Our Review of the Sunshine Kids Monterey booster seat
The Sunshine Kids Monterey Booster features one of the highest height and weight limits - 30 - 120lbs and 38" - 63", and it was the first booster car seat to hit a 120 lb weight limit. Made by Sunshine Kids, the same guys who brought you the excellent Radian 80SL and Radian 65SL convertible car seats, the Monterey booster car seat incorporates safety and comfort like few other car boosters thanks to innovative adjustable Side Impact Protection (SIP) wings.
Standout Features:
- High weight and height limits: 30 - 120 lbs and 38" - 63"
- AirTek comfort foam offers more cushy padding and increases airflow
- Side Impact Protection through aluminum reinforced side walls and head rest
- Anti-submarining angled seat
Convenience: Playing chauffeur has never been easier. The Monterey is a rare booster with latch anchors, meaning no sliding around the car when not in use. Need flexibility on carpool days? The Monterey goes backless.
Growth spurts coming faster than you ever dreamed? Adjust the headrest with only one hand to accommodate junior. Durable hand washable microsuede and mesh fabrics mean the Monterey will long outlast your tyke's car seat days.
Installation: Use the Monterey as any other booster, without installation, or use the integrated LATCH/ISOFAST** connectors with front adjuster. The front adjuster allows you to more quickly and easily install the booster with LATCH - simply attach the Lower Anchor Tethers to your vehicle's Lower Anchor Attachment points and give a quick tug on the front adjuster to tighten.
Since the Monterey first came out, Sunshine Kids has made a few updates with the LATCH system, including making it easier to attach the LATCH connectors when the anchors are located deep in the vehicle seat. The new design also makes for a tighter fit.
The LATCH/ISOFAST connectors also ensure that the booster does not move around the car when you drive sans Joe Junior. A reclining back accommodates all vehicle seat angles.
**A Note on LATCH Weight Limits: Your vehicle may state a set weight limit for its LATCH anchors (40 or 48 lbs). This weight limit does not apply to booster seats with LATCH as the Lower Anchors on a booster seat are only intended to secure the weight of the booster seat itself (approximately 16 lbs. in this case). The vehicle's lap and shoulder belts secure the weight of the child; because of this, you can use LATCH with the Monterey up to 120 lbs.
Benefits for Baby: Like a good recliner, the Sunshine Kids Monterey Booster surrounds kids in cushiony comfort thanks to breathable AirTek comfort foam. The EPE foam lined seat features more length to properly cushion legs and hips.
Supporting side wings with reinforced aluminum side walls lined with EPS foam support and protect the head and torso without constricting. Kids never feel squished due to the wings that adjust by both width and height.
For maximum safety, the Monterey car booster seat features an angled seat to prevent submarining. Submarining is when a child slips below the lap belt during a collision, causing internal injury and possibly death.
Soft, breathable microsuede and mesh fabrics keep children comfortable.
Safety
- FMVSS 213
- EPE and EPS Foams help absorb the force of an impact
- Side Impact Protection
- Passed the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's (NHTSA) proposed SIP crash-test standards
Comparison: The Britax Parkway SG fits kids up to 120 lbs and 63". The Parkway SG features slide-guard, a unique belt that connects to your vehicles seat belts to prevent submarining. In contrast to the Monterey, the Parkway SG adjusts only by height and not by width. The Parkway SG booster car seat does weight about 5 lbs less, making it easier to transfer from car to car. The Britax Parkway SG does not use LATCH.
If you need a booster car seat with a slimmer profile, consider the clek oobr. Oobr fits kids up to 100 lbs, installs using LATCH, and features a stylish design. The oobr adjusts by height, but not by width.
If you'd like a seat that goes from 5-point harness to booster, consider the Britax Frontier. The Britax Frontier keeps kids harnessed up to 80 lbs and then converts to a booster seat for kids up to 100 lbs.
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Car seat specs
- Min child weight
- 30 lbs.
- Max child weight
- 120 lbs.
- Min child weight - Forward Facing mode
- 30 lbs.
- Max child weight - Forward facing mode
- 120 lbs.
- Minimum weight for booster mode
- 30 lbs.
- Min child height
- 38"
- Max child height
- 63"
- Min child height - Forward facing mode
- 38"
- Min height for booster use
- 38"
- Exterior Seat Depth
- 15"
Car seat dimensions
- Product weight
- 15.7 lbs.
- Seat Base / Foot Width
- 15"
- Seat height
- 26"
- Interior seat width
- 14" - 20"
- Seat weight (without base)
- 15.7 lbs.
- Fits children 30 lbs to 120lbs, 38" - 63" height
- Dial on back adjusts seat up to 3" wider
- 11 positions for maximum fit
- Reinforced sides ensure body protection from hips to head
- Deep side wings with EPS foam provide total side-impact protection of head, hips, and torso
- LATCH/ISOFIX anchors securely install booster in vehicle
- Tapered seat shape properly fits a growing child
- Longer seat with EPE foam insert provides full leg support with cushioned comfort
- Separate top and bottom mean the Montery may be used as a backless booster
- Retractable cup holders
- 2 recline positions fits most vehicle seats
- Removable microsued and mesh fabric cover can be hand washed and line dried
- Dimensions: 26"H x 19.5" W x 15" D
- Weight: 15.7 lb
Sunshine Kids Monterey booster seat Reviews
All Customer Reviews
- Average Rating:
- Highest Rating:
- Lowest Rating:
- Number of Reviews:
- 6
Totally Functional
Solid booster but not small
Great seat but...
This seat is wonderfully secure and my daughter sits in it fine, but the seatbelt often comes out of the belt guide and my daughter leans forward in the seat too often (her problem, not the seat's).
I'm not sure if this seat is more effective in restraining my daughter than the cheaper Britax Parkway booster that I also have. The idea of a booster is to keep the child's seatbelt properly placed across his or her collar bone and hip bone, but if the child leans and sits forward much of the time, then I'm not sure how this particular booster is better than another.
But I love Sunshine seats and think they make the strongest, sturdiest carseat line out there.
I LOVE this booster seat!
Great Seat!
The only downside for this seat is that my son can't hook the seatbelt himself, something he could do in his previous carseat. I think it's because of how our car's are made -- he can't see and reach far enough around his seat to hold the car's clip/hook in place while fastening the seatbelt. A bit of an adjustment for an independent little guy, but he still loves using the seatbelt over the harness.
A Sigh of Relief
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