WHich would u choose Monterey or Parkway

[801kelle]

My friend, mom2binSD,Beth, and I have been talking about getting a booster seat for our girls who are both 6 yo. We want these for if and when either of us need to take an extra child in our car or if our DD's go home with someone after school. This way we can make sure our girls our in a good HBB when going in someone elses car. We understand that Britax is going to re-release the Parkway(on the website it says coming soon). Neither of us are in any hurry to get these HBB.

We would just like opinions on which one you think is best. Best in construction, comfort but most importantly ease of use. I am assuming they aren't making major changes on the Parkway are they?

So how do you rate the Sunshine Kids Monterey and the Britax Parkway (what u know of the previous one and if you know anything on the new one that is coming out)?

[schums]

Both DC have Montereys and we LOVE them. We got one to try for size, etc., and the kids fought over who got to ride in it daily. No problems on a 12 hour drive either, so they must be comfy. I'd recommend the Monterey in a heartbeat (and have to lots of friends).

No real experience with the Parkway to offer. I tried DC in the old version, and it didn't fit them well. It seems like the older Parkway would fit a narrower child better -- DC have broad shoulders and they complained about being squished.

[AnnieW625]

I would go with the Monterey because it's going to be probably a $100 cheaper than the Britax. I have not used one but have heard good things about it here.

[chays]

I just saw the Parkway this morning at Great Beginnings and spoke to the Britax Rep for like 1/2 hour. I think he's sick of me. LOL.

The parkway looks nice. It is narrow, so you could easily fit 3 boosters across, if you wanted to. There is no LATCH. Interestingly, he told me that Transport Canada has been testing LATCHed boosters and have not been pleased with the results. I wonder if anyone here has insight to that issue. i was suprised to hear it -- but he said the results had not been released and he couldn't give me any other info on that. He said that's a reason that it does not have LATCH. He said they may add that feature in the future, but not fo now -- and that the price would go up if they added LATCH. I don't recall the price, but it was under $200.

The other cool thing is the "3 point harness system", as he called it. There is a crotch strap that hooks over the lap portion of the belt to prevent submarining under the strap. Looked pretty cool, but I wonder how consistently it will be used.

HTH,
Cheryl

DS 9/9/03
DD 2/20/06
DS2 EDD 10/18/09

[801kelle]

The parkway looks nice. It is narrow, so you could easily fit 3 boosters across, if you wanted to. There is no LATCH. Interestingly, he told me that Transport Canada has been testing LATCHed boosters and have not been pleased with the results. I


See that is one reason why I bought the frontiers for my cars. I liked the fact that when the frontier becomes a HBB that you can latch it to the seat.. I have always felt uncomfortable with the idea of not being able to keep a HBB secured someway.. meaning when a child isn't in it.. and also when the child is in it .. I know that when you have the seatbelt on it helps keep it in place.. but still has always made me feel uncomfortable. So does the Monterey have the ability to latch in place? Oh I just went onto sunshinekids website and it says it does have latch.. so that is exciting to me.. BUT if data comes out showing that having a HBB latched is not the safest thing to do .. then I would reconsider.. now I am all confused...So obviously it is okay to use Frontier in HBB mode and latch it because it says you can do that???

[Joolsplus2]

Yes, a seat that is allowed to be LATCHed is VERY safe. Some seats come out safer when LATCHed, and some marginally less safe, and the seats that allow it are definitely of the safer variety. An unlatched booster's never been an issue for me, I leave the shoulderbelt through it and they never move. The Monterey? You might as well just switch the FR to booster mode, both are so heavy and bulky to deal with. The Parkway's a lot lighter if you need a seat for other people's cars. We absolutely adore the Frontier in booster mode, it fits perfectly and is easy to buckle.

[801kelle]

Yes, a seat that is allowed to be LATCHed is VERY safe. Some seats come out safer when LATCHed, and some marginally less safe, and the seats that allow it are definitely of the safer variety. An unlatched booster's never been an issue for me, I leave the shoulderbelt through it and they never move. The Monterey? You might as well just switch the FR to booster mode, both are so heavy and bulky to deal with. The Parkway's a lot lighter if you need a seat for other people's cars. We absolutely adore the Frontier in booster mode, it fits perfectly and is easy to buckle.

Yeah I was wanting something lighter weight and easy to install for other's cars or if I need an extra seat!! I don't want or expect someone else to install my big Frontier.. in harness mode or HBB mode! Thanks for your input... So JOOLS what do you know about the new Parkway??? Is it pretty much the same as old one??? SO monterey is kind of big and heavy? Is it as big as Frontier in weight and size?