Monterey is loose (OWNERS PLEASE CHIME IN!)

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Smitty

Guest
I have a big 6 year old (51", 70 lb), and she's outgrown her Britax Husky (at the shoulder level with the last slots). We ordered the Sunshine Kids Monterrey and have tried to install it. It is SOOO loose that it makes me nervous. It looks like it will tip over around any curve!

What do I do? Are boosters supposed to act like this? The latch system doesn't make it very tight at all.

A quick reply would be great!
Thanks!!!
 
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wendytthomas

Admin - CPST Instructor
Staff member
Re: Monterrey is loose

The Monterey is one of the few boosters that DOES LATCH, so yes, it's fine if it's loose. The only thing the LATCH does is keep it where it is if you're in a collision and it's not occupied. Otherwise it'll be a projectile. You can buckle it in when it's not in use and solve that problem. There may be some small side impact benefit, but I don't think one's been shown yet.

Where in the car are you trying to install it, and in what car?

Wendy
 

scatterbunny

New member
Re: Monterrey is loose

Hi there. :) Your 6yo can continue using the Husky until her shoulders actually go OVER the top slots; dead-even with is okay.

On to your real question, though: the Monterey is a belt positioning booster, and most of those don't even attach to the vehicle in any way. A booster's pupose is simply to boost the child up high enough that the belts are positioned properly, and the belts will do all the restraining. Using the LATCH system with the Monterey isn't supposed to make the seat any safer, it's only to make it less tippy when the child is climbing in and out of the seat, and to eliminate the need to buckle up an empty booster to keep it from being a projectile.

I think most boosters with flexible LATCH straps (Monterey, Frontier and Nautilus in booster mode) with not be as solidly-attached to the vehicle as a harnessed seat, and that's okay. :) The Jane Indy Plus highback booster has rigid LATCH, so it will be very solid.
 
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Smitty

Guest
Re: Monterrey is loose

Thanks for the quick responses.

It's a 2002 Dodge Intrepid. The rear, passenger side (my 2 year old is inheriting her Husky).

I hate the idea of her NOT being in a 5 point, but after she's over the slots, I'm out of luck, aren't I?

Is the Jane Indy Plus a reliable seat? I have always put my faith in Britax, so I'm in unchartered territory (and, of course, I'm freaked by the kid whose seatbelt didn't work). I'm overly paranoid anyway with my kids, so I'd keep them in a 5-point until they were 30+ if I could!

Thanks again!
 
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Smitty

Guest
Re: Monterrey is loose

PS - the weight limit is 80 lbs on the Jane, so I'd hate to invest $200 for a ten pound range!

They're born small, then they grow exponentially! I'm trying to make this the last seat that I have to purchase for her! (how much more can a child grow in such a short time? eek!)
 

scatterbunny

New member
Re: Monterrey is loose

Yes, I don't think I'd invest $200 in the Indy Plus for only ten pounds of growing room. I really think the Monterey is a great booster, and I honestly wouldn't worry about the loose feeling, since most boosters aren't even LATCHed, and they are very safe without it. If you're otherwise pleased with the Monterey, I think the wiggly nature of a booster when compared to a harnessed seat is just going to take some getting used to.

On the subject of your Husky being handed down to a younger sibling, just keep an eye on the date of manufacture, it will expire six years from that date. :)
 

Stretchy Glue

New member
Re: Monterrey is loose

The advantage of the Monterey is that it turns into a backless booster also, giving you a good long life out of it. It sounds like your dd is tall, this will last her a while!:)
 
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Smitty

Guest
Re: Monterrey is loose

Everyone - thank you...I really appreciate all of your input, and you are inspiring me to be certified in my area (we don't really have ANYONE here!).

The big thing that we were concerned about is that, in the Monterey's instruction manual, it states that the seat should be tightly against the car's seat; our's can lean forward about 2 feet and sway sideways either way the same amount.

Of course, with a booster, there is no tether or latch whatsoever, so I guess this wiggle room (albeit seemingly huge) is better than most? I just don't know what other options there are for this tall kid! (great training, though, for our 2 year old who just turned two and is over 36"!!!)

BTW, our Husky doesn't expire until 01/11 (which I didn't think to check UNTIL I came here and learned about the hows and whys of it! Thanks again!)
 

joolsplus3

Admin - CPS Technician
Re: Monterrey is loose

Two Feet? There's definitely something wrong here :( Maybe you could take a picture or describe exactly how your attaching the LATCH so we can help figure this out?
 
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Smitty

Guest
Re: Monterrey is loose

Well, we took the booster out to put our Husky back in place (we're going on a long trip in a week, and DH is out of town until then, so I need a safe way to transport the kidlets...)

We just latched the straps of the Monterrey into the lower anchors/tethers, as directed. DH tried to pull the tightening strap as far as it would go, but it still allows for A LOT of movement (as described above, to a 45 degree angle forward, or against the car door if pushed sideways (mind you, this is NOT with the seatbelt buckled; it's with ONLY THE TETHERS in place)...

