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.

If you’re considering the Diono Monterey 5iST for kids near the upper end of the size range, you won’t be disappointed! The side wings automatically widen as you raise the head rest, giving lots of room for growing shoulders. Diono boosters are deservedly known as great options for broad kids and this one is no exception. 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.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. 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. 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

Be sure to review the rules for flying with a booster seat– the most important thing to remember is that your child can’t use it on board, just like any booster seat. The Diono did its best to keep up with the big boys, and in some metrics, it rallied valiantly. However, in the end, there are better options available. It is suitable for little ones up to 120 lbs and 63 inches, one of the largest limits in the group. It also has good crash test results and is fairly narrow at 18.4 inches. If the Diono were somewhat better quality or somewhat lighter, there might be a niche for this better-than-average booster. What Other Booster Seat Should You Consider?

Performance Comparison

The diono Monterey XT Fix Booster Car Seat is a forward-facing Group 2 and Group 3 car seat which means it is suitable for children who weigh between 15 – 36kg (generally aged between 3 and 12 years old and up to a maximum height of 150cm tall). Flexible features 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 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. Easy-adjust - 11-position headrest that grows up with your child. Engineered for safety and comfort with 2 layers of SafePlus® Side Impact Protection.

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. Honouring the first collaboration between Diono and Berlin based design studio, WhiteID, Monterey® 5iST FixSafe™ combined our signature world-class American engineering with forward-thinking, edgy European design to create the next generation of child car seat. Monterey® 5iST FixSafe™ continued to turn heads across Europe, catching the attention of industry experts and innovators of the technology of tomorrow. Personal opinion: I really like the new Diono Monterey 5iST and my kids do too. Some kids this age can be tough to get on board with safety in the car, so I’ll take my victories where I can get them. 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. This time, Design Center for the Baden-Württemberg International Design Award Focus Open awarded Monterey® 5iST FixSafe™ winner of the Gold Focus Open 2021.

Vehicle Headrest Required

The underside of the bottom is not smooth and could cause wear on your vehicle seat over time if you don't use a protective mat. While some might argue that the quality is on par with the lower price, at least one competitor scored higher for quality and costs less. Should You Buy the Monterey XT? Remember: Kids aren’t ready to ride with the seatbelt alone until they can fit properly. That’s usually between 10 and 12 years old. Sadly we see many more serious injuries in school age kids riding in the seatbelt than in young kids in car seats. 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.