Frontier vs. Parkway SGL

[sarahsthreads]

We recently switched DD1 (6 yrs, 43.5", 40 lbs.) from her Britax Frontier to a bare-bones (Target) high back Turbo Booster in my car for short in-town trips. It fits her really well, she sits in it really well, and it seems comfortable enough for short trips. However, it's the really basic model with absolutely no padding, so I doubt it would be comfortable for the longer trips we take 4-5x year.

So I tried converting her Fronter into a booster for an upcoming trip, and it does *not* fit her well as a booster. No matter where I adjusted the back to, the shoulder belt went over the curve of her shoulder instead of sitting solidly on her shoulder. Is it possible she's just too skinny for the seat as a booster? So I'm going to re-install the harness and have her ride harnessed for this trip, which is probably just as well because I'm certain she'll fall asleep at some point anyway. (She's not protesting this, thankfully.)

I had been contemplating getting a Parkway SGL, but is it going to fit the same way the Frontier fits as a booster? Or because it's just a booster will it fit better? Any other recommendations for a step up from the Turbo Booster that will fit a narrow kidlet? I need a second booster in the very near future, as DD2's carseat in DH's car is about to expire and we have to do the carseat shuffle in a few weeks!

Thanks!
Sarah :)

[Joolsplus2]

Dumb question...did you take the screw out of the headrest and raise it up higher? I've been pleased with the belt fit on that seat with Leah since she was 3 and 35 pounds, but it's quite possible she's built like a linebacker compared to your kiddo (lord knows I've got more than my share of shoulders, so she comes by it honestly, lol).
Parkway's a bit narrower, I think (waiting on the full review at carseatblog, though), and Recaro Probooster might well be. At 6 I'd think it's easier to just buckle the harness rather than try to reach over to buckle the belt, so if she's not protesting, it ain't broke, don't fix it :)

[sarahsthreads]

Yes, we took the screw out and I raised it up and down to try to adjust it, but it just didn't fit right no matter where I put it - when it was up higher, it was held away from her body too much, and lower it looked like it was on the verge of sliding right off her shoulder.

I totally agree that a harness is easier even at 6, and I don't mind keeping her in the harness, but I need to be able to easily remove DD1's seat in order to transport my elderly grandparents while she's at school on a somewhat regular basis, and I'll be honest, I'm too lazy to do that with a seat as big and heavy as the Frontier. ;)

I'd stick with the staus quo (Frontier harnessed for longish trips, Turbo Booster for everyday in-town) *except* that DH is going to need a new seat in his car for one child or the other, so we thought we'd get a better/more comfy booster for my car (regular use), keep the basic TB for his car (1x-2x/week), and move DD2 into DD1's harnessed Nautilus in his car. (Also a poor fit for DD1 as a booster - the lap belt rides too high.)

Confused yet?

Thanks!
Sarah :)

[yankinweimar]

Is there any chance you can try out a Recaro Vivo in person? A friend of mine has one and I loved the belt fit on lap and shoulder for my skinny (37 lb) almost 5 year old. I was testing it out for future reference, because my little one is happy in her harnessed Nautilus, but man, was I impressed!

[Joolsplus2]

Ok, totally, I am with you on the painful inconvenience of moving the Frontier. I'd rather pluck my eyebrows every day :rotflmao:

Compass Pathway B570 and Chicco Strada are other possible choices.

(I went to look for their reviews, and found the Parkway SGL is the latest...coooool.... http://carseatblog.com/8193/britax-parkway-sgl-booster-a-photo-review/

Strada... on a skinny girl.... http://carseatblog.com/6723/chicco-keyfit-strada-a-review-stile-italiano/

B570 http://carseatblog.com/5963/kecia-loves-it/

And I do like the Vivo too... I find the armrests make it pretty much a pain to buckle, so that's my only beef with it. Probooster should be about the same fit, though.

[sarahsthreads]

Thank you both for the suggestions! The next time DD1 has a half-day of school we'll have to head over to the part of town that has BRU and BBB and see what works for her.

Just out of curiousity, I know there are slightly more padded versions of the Turbo Booster. Is there a disadvantage to finding one of those since we know the seat fits DD1 and my car correctly? Or, is there an advantage to the other boosters mentioned (side-impact protection or the like) that we'd be missing out on? I was thinking of the SGL because I do like the idea of latching the booster in and the clip that turns it into a 4-pt. belt seems like a fabulous idea, but neither of those is really a hard requirement for me.

And not that this would be a deciding factor, but if I don't manage to score a pink or purple seat in whatever brand, it's going to be a hard sell for DD1 - her current TB is the "Girls Rock" pattern and she's adamant that she wants one JUST LIKE IT when we find a new seat for my car. Sigh. I really don't know how I managed to raise such a pink and purple obsessed child!

Sarah :)