Diono High Back Boosters

[stophuggingme]

Was wondering if anyone has any experience - good or bad of these?

They're quite well regarded on some of the car seat groups.

Thank you
I was considering the Radian 5 for my almost four year old.

I’m trying to see if it can be fitted using a seatbelt or is isofix only?

The Radian 5 isn't a high backed booster seat. It's a harnessed seat which can go forward or rear facing. It's fitted with a combination of seatbelt and then either top tether (in forward facing mode) or lower tethers (in rear facing mode).

Neither direction requires isofix, but the top tether requirement might cause you grief. Top tether is usually used in conjunction with isofix and is a later standard than isofix, so cars which don't have isofix usually don't have top tether points either. Check in the manual, but I think it's quite unlikely. You need the dedicated, factory installed top tether point specifically for car seats.

Luckily, lower tethers aren't as fussy and can be fitted in almost any car. They are just a bit more fiddly. Here's some info about lower tethers:

Aaaaargh Christ I’m so confused.
I just want a decent seat for my four year old and my head hurts! @Bertie what would you recommend?
Price is up to £300
Need a slimmer seat if possible and as she is four soon I’m happy tonnow dondorward facing.

I would get an axkid Minikid
Rear facing
Lasts till 6 years old
Seat belt and attachment. No Base

Do you want a booster? Or do you want to continue rear facing? Rear facing is still safer at any age, but a booster would be suitable too (assuming she's physically big enough - min weight 15kg/height 1m, depending on safety standard)

Boosters don't cost anywhere near £300 so I'm a bit confused :o A lot of the 25kg RF seats are slim - or they "puzzle" well which is another way of looking at getting three seats across, which I assume is what you need - as car seat bases tend not to be totally square, you can get a bit of play if you fiddle around with where the widest part sits. But unfortunately, it's often a case of just going somewhere they have a lot of seats and trying as many out as possible in a tight three-across situation.

Perhaps you have one of these specialists nearby? They would probably be able to help.
www.carseatadvice-uk.com/specialist-retailers.html

Diono do make some high backed boosters and they seem to be good - I've only used the Hip which is one of their older ones they don't do any more, but it was tall, which is great for my (then) 10yo, and he said it was comfortable.

Britax Adventure is meant to be a slimmer seat, but doesn't get great safety ratings.

The Britax Kidfix range is good for younger kids as anything above the Kidfix 2 has the crotch strap going over the seatbelt which helps prevent them from slipping under if it they were a bit too small.

Cybex also popular, but may be wide in the seat area.

We bought a Cybex M-Fix for my then 4 year old when she outgrew our rearfacing Joie seat.

It's great because it's just as supportive as a car seat but it is definitely not narrow! My eldest had a Britax adventure and always said how uncomfy it was.

There's a Joie booster which seems to be quite well regarded.

Also Besafe Izi Flex is worth looking at as a booster. The side impact bits (and "arms" I think?) can come off to make it slimmer if needed. Also has the extra strap, which is useful. Child needs to be minimum 1m tall.

Thanks everyone you’ve given me some great advice.
She is over the minimum height and weight requirements.

She isn’t a great rear facing traveller so I was reluctant try putting her in a forward facing one but the £300 was in case I found a good ERF that would work that she was comfortable in. . See now the budget won’t allow an AxKid mini
Yes @Bertie I ideally would need three seats in the back but not necessarily. I will just now have to put my almost six year old in his Britax HBB in the front seat. The issue is that my daughter has grown rather too tall and almost too heavy for her current seat which is a big bulky cyber sirina and my youngest is now too big for his car seat so really needs to go into hers. I think I will just have to do the eldest in the front and invest in a good HBB for her putting youngest in sirona rear facing. I know I couldn’t get them all in back unless I found the holy grail of seats I wondered whether the minikidd would or the radian neither of which I now understand is a HBB.

My head is hurting from it all.
Sadly I’m nowhere near one of those centres but have asked to join the Facebook pages as recommended.

Overnight I’ve been looking at the Joie Traver and the AxKids BigKid as well as just thinking I will get another Britax one with the extra part at then front of the seat base for the seatbelt.

The other issue I have is that I often need to carry another adult in the car - my mother- hence wanting a slimmer one as I like Cybex but the stage 3 seats look too wide, also daughter is a loller when she sleeps and I ideally wanted a recline feature.

I had looked at Peg Perego Viaggio Flex i think it is but no UK reviews I could find

Sorry I will stop prattling now

Axkid Move is very similar to the minikid but is about £225, if you can find a stockist and want to try it out with her.

Peg Perego is Mamas and Papas in the UK, but I don't think they sell the Viaggio line here, they sell Cybex seats instead. The cybex has a mini recline in the headrest, which is why I thought of it for a 4yo. You will struggle to find a pure HBB that reclines, especially without isofix. I do find the Britax headrests are good for keeping their heads in place when they sleep though, because of the V shape.

You might investigate whether the HBB you have for the 6yo is slimmer or taller, if slimmer try to fit it in the back and get a wider, but very tall one for the front - maybe Diono? They have about five or six different booster seats and they are really reasonably priced as well.

Joie Traver/Trillo are both good. The isofix on them is optional (I think it is for all booster seats).

If you can accommodate isofix, it might be worth looking at Joie Bold? That is forward facing, harnessed to 25kg and booster from there on. But needs seatbelt, top tether AND isofix in harnessed mode. In a pinch, you can use it with just seatbelt if you're using as a booster, but it is heavier than other booster seats, so would be safer isofixed. That has a recline.

Ok so I had another brainwave

Keep my Britax HBB for another day and another car . I have the KidFix SIPCT or something like that. It is very wide and I have already tried other seat combos as much as i can but that and the Cybex are a no no.

I have been looking at the trillo ...so I could Buy two joie trillo for the back isofix for two eldest and invest in Britax Römer max way plus for two year old boy who is a good rear facing traveller. I could have belt fitted in front rear facing with airbag off until he’s 25kg? By the time he’s out of that I will have swapped to a different car which will have three car seat space in the rear!
I am working on the basis that this car seat (Britax max way ) would not fit in the middle of the two trillo.
This option takes me just over £300 ( have some John Lewis vouchers so that would cost me only £60 instead of £120 trillo so i could live with that

I’m not really happy about using my HBB on must seatbelt fitting in the front as it’s safety rating drops according to Which? ( who are making me paranoid)

Scrap that it isn’t compatible with my car!

I like the idea of the Max Way in the front (Or Axkid move, if max way is not on fitting list). But it may well fit in the middle between two Trillos.

In Car Safety Centre offer email/telephone/possibly Skype(?) advice if you buy from them, it might be worth a try?

By the time your now 2yo is out of a 25kg seat, your 6yo is likely to be 10 or 11 and may no longer need a car seat.

Allegedly, you can get an OK for fitting the max-way if you email pictures of the fitting to Britax Germany. But I assume that means you need to already have bought one, which is no good.

Try two way elite (ICSS only) or Axkid Move (Or Diono Radian) in the front, or middle seats. TWE/Diono only works in the middle if you can have both front seats the same position front-back, as they need to rest on the seat.

Fitting lists for the TWE and Move are not the be all and end all, you can get a good fit in most cars.

@bertie I’ve had a look for the AxKid move and have found a stockist plus I can use it in front or middle seats in my car as well as either rear one. I have checked their guide.
I am hoping that it would go in the middle of two trillo seats for a decent while or if not I can turn the airbag off and put him in the front with me

Thank you so much for your advice and help