Carseat Suggestions?

I happened upon this site in my search for a new booster for my ds. You all seem so knowledgeable and I've learned a lot from your feedback on other postings. Hoping you can suggest a booster for my 6 year old? His weight hovers 40 lbs, he is 44 inches tall and his torso height is 16 inches. We have him still in a harness in the EB 3-in-1 for our CRV but need something for hubby's Mazda6. Considering the Monterey and from reading, maybe the Vivo is better suited for ds's build. Is the backless booster option for the Monterey a plus?

Welcome to C-S.org!


Is his Eddie Bauer 3-in-1 the new version with the 50 pound limit or the old version with the 40 lb limit? Is it the one based on the Enspira or the one that is based on the Alpha Omega Elite?


If it's a 40 lb seat, or if it's the Enspira version, he's all ready outgrown it and it needs to be disposed of. (Neither of them make a good booster).

If it's the seat that's the relabled Alpha Omega Elite with the fifty pound weight limit on the harness, it's fine


For a booster for the second vehicle, the Graco Turbobooster, Recaro Vivo, Britax Parkway SlideGuard, or the Sunshine Kids' Montery would likely all be good fits for your son

All of the suggestions Maedze gave you are excellent suggestions. I only have experience with two of them - the turbobooster and the monterey. I recently replaced my 7-year-old son's turbobooster with a monterey. He loves his monterey. He is much more comfortable in the monterey, and sits much better in it as a result. That being said, my son is quite a bit larger than your son. I was interested in the new parkway for him, but he needed a seat before the parkway was available. I love the fact that the Monterey latches. I didn't realize how nice it would actually be to not have to buckle in the booster every time my son gets out of it. For me, the backless feature is a plus, though ds1 likes the back and plans to use it for as long as he can. I'm pretty sure that by the time ds1 is 9 or 10, he will have outgrown it using the back.

Is there anywhere you can try any of these seats in person?

Rebecca

K - 7.5, 51.5", 57 lbs, Monterey
A - 25 months, 37.5", 32 lbs, rf in a Radian65

You're right! I just dug out the manual for the EB carseat and the FF/harness limit is 29-40" and 22-40 lbs. Should I switch him to the EB booster for now until I buy a new carseat? Now maybe I need to purchase two? Or I'll put the new one in the CRV and use the EB as a sometimes booster in hubby's car. I'll have to call around to see who carries Monterey and Vivo. Not keen on the Graco TB...doesn't look comfy at all. Thanks for the info -- you guys are awesome!

kandamom said:

I love the fact that the Monterey latches. I didn't realize how nice it would actually be to not have to buckle in the booster every time my son gets out of it.

K - 7.5, 51.5", 57 lbs, Monterey
A - 25 months, 37.5", 32 lbs, rf in a Radian65

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Yes, I like the latching feature too. It can be quite dangerous if the seat were to go flying should there be an accident. Do you have the same problems as other posters...with regard to the difficulty in un-latching the seat?

Unregistered said:

You're right! I just dug out the manual for the EB carseat and the FF/harness limit is 29-40" and 22-40 lbs. Should I switch him to the EB booster for now until I buy a new carseat? Now maybe I need to purchase two? Or I'll put the new one in the CRV and use the EB as a sometimes booster in hubby's car. I'll have to call around to see who carries Monterey and Vivo. Not keen on the Graco TB...doesn't look comfy at all. Thanks for the info -- you guys are awesome!

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It sounds like you must be using the top headrest position on that seat, otherwise the harness would be a couple of inches below his shoulders. He outgrew that seat a LONG time ago with a 16" torso (the top usable slots are about 14.5"). The uppermost headrest position is for booster only. So yes, you must stop the harness and use it as a booster. Though please shop quickly, as it makes a lousy booster. It fits most kids very poorly, with the shoulder belt not sitting properly on the shoulder and the lap belt riding too high. I don't know that I'd even keep it as a backup. It's really that bad. It's a great rear facing seat, but beyond that it doesn't forward face well or make a decent booster. So much for "the last seat you'll ever need," huh?

If you don't like the TB (has he sat in it? My 40 pound seven year old adores it and constantly asks to sit in the super padded one in the store) I'd check out the Monterey and the Vivo. Since you need something ASAP, and you need two, it may be that you get a Turbo tomorrow and use that until you can find something else to replace it with, then put the Turbo as the spare seat. That'll give you some time to find a Monterey or Vivo, or wait for the new Parkway.

Wendy

definitely pick up a high back turbo booster tomorrow. You can find them for $40-$60 at most big box stores. If you can avoid driving him with the 3in1 please do so- it really makes a horrible booster. But if you must use it use it in booster mode!

Doing some online browsing...will purchase one right away. Is there a difference between TB models [eg. TB Safeseat/ Step 3, TB Sport and TB]? From the pics, it looks like varying levels of padding.

Unregistered said:

Doing some online browsing...will purchase one right away. Is there a difference between TB models [eg. TB Safeseat/ Step 3, TB Sport and TB]? From the pics, it looks like varying levels of padding.

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Safetywise they are all the same seat, the patterns and level of padding just differ from model to model


To address your other question, yes, if you use your 3-in-1 again, you must use it as a booster. It doesn't make a good booster, but it's far less dangerous than using it in harness mode.

Thanks everyone. I purchased the Monterey...ds said he liked it better. Was going to buy the TB as a secondary carseat but they didn't have the model I wanted. No hurry for that; I feel much better that we bought the one at least, on sale too!