Customer Reviews

Britax Monarch Booster Car Seat, Royal Racer

5 star:		(38)
4 star:		(17)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I recently purchased this booster for my 5 1/2 year old son who is around 50 pounds and 48 inches tall. I did a ton of research before deciding on this one. I love the Britax brand and have used many of their seats for my three kids, currently 5 1/2, 3, and 9 months old. My 5 year old was in a Roundabout as a baby and toddler and my two girls currently both ride in a Marathon. I looked for a new seat for him after seeing the youtube video (which I know so many parents saw) about the little boy who was killed in his booster seat when the seat belt unlatched. Previously he was riding in a Graco Turbo Booster in my husband's car and the Britax Bodyguard in my car. I felt that the Bodyguard was safe, but it was a pain to use (due to the latches) and my son had trouble buckling himself. When I saw the Monarch, I knew it was the best solution for him. It is incredibly plush and comfy for him, and I love that side wings for side impact protection go all the way up the seat protecting his entire torso, unlike the Bodyguard. The head rest is also wonderful and he loves that he can lean his head to rest. I also like that the back rest detaches from the base so that when he is much older he can just use the base if need be. I plan to keep him in this booster as long as possible, and that will be easy since it goes up to 100 pounds. He has no trouble buckling himself, and although I check every time to make sure he did it right, he almost always is perfectly buckled in. I thought about buying the Britax Regent because it has a five point harness, but it is so huge and took up too much room in the back of my minivan. I would not have been able to put a passenger in the middle seat. And since my son is too heavy to use the latch system anyway, we would have been using the seatbelt for the Regent anyway. The Monarch has been a great solution and I feel very confident that all three of my kids are very safe in the car.

Safe, comfortable, and fashionable. What else can you ask for? We bought a Britax Parkway booster for our oldest and decided to buy the Monarch for our youngest. Both are excellent but the Monarch definitely is an upgrade from the Parkway. The fact that our sons love the Britax booster seat and find them comfortable, the higher prices paid for them are worth it!! You will not be disappointed with this choice!!!!

This is my 4th britax product. The other 3 were easy to use, tho I had some installation issues with the Wizard, and of course the inadequate cupholders on the parkway booster.

The Monarch seems well built, comfy and safe but the armrests are driving me out of my MIND. According to the instructions, the belt is supposed to go under the the armrests, on both sides. The armrests are very low - way to low to actually be used as armrests in fact. It's necessary to pull the strap way out - hook the seatbelt - then carefully work the seatbelt up under both armrests. My 5 year old can no longer buckle herself in safely, tho of course she wants to try, especially if we are in the carpool line with about 50 other cars behind us waiting to retrieve their own kids.
Perhaps, if I drove a taller vehicle it might not be as difficult for me to do. Currently, I'm driving a BMW sport wagon and am having a hard time bending way over and buckling her in.

I am aware that many 5 year olds can and should remain in a traditional carseat with a 5 point harness but my daughter is very tall for her age so this seemed the safest alternative.

The cupholders on this model are still too shallow to be effective, plus they are pressing into the seat of the car. I wonder if they will snap off in time. They do not sit level in this car, so they are useless for drinks. My dd uses them for crayons, which end up scattered all over the back seat.

The only improved function of this seat over the parkway is that the seat belt retracts very freely thru the shoulder bracket, whereas I felt sometimes that the parkway restricted the seatbelt movement a little too much.

Despite my usual love of Britax products, I would not recommend this booster. Stick with the Parkway, for children that meet the weight/height limits and have the ability to sit safely and keep the straps in position.

We purchased this for our 3 1/2 year old son as he outgrew his convertible carseat. I purchased this after reading safety reviews on the Britax products, they are well above the US safety standards. We purchased 2 of these at the same time the Monarch and a Parkway for my husbands vehicle. I bought the Monarch for the car because that is what we use to travel and I thought th armrests would be more comfortable for the little one. The armrests are actually the only thing I don't like about th seat, they are too low to really be used as armrests and they make it very hard to buckle the seatblet, they are so low that you have to slide the seat belt underneath from the front. The Parkway has no armrests and is a piece of cake to buckle in. That being said I am not disappointed in the seat and will be keeping it.
I can tell that the side impact protection is better than other brands just by how sturdy it is. Other seat seemed very flimsy, this seat is solid! A bit pricey for this booster but you know they say you get what you pay for. The piece of mind s worth what I paid for this seat.