Should it move THAT much? Thanks
 

snowbird25ca

Moderator - CPST Instructor
Re: Monterrey is loose

Well, we took the booster out to put our Husky back in place (we're going on a long trip in a week, and DH is out of town until then, so I need a safe way to transport the kidlets...)

We just latched the straps of the Monterrey into the lower anchors/tethers, as directed. DH tried to pull the tightening strap as far as it would go, but it still allows for A LOT of movement (as described above, to a 45 degree angle forward, or against the car door if pushed sideways (mind you, this is NOT with the seatbelt buckled; it's with ONLY THE TETHERS in place)...

Should it move THAT much? Thanks

Where are you trying to move it? If you're grabbing it at the top of the booster and it's just LATCH'ed in, I could easily see it moving a bunch. I'm just thinking of how much movement a loose ff'ing seat would have if checked for movement at the top of the shell when not tethered - some rock solid seats could still be pulled forward 6" if pulled at the top of the shell (when not tethered.)

I personally wouldn't worry about. If your vehicle didn't have LATCH, it would just sit loose on the seat anyways and the seatbelt would just hold it in place. All the LATCH is doing is preventing the booster from being a projectile.

Knowing that the LATCH straps on the Monterey aren't super long, I can't imagine that the base of the booster could actually be pulled out 2 feet from the vehicle seat bite while still LATCH'ed in...
 

KarinSDCA

New member
Re: Monterrey is loose

I have a new Monterey that we just purchased on Saturday. I had it installed backless just as a test and the base did not move that much.

We are headed out in a bit, but I can test it out later as a full booster and offer something...

I know when we moved from LATCHed five-point harness seats to booster seats, it was a shock and major discomfort at the difference in how they work and seem so much less secure.
 

Stretchy Glue

New member
I know that with mine, I pulled the LATCH strap to what I thought was tight, and wasn't impressed, but I pulled it again and it tightened more. Remember that LATCH on this seat is only to restrain the seat when it's not occupied. Once the seat belt is fastened around the child, you should have considerably less wiggle room.
 
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Smitty

Guest
Yes, there is NO TOP TETHER on the Monterrey. We pulled it as tight as we thought, but maybe we didn't get it all the way. DH took it apart to see the issue, and the loop between the latches intersects with the strap that pulls through to tighten it...if that inner loop were shorter, it seems that it would be tighter.

And, yes, the 5-point harness to a booster is COMPLETELY unsettling! I HATE the idea of my brand-spanking-new 6 year old being in a booster, but I know that SHE knows NOT to touch the buckle! So, that is comforting, somewhat.

Yes, I am pulling it from the top forward...it's at a 45 degree angle from the seat when pulled as such. The technical rep from Sunshine Kids, who provided his personal cell phone number so that I could reach him at ANY time I had received his message (wow!), said that it's perfectly okay to have that kind of movement (the "the latch is only for keeping it from being a projectile" speech)...I'm still uneasy...

I'm sure my fears are totally grounded in our past carseats (all five-pointer cocoons) being rock solid and only wiggling 1/4 an inch...now THIS is totally foreign..
 

skiersnowboarder3

Senior Community Member
When you're testing for movement on any carseat you need to be testing at the belt path. It makes sense that the seat would be able to be pulled forward at the top of the seat if it's not connected by a tether. How much does the seat wiggle if you move it at the belt path?
 

KarinSDCA

New member
Hugs Smitty! I completely understand what you mean by unsettling.

We installed our Monterey in a restaurant parking lot tonight. LOL My dad drove DD & I with DD in an Apex (booster mode), so I could teach her and him the proper usage in his vehicle. We also had the Monterey belted in for safety (unoccupied). When we arrived, DH was there with our Prius. He had forgotten to install it this morning before leaving for work. So, we did it there in the parking lot. The LATCH is not quite the same as five-point harness seats. It is a bit more tricky, but we managed to get it pretty snug. He pulled it the first time and I pulled it the second time. It is pretty snug at the base, but, yes, the top can move quite a bit. It is normal, but does take some getting used to. Our DD is 7 years 4 months and tonight is the first time she rode in a booster in this car. Only the third time in Grandpa's car. Both are going to take some time for her (and us) to get used to. She has ridden in our other car in a booster for 9-10 months, but she doesn't ride in that car very often and they are short trips. We mostly walk everywhere during the week during the day. It was a difficult transition for all of us. At this point, though, she has outgrown all the five-point harnesses on the market as of Saturday (by height and some due to lack of strap length).

Best wishes!
 
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Smitty

Guest
Maybe we'll just start walking everywhere! <sigh>

Of course, you have the flip with my MIL putting her 3 year old granddaughter in a yard-sale booster ... one of the reasons my kids will NEVER ride with her on really ANY outing...

Oh, I'm sick to my stomach about a booster...We're going on a 9 hour ride to vacation, so I'm keeping with the Husky (dd's shoulders are even right now) until we get back...
 

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