Help me choose a booster

HEVY

New member
I know I made a mistake getting the Large RSTV, my intention was to use it for DD if someone else was in the car and wasn't really thinking that anyone else who came in the car would be her age or older, most likely. So now I have this brand new vest I can't sell and can't return because it would cost 35% restocking fee.

Either way I need to choose a booster.
I really want a Monterey or the Cybex (can I actually get that here) and may even think seriously about the Oobr. But that's not going to happen at this time. So for the time being I need an inexpensive (so DH doesn't get mad when I do actually buy one of the above), wide, HBB. It's really hard to determine size, even when looking at other kids in them, without actually trying them. I would have just bought the Vivo but it really looks small when I see pics of them being used. It may fit DD now but not a 70lb 6-7 year old. I always wanted an Airbooster but they aren't really cheap and I'm not impressed with the SIP. And no, our Big Lots never have them.

I like this one, is it really that much?
http://cgi.ebay.com/Mercedes-Benz-K...ItemQQimsxZ20090411?IMSfp=TL090411154005r4329

Your suggestions will be appreciated :)
 
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carseatcoach

Carseat Crankypants
Mercedes seats are usually dressed-up Britaxes (although I don't know which one that is), and unless you really need the airbag sensor stuff (useless unless you actually have a Mercedes), it seems awfullly pricey.

I'd go with a Monterey if you need to accommodate larger children.
 

HEVY

New member
OMG! I would never buy it, I really like it though. Right now I need to get something like $50-60 or less. This booster will be temporary, used for like a year maybe. I want to keep Rachel in the Regent at least one more year, hopefully two, but will buy the *big* booster when she turns 7.
 

BookMama

Senior Community Member
There really aren't that many inexpensive (i.e. less than the AirBooster) HBBs that accomodate larger children especially well. Personally, if you can't get a Monterey right now, I'd just go with a Turbo and then re-evaluate when Rachel is ready for a booster full-time.
 

emandbri

Well-known member
I don't know when the Cybex will be out.

Do you need one for your daughter or for other kids? Do you need it ASAP or can you wait a bit?

I'm trying to figure out what I'm going to get for Benjamin. I figure I'll get him a booster after he outgrows the radian, maybe a year from now.

I have a monterey but it is red and gray and it doesn't match my van. I'm hoping to see what the Cybex looks like, parkway 120, and then wait and see how the lap belt looks on kids in the oobr. The lap belt seems low on kids using the backless cleks but it seems higher on the oobr. I've only seen 2 kids in it one on the the blog and one on the clek video they made so I want to see more kids in it.
 

joolsplus3

Admin - CPS Technician
That MB booster is funny...like a Parkway back on a Monarch base :D

Any Monarchs left on sale anywhere? It's a good one. Keep an eye out for Montereys in Swap? I hope the PW120 comes out soon...
 

HEVY

New member
I tried to swap my RSTV for a Monterey, lol, I know it was a total long shot, but one could hope. I could have gotten one for a decent price but DH said no more spending, which is why I am trying to sell or swap my RSTV.
 

christineka

New member
For $50-$60 I'd just go for the vivo. I think it is wider than the turbo. Or be patient and diligent to get one of those compass boosters for cheap. I hear they are very wide. Actually, the Harmony boosters are supposed to be for sale at walmart.com at the end of this month. Maybe one of those would be wide enough.
 

scatterbunny

New member
How big are the biggest kids who ride with you? I'd focus on a booster that will fit Rachel (and most kids were size, or slightly larger) for now, and worry about bigger later. :p And honestly, my kid is perfectly comfortable in the Vivo, so I'm not sure why you get the impression kids who are 6-7 and 70# wouldn't be comfortable in that seat. :shrug-shoulders: It's definitely not as wide as, say, a Monterey, but I've seen a 12yo fit comfortably in the Vivo, and my own kid (who's the size of her 10yo friends) really likes the Vivo. It's a bonus that the Vivo can be found for not much more than a Turbo (actually, about the same price as what the Turbo sells for, locally). It adjusts taller, and has deeper wings. It's a more substantial, sturdy-feeling seat. That's probably what I would choose in your situation, honestly.
 

emandbri

Well-known member
That is good to know Jenny, I was thinking the same thing as Hevy, that it might not fit big kids well since it fits small kids so well. I have seen a very tall very solid 5 year old fit well, I would say she is the size of a second grader.
 

scatterbunny

New member
TerisBoys' oldest rides in a Vivo, he's 5 feet tall, IIRC. I can see stockier kids not fitting as well in a Vivo as Monterey, but most kids who are built proportionately should be fine in a Vivo, IMO. I keep meaning to get pics of H in Andie's son's Vivo, but I always forget. :p
 

Qarin

New member
I got a Turbobooster as our spare for in-case-we-take-another-kid, not because I love them but because it would accomodate a very wide range of kids- because it can be high-back or backless, it would go from being able to be the seat one of my kids would sit in while a smaller child uses theirs, to a seat a spare 10 year old can sit in because they do not meet the 5step-test in my van.
 

TerisBoys

Well-known member
TerisBoys' oldest rides in a Vivo, he's 5 feet tall, IIRC. I can see stockier kids not fitting as well in a Vivo as Monterey, but most kids who are built proportionately should be fine in a Vivo, IMO. I keep meaning to get pics of H in Andie's son's Vivo, but I always forget. :p

Josh last summer when we got it - roughly 5' tall, 85#

Vivo005.jpg


He's graduated to seatbelt in the new van now, but he did ride in it in the old van and was very comfortable.

Though - he is a stringbean at 5'4" and <90#. He wears a size 28 x 30 jean with a belt.

Now it's used most by Ryan for booster training. On long trips William uses it with no complaints.
 
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melniemi

New member
The vivo is still $60 at jcp.com and SHOP49 will give you free shipping or mayjcpc will give you 15% off.
 

scatterbunny

New member
The TB is not bigger than the Vivo, IME. :shrug-shoulders: The Vivo definitely adjusts taller. Even if the TB has a deeper seat by a smidge (I don't know for a fact), the Vivo sits lower on the vehicle seat and is more comfortable for older kids with longer legs. The Vivo definitely adjusts taller, as well. If the difference in price is only $5-$10, I think the Vivo is absolutely worth it.
 

HEVY

New member
Now I'm confused. I thought I read that the Vivo was not as wide as the TB :(
I looked at this thread of yours, Jenny, and it seems the Vivo doesn't have much leg support and he can't spread his legs anymore, while in the TB he has a lot of leg support but can open his legs, has me thinking that it's wider for huskier children. Though Vivo defintately wins on the SIP. At this point I'm not to concerned with the height, DD is small and if I have a bigger kid I can take off the back to the TB, the Vivo doesn't come off, does it? i think I need to decide tonight before I loose out on everything.
http://car-seat.org/showthread.php?t=70534
 

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