Help me decide on my next car seat purchase...

MustangMama

Active member
I am wanting a booster with rigid/integrated LATCH fo Sam to start practicing in. I am liking the Jane Indy and the SK Monterey.

Couple questions:

The base on the Monterey looks like the bottom of the Radian. Is it? Is it very simliar? Or am I seeing things? :p

For those of you that own a Monterey how do you like it? Tell me anything you want to share.

I am leaning towards the Monterey over the Indy.

Is there another one that is intergrated that I am forgetting?

I know the Oobr comes out *soon* :rolleyes: but I probably won't spend that much on a seat for her when she already has 5 :whistle:
 
ADS

Maedze

New member
Just to clarify...the Monterey does not have rigid LATCH.

The base of the Monterey is actually quite a bit wider and deeper than that of the Radian. It is a nice booster, but nothing like how solidly built the Radian is. It's otherwise very nice.
 

MustangMama

Active member
Just to clarify...the Monterey does not have rigid LATCH.

It is a LATCH booster though? or no?

The sales asociate at Kids Stuff here in Lincoln told me it did. I guess you can't trust those store employess half the time anyways.
 

scatterbunny

New member
Right, the Monterey has lower anchor attachments, but they are flexible, like 99% of other LATCHable seats out there. The Jane Indy Plus has rigid lower anchor attachments, which are just that: rigid, metal bars that are not flexible or movable in any way. Obviously that means it won't work with non-standard spacing, but Jane claims it is superior in side impacts. Sunshine Kids has been clear that they consider the Monterey's flexible lower attachments only to keep the booster from becoming a projectile in a crash if it is unoccupied, not for improving the safety of the seat in any way. The Indy Plus isn't being sold in the US anymore, it seems (the regular Indy can be found a couple of places, last I checked, but it does not have lower anchor attachments). As for dedicated LATCHable boosters, that's it until the Oobr comes out.
 

MustangMama

Active member
The Monterey is a LATCHable booster, just not the rigid type. We :love: our Monterey!

Good to know! I have heard a lot of positive things about it.

Oh yes, sorry..it DOES have LATCH...but it's flexible webbing, not rigid LATCH.

Aha! I thought it did after a little research but I wasn't 100% sure. I am not at all familiar with boosters. Thanks for clarifying that for me =)

Right, the Monterey has lower anchor attachments, but they are flexible, like 99% of other LATCHable seats out there. The Jane Indy Plus has rigid lower anchor attachments, which are just that: rigid, metal bars that are not flexible or movable in any way. Obviously that means it won't work with non-standard spacing, but Jane claims it is superior in side impacts. Unfortunately, it isn't being sold in the US anymore (the regular Indy can be found a couple of places, last I checked, but it does not have lower anchor attachments).

Thanks for the info! Helps a lot =)
 

firemomof3

New member
yes, it does have latch just not the "rigid" latch. I like the Monterey. I do find it wide through the shoulders though, my skinny 5.5y/o fit ok but I ended up putting her back in a Regent because I was constantly telling her to "put her shoulder back into the booster". Other than that I really like the Monterey :thumbsup:
I love the fit of the lap belt and its easy for her to buckle herself
carseatpics015.jpg

Here is my dd1 with her friend who is 6.5y/o
jan09002-1.jpg
 

scatterbunny

New member
I'm a little bothered by how close the shoulderbelt rides on all three of those girls, to be honest. I wish the shoulderbelt guide wasn't at that angle, or I wish it were closer to the back of the headwings, or something. Hmm. I really like the Monterey, but the more kids I see in it, the more I think it just seems like it doesn't fit smaller-framed children quite as well as average/bigger-framed kids.

