booster help

[sarsah]

Can anyone tell me the distance between the head wings on the Recaro Vivo?

Also has anyone seem the Sunshine Kids Monterey in person yet? I know it doesn't come out until March. There is a picture on Amazon and the head wings look somewhat close together, but it's hard to tell.

We have a Britax Parkway and the headwings are too close for my DS to wear headphones and keep his head against the back of the seat. Since we travel a lot and he likes to watch DVDs, I need to find a booster that will fit him while wearing headphones. I've also had other issues with the Parkway and would like to replace it.

We have a Compass B510 that my older DS is about to outgrow, but it just seems so big for my younger DS (turns 5 in May, 40 lbs & 43" tall with a long torso). The seat is deep and his legs end up sticking straight out rather than bending because the edge of the seat is past his knee.

I think the Jane Indy would fit our needs best, but I'm not really wanting to spend that much money on a booster.

tia,
Sarah......

[caleymama]

Maybe a Graco Nautilus? I was able to try DD1 in one the other day at Walmart and got it for her. She's almost 5.5 with a 16" torso (about 45" overall height, 44 lbs). She fits in the Parkway fine and usually rides in a Regent but had room to remain harnessed in the Nautilus, which is why I got it to use instead of the PW. I ran out of other HWH options for the vehicle the PW is currently in, so I'm happy to have found the GN to keep her harnessed a bit longer. I don't have exact measurements but the wings look to be set wider than the PW's. It would also make a decent booster once your DS outgrows the harness.

If you have LATCH the Monterey would be a great choice (from everything I've seen so far).

I don't have info on the Vivo, but there are lots of comparisons of various boosters over at car-seat.org - based on pics I've seen I'd guess that the Vivo won't offer much more room. The headwings are snug to offer good SIP.

ETA: The Graco Turbobooster fits a smaller kid well (not that your DS in particular is small, just that he (and my DD) are small/young compared to other booster riding kids) and the headwings aren't as snug as the PW's. It doesn't have the SIP that the PW has, though.

Another thought: Could your DS use earbuds instead of traditional headphones so they don't interfere with the wings? DD has never used anything with headphones, so I have no idea what the right thing for a kid to use is, but it was a thought.

[sarsah]

Thanks for the ideas. I'll have to check out the Nautilus. DS is really ready for a booster, especially since he's the second child and wants to be just like his big brother so I am ok with him not being harnessed once he turns 5.

The headphones are wireless with infrared so I can't switch them out for earbuds. I know DS's safety is more important than his entertainment, but this child is already a terrible car traveler and gets car-sick very easily because he stresses himself out about riding in the car. The DVD player has helped this quite a bit and gives DH & I a little bit of peace and quiet.

I really want the Monterey since we have LATCH, but I need to see it IRL first because the pictures look like the head wings are close together like the Parkway which won't work.

[caleymama]

Thanks for the ideas. I'll have to check out the Nautilus. DS is really ready for a booster, especially since he's the second child and wants to be just like his big brother so I am ok with him not being harnessed once he turns 5.

The headphones are wireless with infrared so I can't switch them out for earbuds. I know DS's safety is more important than his entertainment, but this child is already a terrible car traveler and gets car-sick very easily because he stresses himself out about riding in the car. The DVD player has helped this quite a bit and gives DH & I a little bit of peace and quiet.

I really want the Monterey since we have LATCH, but I need to see it IRL first because the pictures look like the head wings are close together like the Parkway which won't work.

Gotcha. The main reason we want to keep DD1 harnessed in that particular vehicle is that it is a soft top Jeep Wrangler, so not a whole lot of safety features. The least I can do for her is keep her in a 5-pt harness while she's in there. She's still got plenty of room in her Regent in our van, but I am comfortable with her using the PW in other situations should she need to.

We don't have a DVD system in the van and I'm not familiar with them at all, so I had no idea about the wireless headphones (neat!). I can certainly understand wanting to keep your DS comfortable in the car.

How about a Jane Indy Plus? That has LATCH and the headwings aren't as snug as the PW's. It's very adjustable and has EPS foam.
http://www.elitecarseats.com/JANE-Indy-Plus.pro
http://www.janeusa.com/products.htm (scroll down)
http://www.car-seat.org/showthread.php?t=6077
There is also the Jane Indy which is similar but does not have LATCH.

HTH