Seatbelt positioning on the Monterey

Ann W

New member
Hi all,

I just bought a Sunshine Kids Monterey booster at the advice of some of the members here - I love it! and so does my son. :)

I'm wondering if I'm using the shoulder belt right, though. The seat is positioned in the car correctly and the strap is strung through the shoulder strap guide. But the strap tends to slip off of my son's shoulder. I have it pulled snug enough, but it still tends to sit off to the side of his shoulder.

It's uncomfortable for him, so he just slips his arm right out of it, and really, the way it's sitting on his shoulder, it would never hold him back in an accident.

I forgot to take a picture today, but I'll post one tomorrow.

Thanks for all the great advice! Much appreciated! :thumbsup:

Ann
 
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Ann W

New member
I just saw on another thread that the EZ-on 86Y can be used with a booster. Did I read that correctly? Would it be ok with a high-back?

This might be just what we need - Matt wears an EZ on harness on his bus and it works out really well! I didn't know they made one for family cars. :)

Ann
 

Gypsy

Senior Community Member
How tall is your ds? how much does he weigh?

The Monterey is really best suited for bigger kids.

Yes, the 86Y can be used with high back boosters, but it's a PITA, and takes longer - most younger kids (younger than 8-9?) can't do it themselves.
 

tiggercat

New member
How big is your son? I'd say that means he is too small for this booster.

I'm guessing it looks something like this?

n648284369_948016_4737.jpg


(Megan is 35.5lbs, 39 inches and 3 yrs old, and doesn't ride in this seat! She's way too small)
 

bobandjess99

Senior Community Member
going back to the OP's earlier post, she states that her son is 58 pounds, and his shoulders are above the top slots for the nauti, so a torso of at least 18.5 inches....there really is no reason why he shouldn't be fitting properly into the monterey????
 

Gypsy

Senior Community Member
No, at that size, the Monterey is perfectly appropriate, however if the belt is sliding off his shoulder it might have something to do with the way the seats or seatbelts are in the car and the Monterey might not be compatible.
 

tiggercat

New member
going back to the OP's earlier post, she states that her son is 58 pounds, and his shoulders are above the top slots for the nauti, so a torso of at least 18.5 inches....there really is no reason why he shouldn't be fitting properly into the monterey????

Where do you see that info? I don't see it in the OP. Perhaps an older thread?
At that age, it should fit him well, unless he is expecially narrow at the shoulders. My 65lber fits quite nicely and I'd guess his torso is around 18 in or so.
 

Ann W

New member
We did actually get a new car - Kia Rondo. He seems to fit in the Monterey well with his height of 4 feet and weight of 58 lbs. Now today, the belt seems to fit a little better but he can still get out of the shoulder belt.

He has autism, so it's a little difficult to reason with him about safety, incentives, etc. It's not a sensory issue, he's just discovering that with a booster, he now has control over how he sits. He just got out of a Britax Husky with the 5-point.

Even without the 86 Y, he can't buckle himself in, I have to do it anyway, so the 86 Y might be the way to go.

I did take pictures, but haven't downloaded them yet - I'll try to get to it tonight after trick-or-treating! :D

Ann
 

scatterbunny

New member
Did he outgrow the Husky, or did it expire? Otherwise, I'd keep him in that, if he has autism and is slipping out of the shoulderbelt. :twocents: Otherwise, yes, I'd try to add an 86Y to the highback booster; I just think the Husky would be easier to deal with than the 86Y. I've also heard the 86Y isn't exactly compatible with all boosters, but I have no personal experience.
 

Maedze

New member
How do people think this would fit my four year old (stats below). For frame of reference I did not care how the Nautilus fit him as a booster. The lap belt came up too high imo.
 

Gypsy

Senior Community Member
Does the seatbelt adjust higher and lower in your Kia? if it does, try it in the different positions, it works best for my dd at the highest setting, even though intuitively it seems the lowest setting would be best.
 

Gypsy

Senior Community Member
How do people think this would fit my four year old (stats below). For frame of reference I did not care how the Nautilus fit him as a booster. The lap belt came up too high imo.

No, I think right around 4 feet tall and 45ish pounds is a good starting size for the Monterey. It really is a booster seat designed for big kids.... check out these comparison pics.

ETA Link! Sorry!

http://www.car-seat.org/showthread.php?t=54403&highlight=model+parkway+monterey+start
 
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tanyaandallie

Senior Community Member
I think it would be helpful if you could snap a pic of him in the seat! Have you tried locking the shoulder portion of the belt? That might help some. Have you considered a special needs seat? That might help if you can't get him to sit properly.
 

Ann W

New member
Scatterbunny ~ He still fits in the Husky, but only for a few more months. I recently had an accident (he wasn't with), and my airbags went off, so we can't use it anyway. I didn't want to buy another one when he would only be using it for a few more months - and it would be more feasible to just buy something he'll be using for a long time.

OR - I could just fork out the $$$ for a new Regent and sell it later. I did find out that my car insurance will pay for a new seat. They probably won't pay $250 for a Regent, but if they pick up some of the cost it would be worth it. And you just reminded me about the age of the seat! It's about 4 years old - another factor to think about. Thanks for reminding me! ;)

Gypsy ~ The seat belts do adjust, but only in the front seats. I even tried the booster in the middle of the seat in back, but then he won't keep his feet off the console between the front seats.

tanyaandallie ~ ~ I took some pictures, just have to download them. I'll take pictures of him in the Husky, too. Maybe he will still fit for a while?
About a special needs seat - I did consider that quite a while ago, maybe I should consider again.

Ann
Ann
 
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Kat_Momof3

New member
tiggercat - it looks like the prob on your child is the headrest position... if it were higher, it would fit properly.

Of course, I agree she should not be using the seat anytime soon.

This is how it should look (Ruthie does not ride in this seat, she was just demoing it... it still sits too far toward the edge of her shoulder for my taste, which is why I prefer a child be 4' tall to use this booster... and my other concern is that she can fit her arms between the armrests and her body... I can move her side to side in it with the seatbelt snug... so basically, this is NOT a small booster rider's seat)

MontereyJeffreyBalloon.jpg

J1042008Monterey1.jpg


MontereyRuthie908-2.jpg
 

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