Becky, Sam is pretty small, still, IIRC (I have signatures turned off, but last I remember, she was in a Nauti in your Mustang, and seemed pretty tiny yet), and if you're going to booster train, I'd look at the Recaro Vivo or Graco TurboBooster. The Turbo is almost always a fabulous fit on even the smaller booster riders. The Vivo can be great, as well, though I've seen it position the lapbelt so it isn't even touching the body on a very small-framed kid.
 

firemomof3

New member
I'm a little bothered by how close the shoulderbelt rides on all three of those girls, to be honest. I wish the shoulderbelt guide wasn't at that angle, or I wish it were closer to the back of the headwings, or something. Hmm. I really like the Monterey, but the more kids I see in it, the more I think it just seems like it doesn't fit smaller-framed children quite as well as average/bigger-framed kids.

I agree. I love how our Parkway fits my dd1, I'll try to get some comparison pictures tomorrow. There really is a big difference. Even the turbo booster fits her better...but she hated it :mad: So, its the Regent for now.
 

MustangMama

Active member
yes, it does have latch just not the "rigid" latch. I like the Monterey.

Thanks for the pictures! It is pretty wide in the shoulder area. Doesn't it adjust horizontally and vertically or am I thinking or another seat?

Becky, Sam is pretty small, still, IIRC (I have signatures turned off, but last I remember, she was in a Nauti in your Mustang, and seemed pretty tiny yet), and if you're going to booster train, I'd look at the Recaro Vivo or Graco TurboBooster. The Turbo is almost always a fabulous fit on even the smaller booster riders. The Vivo can be great, as well, though I've seen it position the lapbelt so it isn't even touching the body on a very small-framed kid.

Yes, Sam is still very tiny. She is almost 6 and weighs anywhere from 38-42 lbs, Her weight has been fluctuating lately. Last week at the doctor she was 41.5. She is *almost* 42" tall.

Thanks for the suggestions. She already has a Turbo and it is very tippy due to the way my seats scoop. It has been hanging out in my trunk so when she goes with other people I don't have to uninstall her Nautilus. I refuse to let her ride in it in my car because every time I turn she basically falls out of the seatbelt because it tips over letting her shoulder loose.

I will go look at the Recaro Vivo. Can you tell me a little about it?

Does it have LATCH?
 

scatterbunny

New member
Thanks for the pictures! It is pretty wide in the shoulder area. Doesn't it adjust horizontally and vertically or am I thinking or another seat?

Yes, the Monterey is width-adjustable in the shoulders, but that doesn't affect the position of the shoulderbelt guide, because the guides are attached to the headwings.

Yes, Sam is still very tiny. She is almost 6 and weighs anywhere from 38-42 lbs, Her weight has been fluctuating lately. Last week at the doctor she was 41.5. She is *almost* 42" tall.

Thanks for the suggestions. She already has a Turbo and it is very tippy due to the way my seats scoop. It has been hanging out in my trunk so when she goes with other people I don't have to uninstall her Nautilus. I refuse to let her ride in it in my car because every time I turn she basically falls out of the seatbelt because it tips over letting her shoulder loose.

I will go look at the Recaro Vivo. Can you tell me a little about it?

Does it have LATCH?

I hate tippy boosters, too. That's why we only use the Parkway when we need to fit three-across in my car. Otherwise, if it's just the PW back there, dd tips all over the place. I'm not familiar with the Mustang, though, so I'm not sure that the Vivo (or anything else) won't tip. I can say that in my car, with the boosters I've used, the PW tips the worst. The Turbo and FPSVB aren't bad. The Vivo is great. It's more bottom-heavy than anything, which helps keep it stable on turns. However, I have no idea if it'll fit your Mustang's backseats. Aren't they pretty contoured? The Vivo is kind of boxy. It also doesn't adjust down quite as low as the Turbo, so if Sam's still on the lowest setting of the Turbo, the lowest on the Vivo may still be a bit too high.

No LATCH on the Vivo. The only dedicated boosters to have lower anchors are the Indy Plus and Monterey. The Recaro Start has a top tether, but it sits up so high I don't think it would work well in a Mustang.
 

mommaon112903

New member
Below is Josef in his Monterey not long after he first started riding in it. This was most likely his first or second ride in it. He was 42lbs, pushing 43lbs when he first started riding in it part time.
View attachment 4178

So you can see how "skinny" my kiddo is for comparison below is him in his Regent the other day. Yes, that is the last slot and he is just slightly over the third slot now.
DSCN4840.jpg
 
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BookMama

Senior Community Member
Like Jenny, I'm also concerned about how a booster with rigid LATCH will fit in your funky rear seats. :p If you really want a booster with rigid LATCH, I'd make sure you can try it in person before buying, or find out if someone here has tried the same combination.
 

