The Frontier is Here! (Updated: In use as a booster)

[Joolsplus2]

http://picasaweb.google.com/joolstag/Frontier

[bubbaray]

How freakin' cute are they? Oh, and the seats nice too! :) Bummer they aren't selling the pink in Canada. I'd buy it for the color alone!

[daniele_ut]

Great pictures! And can I just say how BIG your girls have gotten!!! Where did the time go? I can't believe that Leah is 2!

[KrystalS]

I can't wait to get mine! Tracking says it will be here Friday. Dh will be excited that more than 1 person will actually be able to fit in the backseat! The Regent takes up so much space.

[wendmatt]

I'm so jealous! I've had my regent on craiglist for ages and noone has bought it :( I can't justify getting one if I don't sell the regent but it looks so nice.

[LexyLou]

Thanks for all the pictures! Can you use the frontier as the 5 point harness on an airplane? Do you think you could bring down the tray in front of it? Just curious because you said it sits lower than the RA.

[melissaflorida]

Thank you for showing how to tighten the latch! I couldn't understand why I wasn't getting a tight install.

~Melissa

[801kelle]

Thanks for all the pictures! Can you use the frontier as the 5 point harness on an airplane? Do you think you could bring down the tray in front of it? Just curious because you said it sits lower than the RA.


I have Frontiers and my understanding you can only use harnessed seats on airplanes.. Not booster.. so yes you can use as 5 pt harnessed on plane.. they are FAA approved.. I am so excited to have a higher limit seat to take on the plane..

[Joolsplus2]

Thanks! Yes, aircraft approved.

And wouldn't ya know it? Page 23 shows how to pull the LATCH strap to tighten :ROTFLMAO:

[lrg]

Jools - I saw your photos that the Frontier fit next to a roundabout - do you think it'd fit next to a RF MA in an '07 CRV? We have a FF MA in that spot (outboard) right now with the other MA RF in the center. Is the Frontier wider than the MA? I know it's lower, so hopefully that will help?

[Joolsplus2]

I will definitely try my RA RF next to it... I'm not entirely sure it'll work because of the way the side by the (babies) feet of the RA/MA is flared out next to that armrest (DH has the car now, so it may take awhile before I can report back...)
:)

[lrg]

Thank you! So is the RA the same width as the MA? Will the arm rest not kind of go 'under' the flare out part of the MA since the frontier is much lower? Of course, there is no armrest, but the 2 MAs do fit side by side with one RF and on FF.

[sophiesmom]

Thanks for the pics! I'm thinking of going w/ this seat vs. the Monarch for DD (almost 7) in our van . I posted before that they really don't sit very well in the Parkways in DH's truck, so this might be a better choice.

2 questions:

1. the headwings look nice and roomy, much wider that PW.. am I right?
2. how is ease of buckling when it's used as a booster?

Thanks!~

[Joolsplus2]

I'll add that to my list of questions... I wish this heatwave would *end* already, we are into our 4th day of 100's and the garage and back driveway are fit to fry eggs :bouncy:

[luvmypeanut]

Thanks for the pics! I'm thinking of going w/ this seat vs. the Monarch for DD (almost 7) in our van . I posted before that they really don't sit very well in the Parkways in DH's truck, so this might be a better choice.

2 questions:

1. the headwings look nice and roomy, much wider that PW.. am I right?
2. how is ease of buckling when it's used as a booster?

Thanks!~

We have both the Frontier and the Monarch.

1. The headwings are wider than that of the Monarch. DD could never wear headphones sitting in the Monarch but can easily wear them in the Frontier. She's totally happy with that.

2. With the Frontier, it's harder for her to buckle herself in booster mode. I haven't compared the two seats side by side, but the Frontier might be a tad wider near the buckle area because she is always asking me to scoot her seat over towards the door so she can buckle the belt. With the Monarch we didn't have this problem.

[sophiesmom]

another question.. is it as comfy as the monarch?

thanks for your input last poster.. ;-)

jools, i didn't realize you were on the east coast, was thinking you were in CA.??? i'm in pa, schools are closing early today. :-0

[Joolsplus2]

I moved from CA to VA three years ago ;) Whoa, hot enough to close schools early??? (that means my kids probably should take jackets tomorrow, their classrooms are insanely overcooled and heated, rofl!)

