The kid is extraordinary.
So, in the car she fits like Damian fit on the couch. She is about the size as Jeffery (who is actually 8 months older.) She weighs 60 lbs now!

Okay... I don't have pics of it, because I didn't get a chance to take any because we were in a hurry, but Jeffrey didn't lose ANY height in the car.

It's weird, too, because he always lost height with the parkway... and he's now too tall for the parkway, but more because the belt wouldn't fit right (his shoulder is JUST under the guide) than his shoulder covering the guide.

The Radian and The Monterey are the only two seats I don't lose any noticeable room in.

It's weird.

But I took the seat out to put it in the van today without moving the headrest and Jeffrey still fits in it... YAY!!

I can't get over how wide the headwings are, too... I keep thinking Jeffrey is leaning if I can't see him in my mirror, but it's just because he's keeping his head in the middle... he has to lean against the side for me to see him now.... lol.

I think they should have made the latch adjuster strap longer, though... it was tough to get enough to work with and my latch connectors aren't THAT deep.

But the installation was SOO fast and easy. The shoulder guide opens in the middle of the bottom part like the Nautilus, so I had to thread the belt because Jeffrey couldn't figure it out, but I like how the belt wouldn't come out easily like it always did on turboboosters.
 

Kat_Momof3

New member
Oh, silly to think this is a good thing, but to me it is.... I plopped Ruthie in it today... at the lowest setting, she's just BARELY big enough for the belt to fit right... YAY... a booster that is NOT made for little kids.

This child fit the Parkway and Turbobooster at age 2.

And I love the depth. Jeffrey is getting used to having to make sure his bum is all the way back because his knees don't bend at the edge anymore.
 

April

Well-known member
oh, I wouldn't be able to fit that combo, either... I have a dodge caravan...the third row benches are TEENY.

Even using a Radian, booster choices on either side would be limited to a select super-narrow few (Parkway, FPSV booster, and backless cosco).

Currently in DH's truck (03 Dodge Dakota) its highback turbo, Radian, PW. The PW side is fine to buckle, but the turbo side is really tight! I was hoping to put two Monterey's in there, just because if the kids grow out of the PW/turbo's, their heads would be resting on glass! So I was hoping to get the Montereys and put the PW and turbo in the third row of my Durango. I want a Nauti for Rayn in the 2nd row of my truck, and to replace Riley's Apex with a Frontier. But if I can't fit the Montereys in DH's truck, I'll just use that money to get Rayn a Frontier too instead of a Nauti for my truck. I'm moving Riley's Apex to the daycare van. Currently we are moving the 3 seats between vehicles every weekend.
 

Stretchy Glue

New member
Oh, silly to think this is a good thing, but to me it is.... I plopped Ruthie in it today... at the lowest setting, she's just BARELY big enough for the belt to fit right... YAY... a booster that is NOT made for little kids.

This child fit the Parkway and Turbobooster at age 2.

And I love the depth. Jeffrey is getting used to having to make sure his bum is all the way back because his knees don't bend at the edge anymore.

H's knees do bend. She's got long legs, long torso, long arms...
100_1785.jpg
 

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