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. 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. 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! The Diono model weighs a few pounds less, which can be significant if you’re partial to a model that’s easy for your child to be able to carry around for carpooling purposes.

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!

I have to say that from a subjective perspective I’m really impressed with the Monterey 5iST, and my kids are as well. Nothing is perfect so here’s my personal list of Diono Monterey 5iST advantages and disadvantages: Diono Monterey 5iST advantages 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. These are both great booster seats and they work as different tools in our family’s toolbox. Diono Monterey 5iST vs Baby Trend PROtect 2-in-1 Your child will always have a comfortable, secure fit with the Diono Monterey XT, thanks to its 11-position headrest and a width that can be adjusted up to 20 inches. It boasts expandable side wings and two recline positions. This makes it easy to dial in a precise, proper fit whenever your child grows, and also makes this model is a good choice for children with larger builds, who might find many other car seats too uncomfortable and restrictive.

The diono Monterey XT Fix Booster Car Seat is a really flexible car seat ideal for growing children. It has an extending headrest which can be adapted into 11 different positions and the seat has a really easy one-handed height adjustment. In addition to the stated limits, there are some physical limits that come into play with booster seats. On the small end, we found that our younger child didn’t get a good fit in her other Diono booster seat until she was around 43″ since she’s more legs than torso. Fortunately the 5iST gets a lot smaller! I think she would have been just fine around 40″ since the lowest belt guide height I measured is 13.5″. You can see here how the 5iST compares to its cousin the Diono Monterey 4DXT in their smallest sizes. The lower anchor connectors are upside down compared to the lower anchor connectors on most other car seats. This is intentional, there’s no need to flip them over. Adjustable Headrest and Side WingsThe 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

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’s lower anchors are not required and can only be used in vehicles where the lower anchors align directly behind the connectors on the Monterey XT. You shouldn’t use the lower anchor connectors on a booster in a vehicle seating position with offset anchors, as the booster won’t be positioned correctly for the seat belt to fit properly.The car seat has ISOFIX connectors which help with the safety and performance of the car seat. We have always used car seats with ISOFIX attachments as in our opinion, it limits the risk of any of our children being injured in a collision. The seat is relatively simple to attach to the chassis of the car with ISOFIX and must be fitted prior to use. the base of the booster seat prior to fitting in the vehicle Child-friendly features These lower anchor connectors are attached to the seat differently from those that are used for installation on harnessed car seats. They look like they are upside down and it will feel strange to install them this way, but it is correct. 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. A collection of posts taking part in the Me and Mine photography project; a monthly family portrait to treasure and to capture the memories Me and Mine