MustangMama

Active member
Yes, the Monterey is width-adjustable in the shoulders, but that doesn't affect the position of the shoulderbelt guide, because the guides are attached to the headwings.



I hate tippy boosters, too. That's why we only use the Parkway when we need to fit three-across in my car. Otherwise, if it's just the PW back there, dd tips all over the place. I'm not familiar with the Mustang, though, so I'm not sure that the Vivo (or anything else) won't tip. I can say that in my car, with the boosters I've used, the PW tips the worst. The Turbo and FPSVB aren't bad. The Vivo is great. It's more bottom-heavy than anything, which helps keep it stable on turns. However, I have no idea if it'll fit your Mustang's backseats. Aren't they pretty contoured? The Vivo is kind of boxy. It also doesn't adjust down quite as low as the Turbo, so if Sam's still on the lowest setting of the Turbo, the lowest on the Vivo may still be a bit too high.

No LATCH on the Vivo. The only dedicated boosters to have lower anchors are the Indy Plus and Monterey. The Recaro Start has a top tether, but it sits up so high I don't think it would work well in a Mustang.

Yeah my back seats suck! I think I am just going to have a hard time in general finding a seat to fit. I took some photos so you guys can understand what I am working with:

This one is marked in red where the LATCH holes are. One is horizontal and one is vertical.


mustangbackseat-1.jpg


And this picture shows how deep the dip is. I was standing on level ground so the angle of this dip is pretty extreme.

mustangbackseat2dip.jpg


Below is Josef in his Monterey not long after he first started riding in it.

Thanks for the pictures!

Like Jenny, I'm also concerned about how a booster with rigid LATCH will fit in your funky rear seats. :p If you really want a booster with rigid LATCH, I'd make sure you can try it in person before buying, or find out if someone here has tried the same combination.

Yes I definitely plan on that!

I am not even sure if one would even work as you can see above.
 
I have tried a Graco Turbo booster in a mustang and a Parkway and it is so tippy. UGHH!!! Just wanted to tell you that.

Same is teeny. I will say though my small(torso wise and height wise) daycare girl fits Wonderful in the Turbobooster and the Parkway, but that doesn't help much.

Ok, just wanted to tell you about those two boosters.

Sam is just adorable!
 

MustangMama

Active member
I have tried a Graco Turbo booster in a mustang and a Parkway and it is so tippy. UGHH!!! Just wanted to tell you that.

Sam is teeny. I will say though my small(torso wise and height wise) daycare girl fits Wonderful in the Turbobooster and the Parkway, but that doesn't help much.

Ok, just wanted to tell you about those two boosters.

Sam is just adorable!

Thanks :)

She loves her Nautilus so I figure I can get another 2 years AT LEAST with her harnessed. She is soooooo small! We just moved up to the 3rd slots on the Nautilus and she has the entire slot to grow still and the next one so we have time.

I just want that one dedicated booster seat for her.

***SIGH***

What to do. What to do.

I hate tippy boosters.
 

BW1426

Well-known member
Thanks :)

She loves her Nautilus so I figure I can get another 2 years AT LEAST with her harnessed. She is soooooo small! We just moved up to the 3rd slots on the Nautilus and she has the entire slot to grow still and the next one so we have time.

I just want that one dedicated booster seat for her.

***SIGH***

What to do. What to do.

I hate tippy boosters.

What about booster training with the nautilus if the belt fits her well with it?
 

MustangMama

Active member
What about booster training with the nautilus if the belt fits her well with it?

That is what we have been doing for now. You can see in the picture that the seatbelt is guided through the belt guides. It is just so darn bulky though!!
 

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