[luvmypeanut]

another question.. is it as comfy as the monarch?



DD says it's very comfy and prefers it to the monarch.

[sophiesmom]

Thanks... we will have to take DD to check it out IRL.

Ok, I'm not crazy, you did live in CA. I have a friend that lives outside of Richmond. I want to say Church Falls but not 100% sure.

I remember we were pregnant at the same time (I had ava in 2/06). Is yours as crazy as mine? She's a nutty 3rd child! Beats the heck out of the older 2. LOL!

I guess schools that don't have AC got closed, ours wasnt which was good! I only have 3 days left til school is done, need to milk it!

[Joolsplus2]

Thanks... we will have to take DD to check it out IRL.

Ok, I'm not crazy, you did live in CA. I have a friend that lives outside of Richmond. I want to say Church Falls but not 100% sure.

I remember we were pregnant at the same time (I had ava in 2/06). Is yours as crazy as mine? She's a nutty 3rd child! Beats the heck out of the older 2. LOL!

I guess schools that don't have AC got closed, ours wasnt which was good! I only have 3 days left til school is done, need to milk it!

Yup, my 3rd kiddo is a nut, too! *bursting* with personality, lol. (01/06 baby)
My kids are going to school all week, but it's so hot that their 'Field Day' is being canceled, my DS is very excited about that, he hates Field Day (Sack races and long jumps and stuff like that for 3 hours...I can't say I blame him, lol).

[801kelle]

DD says it's very comfy and prefers it to the monarch.

Also I will add we had Regents before this.. and my observation is the padding is way thicker on the Frontiers.. My daughter says is nicer than Regent and loves her Frontiers

[Joolsplus2]

:) Ok, I installed the FR as a booster in our Escape. The LATCH install was rock solid! (not nearly as FAST as the Roundabout, with seatbelt, though... sigh...love that Roundabout...)... it's got the lower anchors and top tether hooked up, and the seatbelt buckle appears to be easily reachable enough...I'll get a little review from my 8 yo dd when she gets home from school.

It's *huge* as a booster.. I mean, wow... I guess I've never yet owned a giganto booster yet (Monterey, Monarch), so I'm in shock...it's much much larger than our Parkway and much wider than our Recaros.

The Seat cushion is a little deeper than the Escape's, so there's simply oodles of leg support, but I hope her knees aren't in my back when I'm in the front.

I have FR-empty seat-Roundabout with seatbelt... that gives a space almost wide enough for ME (too narrow in the shoulders for real comfort, but fine at the hips), and my almost 11 yo ds can just barely fit (passes the 5 step test, and he's skiiinnny) there without a booster, so I thought it would be the safest setup and he'd have some barrier between him and each girl for driving peace....

Ok, enough speculation, I'll post back when I get dd to try it out (it's such a big booster, I might need to get a gender neutral cover and let ds sit in it when he's the only one in the car ).

[Joolsplus2]

http://picasaweb.google.com/joolstag/Frontier

So we went out... my visions of sibling peace were not to be :32: There were fights about armrests galore...sigh. Also, my ds definitely doesn't want to be out of a booster...see how the seatbelt fits him? It's just poorly designed :(.

On the plus side, the Frontier wasn't too hard to buckle as a booster, and it was declared incredibly comfortable by both big kids (better than the Recaro Start!). I'll probably leave it as it is for now, since that car is usually used for transporting just the girls anyway.

[sophiesmom]

Thanks for the pics... I've thought about 3 in a row, but they fight in separate rows now, can't imagine together!~ LOL!

When you said 'poorly designed' were you talking about the seat belt use w/ the frontier, or for your son in the center?

Thanks!

[Joolsplus2]

I definitely meant the center seatbelt was poorly designed for actual human bodies... really that lap belt shouldn't ride up so far on the abdomen and the shoulderbelt should be anchored a little more towards the Drivers side to be off people's necks...

:)