I spent 3 days online trying to find the right seat for my growing boy. After all the scary stories I have been reading latey on small children dying in car accidents due to not being in the 5pt. harness I have been freaked out. I was going to buy the Britax Regent but there were a few things that I didn't like. some are: that after something like 47lbs you need to stop using the latch system and use the seat with the seat belt. Even though your child can still remain in the 5pt harness I didn't see the point if you were using a seat belt to hold the seat in place anyhow. the whole scare has been due to seat belts coming un done, or...hurting your child so severly beacuse they get so tight on the body during the accident because they aren't properly located on your small childs body. I feel like if the seat belt did actually come undone than what good is the regent if its dangling around the car by the teather, seemed to me it could cause more harm than good at that point? I know every seat has its pros and cons so after my 3 days of non stop searching I decided this seat would suit my 46lb boy just fine. it has a lot of the wonderful side padding so that if we were to get is some sort of accident he has all the side protection, it is also nice to have the head rest since he falls asleep in the car on every car ride longer than 45 minutes. It raises him up a lot higher than his older graco booster seat did which is something he loves. I also like that its just about impossible for him to take the seat belt out of the shoulder opening, so it is always in the spot it is supposed to be. I love this booster. it seems very comfortable for him and the seat belt seems to be in the correct areas around the body which makes me feel like he is VERY SAFE. ...oh, and did I mention that he loves his new booster?

BRITAX MONARCH is the best booster seat for two reasons: TSIP and TSIP!!!

CONVERTIBLE. When your child is ready for a backless booster, the back (and, consequently, any hope of TSIP) comes off easily. In the mean time, while you're using it fully assembled, the back actually *stays on* when you want it to (like when you go to pick it up) unlike some other models we've used (!).

STURDY. You can't bend or twist the thing like you can in some other models (!!) and it's obvious at first touch that this thing is made *solid*.

EASE OF USE. Totally adjustable for your kid's height and width within about five seconds. A snap to buckle in.

COMFORT. TSIP with side-wings makes it comfortable for kids to nap in the car, and there's ample padding/breathe-ability all around. If you have room, the cup holders are convenient.

I had a Britax Roundabout so I was really excited when I ordered this booster. I was so disappointed when it arrived. It is very heavy overall. The headrest is very narrow and my son looked like he was in the electic chair! I know it provides great impact protection but his head was wedged in. He complained so much I returned the seat.

Once again Britax has delivered a quality product that exceeds our expectations. We purchased 2 Monarchs for our 2 children. One is 7 years old, then other 4 years old. The seat is so adjustable they are both comfortable and love it. The side impact protection is sturdy. This is a solid seat. When they fall asleep, the head protection keeps their heads from flopping over. The seatbelt guides are sturdy and easy to use. The cup holders are shallow, not terribly functional, and a bit flimsy. But you can buy cup holders at a local auto supply store. Not only does this seat keep our children safe and snug, it makes riding in the car more comfortable. Definitely worth the money.
Britax Monarch Booster Car Seat Rockport

My daughter was truly excited when this car seat arrived! You can tell she feels very comfortable every time she sits in it. The side wings not only protect but allow her a place to rest her head if she decides to take a nap. The armrests are also a nice feature. The only drawback is the cupholders do not work. They are too shallow, so drinks always tilt backwards.

I totally agree with one of the reviews here. It has nice look, very comfortable, and my kid loves it. However, my kid complains each time when he has to buckle and buckle off the seat belt. It is not so easy for me either to help him out because the distance between the armrest and the seat is so narrow to slide the seat belt beneath it. If it weren't for this problem, I would give 5 stars.