Diono Monterey XT Fix Expandable High back Booster Car Seat with Expandable Height and Width, Group 2/3 (4 to 12 Years Approx, 15-36 kg), Gray Dark

Product Information

Engineered with our most side impact protection - our rigid shell is reinforced with 8 layers of high-impact aluminum and EPS energy absorbing foam, to protect the head, shoulders, and torso.

But being a research nerd, I relished the challenge of finding the best seat for my needs. And in the process, I gathered a ton of info! Here in the US, definitive voice for millennial parents, The Bump, announced the winners of its ninth annual The Bump Best of Baby Awards, honoring the most outstanding baby and new parent products for 2021. Diono won prestigious iF DESIGN AWARDS in product design for the Monterey® 5iST FixSafe™ chosen by the 98-member jury, made up of independent experts from all over the world in 2021 and 2022. Car Seats for the Littles® is a service mark registered in the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office. DonateThis time, Design Center for the Baden-Württemberg International Design Award Focus Open awarded Monterey® 5iST FixSafe™ winner of the Gold Focus Open 2021.

Instructions: 2/5 stars because the instruction manual can be difficult to find. (It comes inside a cloth sleeve attached to the bottom of the seat).Not only does the headrest adjust but the seat has a 6″ deep sidewall expansion. Simply turn the dial at the rear of the car seat to expand or reduce the sidewalls. This is a fantastic feature and will accommodate children who have wider frames and will also be good for when children wear extra layers in the winter. I love how versatile this car booster seat is. It could be used for any child who needs a Group 2 or 3 car booster seat and can be adapted to suit a different child within a few minutes.

The Monterey XT is a well-fitting option for any child who is ready to ride in a booster seat, especially those with larger builds and those who prefer some extra padding. The Monterey XT is easy to install and use. The lower anchor connectors, cup holders, and adjustable width make the Monterey XT uniquely customizable to fit a wide variety of passengers. While it is bulky and won’t work well in a three across situation, the Diono Monterey XT is a great option for bigger littles and littles who prefer extra padding. The Monterey XT fits his frame perfectly. We can adjust the side wings to give his shoulders more room, and the internal width of the seat pan is a generous 12.5 inches wide, giving him plenty of room to maneuver the seat belt into position and ride in comfort. The depth of the seat is 14 inches — enough to keep even long-legged booster riders well supported. Easy-adjust - 11-position headrest that grows up with your child. Engineered for safety and comfort with 2 layers of SafePlus® Side Impact Protection.But there’s no clear winner between these two products, they’re just different beasts. To get the tiny fold, it requires a lot more fiddling and a multi-step adjustment process every time you unfold and set it up. In exchange for weight, the hifold doesn’t have lower anchors and doesn’t feel nearly as sturdy. Since I’m all about helping parents keep their kids safe when traveling, I’ll give traveling its own section. We travel often (in normal times) so I’m always looking out for the best booster seat for travel with my own kids. We can find the key specs and features of Diono Monterey 4DXT and Monterey XT in the table of similarities and differences below. It’s important for us to look at their specs and features before we can talk more about their key differences. Will it actually fit a kid who is my height and 120lbs? At that point it’ll depend a lot on body structure, but rest assured it does get very, very wide. As with all boosters, you need to make sure that their ears are fully contained within the booster seat. Some kids at the top of the size range may find that the seat doesn’t offer quite enough support for their thighs, which can cause them to move out of the ideal position. Usually we don’t want more than a few inches of unsupported thigh.

As with all booster seats, you shouldn’t put your child in it until he or she is mature enough to sit properly 100% of the time. Generally we CPSTs recommend that kids be at least 5 before making the transition to such a big responsibility and some kids aren’t ready until 6, 7 or even older. It’s important that you know your child and evaluate their ability to follow rules honestly.Parents of bigger littles will understand the frustration in finding a booster seat that works for their kid. Most boosters seem to have very narrow seat pans, making them uncomfortable for littles with larger thighs or bums. While the Monterey 5iST is going to work for nearly kids until they are done with boosters, the Baby Trend tops out at 100lbs and 57″– fine for some kids in some seating positions but not universal. One nifty aspect of the Baby Trend is the super flexible positioning for the seatbelt: the shoulder belt can go either over or under the arm rest depending on what gives a better fit and the shoulder belt guide can be in one of three positions. The Diono Monterey XT has extra foam padded throughout the seat, which contributes to the child’s overall comfort. The cover fabric is durable and wipeable in addition to being pretty. It comes in several sophisticated colors including red, teal, heather, and purple. Assembly Thread the shoulder belt into the red guide. It’s wide enough to avoid most seatbelt retraction issues, while the little metal gate should avoid the shoulder belt slipping out accidentally. Nice!