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View Full Version : One last question before I buy the Britax Parkway



Auburn94
06-22-2006, 01:25 PM
I think I have finally decided to get the Parkway booster(the University logos they just came out with helped push me over the edge).
My daughter has LOVED her Roundabout. She is a small almost 5 year old which is why we have kept her in the RA for this long. But she wants to be a big kid like her friends and sit in a booster and she is getting a little tall for the RA.

So my question is what do they do with their arms with no arm rests? I can just picture her resting her arms on the sides of her RA and wonder if she is going to be terribly uncomfortable with no arm rests?

My other consideration was the Compass.

Thanks for any input!

Ashley
dd 9/17/01
dd 5/29/04

kellyotn
06-22-2006, 03:48 PM
How small is she? Five is old enough, but I'm pretty sure my 42", 38 lbs, 3.5 year old would be at least 6 months outgrown of an RA, and I can't imagine having her at this size or smaller in a booster. (Admittedly, I'm taking her age into account even though I'm trying not to.) But, your DD must be pretty small to still be in an RA....

How about a Univ. Marathon for a bit, then it can be used later for the younger child?

Are you looking for Auburn? The Auburn MA's were just on BIG sale at Amazon! I'm pretty sure they are gone now.

I don't know how they handle the no arm rest thing, everyone seems to love the Parkway so it must be ok. :) A Parkway for a 5 year old is a valid choice. But, having a younger child too, a MA would get used now and later. You could let her get a bit bigger before moving to a booster. Just a thought. :)

Scatterbunny
06-22-2006, 05:36 PM
My dd just turned 5 and uses a Parkway occasionally. She's still harnessed the majority of the time and is LARGE for her age (46.5 inches tall and close to 50 pounds). She just is not mature enough to sit properly in a booster at all times and I'm not ready to give up the safety of a full harness for her. I wouldn't even consider a booster for any child under 40 pounds, honestly.

But about the armrests--dd used a Turbo for awhile before we got the Parkway and she prefers the Parkway even without armrests. The torso wings are low enough that if they want something to rest their arms on, the wings do just fine. The lack of armrests make it much easier to buckle (for both parent and child) and also makes it easier to fit in three-across situations.

Pic of my dd in the Parkway, using the torso wings as armrests:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/0603/scatterbunny/March%202006%20Carseat%20Photos/4f0eb452.jpg

tjham
06-23-2006, 12:50 AM
My granddaughter will be 5 next week and I just recently bought her a Marathon. She is 34 lbs., 43". She loves her Ashley Floral!

MonsterMom6
06-23-2006, 01:50 PM
I took the Turbo and Parkway floor models from BRU to my van to try with my son. We actually have some problems with the way our van belts attach that make some BPBs not usable for us. Anyway, I first had him try the Turbo and he liked it. Then I had him try the Parkway and his first comment was "no armrests". But then he got comfortable just like the little girl in PP's message.

We ended up with a Turbo- cost, cupholder, and armrests. But frankly, everytime I put him in either seat in a store, I got a different answer as to which one he liked better. The only time the armrest issue was raised (no pun intended) was when I put it in the van.

I have a friend that bought Parkways for her 3 year old triplets. They don't seem to notice the lack of armrests, and actually, neither did she until I asked if it was an issue for her boys.

We have had the Turbo for a couple of weeks now, and I admit that I DO find the armrests kind of a pain when strapping him in. He needs help b/c of the way our belts work. AND since I often have help on outings (I have 5 kids age 5 and under), I have had to train our helpers on this seat. I guess it's not intuitive that the belt needs to go UNDER the arm rests. I'm teaching my DS and trying to make him responsible for being strapped in correctly, even if he had help, but still....he's only 5.5. Makes me wonder how often the other preschool moms who share in carpooling actually strap kids in correctly. Kind of makes me nervous that maybe they don't take the time. While I don't have buyers remorse, I do think the Parkway might have been a better choice. Since we will be buying BPBs for our quads in a year or so, I'll likely just buy all Parkways (or whatever is comparable at that time) and use the Turbo for Daddy's car or carpooling.

Auburn94
06-24-2006, 07:52 AM
Thanks everyone for your responses. The photo was great!!

I think I'm just going to have to go see these booster seats in person and have my daughter sit in them to make a decision.

MonsterMom6 - thanks also for sharing your experience. My best friend has 3 y.o. quads (but no other children). I know you must be busy with 2 other kids!

Ashley
dd 9/17/01
dd 5/29/04

cimberdog
06-28-2006, 04:48 PM
We bought the Parkway for my 3 1/2 year old son who is 40 pounds now. He's very tall, as well.

It is not his everyday seat - it's in grandma's car and he's used it twice now.

I like almost everything about it, but the one thing I don't like that is a REAL issue is the fact that he can reach over and push the seatbelt button to unhook his seatbelt. This means he unbuckles himself completely.

He did it once and thankfully told me, "Mom, I pushed the red button" and we pulled over to re-buckle him in. We've told him he is to never touch the red button again, but if you have a child who will do it anyway, it's a safety issue.