Britax Monarch Booster Seat Anyone Share Experiences?

Hi J..
I just went through months (literally) of researching what to do with the next seat for my 3 yr old, who was 40" tall and 38 pounds. Because of the things I learned and shared with the State Police when they were installing our seat for us (regarding our vehicles and our child), they asked me to become a technician.

You didn't mention how old, how tall or how much your daughter weighs.

The one thing I learned is that most car seat technicians recommend that you keep your child in a 5 point harness for as long as you can, and there are seats with 5 point harnesses that go up to 80 pounds. There are many sad and true stories about children who died using booster seats that were secured properly, but when their vehicle was in an accident, the seat belt failed. Kyle David Miller is one. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=azgBhZfcqaQ

Many states are considering new laws to change weight minimums before a child is able to ride in a booster seat.

http://www.car-seat.org/
http://forum.carseatdata.org/

Both sites above are great forums moderated by trained and certified car seat technicians, and most of them are also parents. You can post, list your daughter's height, weight, seated height, the type and year of the vehicle(s) you own, whether or not you want your seat to portable from vehicle to vehicle, where in your vehicle you want the seat (by the doors or in the middle), how many other child/infant seats in the car, how many people (other than restrained children) will need to be seated in the vehicle on a usual basis, and those technicians will give you recommendations. They have thought of the things we don't even have an inkling about!

They can also give you information on best places to buy, when things go on sale (Britax sales are 2x a year, September and February, and they are significant sales!). Some of the sites will post where you can go to buy a seat on-line (avoid sales tax, etc), and return to a local store.

Long story short, check out those forums. I wish I had found them earlier in my search. Still, for me they confirmed my choices and helped me narrow from 4 to the two we purchased. I was really interested in the Frontier, but it wasn't coming out until June 08, and I needed the seat(s) back in February.

Good luck and safe driving/riding for you and your daughter!

Also! If you have financial difficulties and need assistance to properly restrain your daughter, you can apply for a seat through http://www.hipmonkey.com/

If you don't need financial assistance, and you buy your new seat through http://www.hipmonkey.com/, part of the proceeds goes to help provide safe seats to families in need. Talk about a win-win!

Hi J.,

My friend and I put together an informational email, (most of the info is based on research and info from car-seat.org and many carseat techs) for our carseat challenged friends...below is a portion as it relates to high back boosters---the Monarch is on the good list...although I can't personally say as my 5 year old is in a harnessed seat. You just want to make sure your daugther is at least 5 years old, able to sit properly everytime, and weights well past 40 pounds...depending on her age...if she's under 5 or a small child you might even consider the new Britax Frontier...it harnesses to 80 pounds and becomes a wonderful high back booster that is able to be latched into the car in booster mode (you still use the seat belt to restrain the child but the seat stays put- so wondeful) and everyone loves the pink one.

Link from my email on carseats-booster portion only...let me know if anyone wants the whole email.

Highly recommended Booster Seats:

Sunshine Kids Monterey
Britax Monarch
Recaro (any of them).
Jane' Indy/Indy Plus
Maxi Cosi Rodi (though it has the headrest rule)
Compass Premier or Deluxe (new names for B510)
Britax Frontier

Avoid Evenflos (not good side impact)

Graco Turbo is easy to find and ok, but not on my top list of excellent seats (not designed especially for side impacts, plus kids tend to route the belt wrong over the armrests...but it's a lot better than an Evenflo or Cosco!)

Hope this is helpful.

You could also post on car-seat.org!

B.

We bought this because we like the safety of the Britax, and my daughter was balking at using her old Britax because of the 5 point harness and the ugly (her words) color of gray. She LOVED the colors on the Monarch, so we bought it. I had also read the reviews about the wings - some loved them others hated them. I still have mixed feelings about the Monarch. My daughter doesn't mind the wings, but she prefers to sit (like her older sister) in a riser-type seat. Another disadvantage to this seat is that it really is built for smaller children. That's okay for us, because my daughter is small for her age. But when we're carting around friends, some do not fit in this seat or want to use it because of the wings.

We just got one, and my daughter looks SO comfy in it. She doesn't seem to have a problem with the wings. We love the seat, and I am glad we made the purchase.

We have a very petite 8 year old and she has the Monarch.I love it and she loves it. She says it is great for napping. I Love the way the seat belt threads through. and the head rest adjusts without leaving a hard unpadded section in her back. It is also very safe and that has always been our top priority. I am sure daughter will hate me but she will be in booster until she is 4'9" and I bet that will be around 12 or 13 years old... Good luck with your choice.

Hi J.,

We have the Britax Round About carseat--it's more like a throne. :) However, we read some reviews and like that it's safer for our daughter in side impact accidents. Whatever you buy, just make sure it fits in your car.