How is your Regent Tethered?

Since the regent requires tethering at 50lb and many manufacturers have tether anchor limits at 48lb I want to know how your regent is tethered.

We will continue to use the top tether even after DS hits the 48lbs limit.
I found the links I was looking for http://www.saferidenews.com/html/LATCH_P49.htm
http://www.saferidenews.com/html/LATCH_P8.htm

I thought I was onlyt the LATCH anchors that have that limit. Is there a weight limit on the top tether too? Either way, I can't see how, as long as it is properly installed with the seat belt, that tethering past a weight limit could be dangerous. I will keep mine top tethered, even past a weight limit.

Thanks luvbug for those links. I saved them. I would keep using the tether too, fwiw. I have a hard time being OK with disobeying the car manual, even if I know in my brain that it's the right choice.I am very curious about how people are dealing with this issue.

Here's a link I have that breaks down the manufacturers latch weight limits. It appears to be from the same people-- is it still current as far as we know?
http://www.saferidenews.com/pdfs/LATCHApp_B_pg105.pdf

Menfusse- that link could help you. LATCH refers to Lower Anchors and Tethers. . .I forget what the last two words are.

Anytime you can tether a carseat it's good to tether -- RF as well as FF (however, most carseats do not allow RF tethering). Tethering FF beyond the listed weight limit is still considered safest practice as it will offer some measure of increased safety even if the anchor does fail in a crash.... Tethering to an unused seatbelt behind the carseat is accapteble when there isn't another anchor point & tethering at a reasonable angle is also acceptable (using the adjacent anchor point, but not from one outboard side to the opposite outboard side).

• LATCH and Tether Information
  • Latch and Tether
    • LATCH primer (pdf)
  • LATCH & Tether Sample Fact Sheets
    • Learning about LATCH (pdf)
    • Tethers are Better(pdf)
• From the 2005 LATCH manual
  • 1. Use of Tethers for Children over 40 lbs.
    • page 8 (html)
    • page 49 (html)
  • 2. Vehicles;LATCH and Tether recalls: Pdf
  • 3. Quick Reference List (page 105, pdf)
    • Maximum Weights of Children Using CR
    • Installed With LATCH / Tether Anchors

I chose "tethered to a third row seatbelt" even though we don't have a Regent...dd's carseat (Fisher Price Futura, goes to 60 pounds) is tethered to a third row seatbelt and when we get her Husky soon it will be tethered the same way. Only because I don't have tether anchors and Mazda wants over $200 to install one.

Currently tethered and will keep it tethered as long as DD fits in the Regent in any of our current or future vehicles.

Aaric is 50 lbs, and i plan on keeping it tethered regardless of weight.

Okay, I don't own one, and probably never will. My standpoint as a mother with a rearfacing 23 month old is that the regent/husky is quickly becoming an outdated seat.

Why do I say that? Well first off the seat requires a tether past 50lbs, and always when used with a lapbelt. There are other seats on the market that don't, including other britax seats, the radians, and the safeguards. That alone suggests to me that it may not perform as well for a child who still fits into one of the smaller HWH seats. The other thing is that we've seen an explosion of HWH harness seats in the last couple years, and with the leaks of info on that new recaro seat, it's not stopping anytime soon.

From what I can tell, my tethers work to 60lbs with a seat, and 80 with a vest or harness. I'm not comfortable relying on them past that. Would I tether a product past those limits? Yes, it can only help. Would I use a product that must be tethered past those limits? Nope. At this point I sincerly believe that there are better products available. Of course, if at this momment I had a van with an available belt to tether to, or a special tether installed, and a child that didnt' fit in anyother harness, I'd use a regent in a heartbeat. At this point I'm just going to sit and wait, by the time my son needs something more than his MA, I'm certain better things will be available.

The superelite/husky/regent was really a great seat when it came out, giving parents options that didn't previously exist, but at this point I don't think that it can really compete with the other hwh seats on the market untill a child no longer fits in them for whatever reason(height or weight). I truly think it's time Britax went back to the drawing board and developed a new seat to replace the regent.

Oh, and I want to clarify that I still think it's a good seat, and wonderful for children, budgets, or cars that don't fit anything else, I just really think it's time that Britax either improved it or replaced it. I really, honestly, think they can do better.

I hope that makes sense.

Good point. DEFINITLY food for thought.
Now you have me regretting the Regent I ordered earlier today!

Interesting viewpoint, Rubysgirl!

I am perfectly comfy with my dd in a Husky/Regent. There isn't anything else that can compete, that would give my dd any amount of growing room.

I know, but you also have a van with a belt to tether to, and a budget to think about. Like I said I'm completely comfy with that arangement. It's the using the tether past vehicle limits that I'm not comfy with, especially when there are other options available.

Have you read the SafetyBeltSafeUSA stuff on tether anchor limits?

Edited to add: even when we had the Husky before, in my 1991 Honda Accord, I felt perfectly safe with the idea of tethering that seat beyond Honda's stated limits. I understand the potential risk involved and feel it is a very small risk.

I feel that limits on tether anchors are what's outdated--not the design of the Regent.

Carseats used to only go to 40 pounds, so manufacturers put weight limits on LATCH of 40 pounds. Carseats only go to 48 pounds in Canada, so that seems like a fair weight limit, as well.

Now that carseats go to a higher weight I think more vehicle manufacturers will step up and raise the LATCH weight limits.

Yes, well most of it. I do believe they're better than nothing in any case, but at the same time I wouldn't use a home made cover made identical in every detail simply because it conflicts with the seats instructions.

That is an interesting viewpoint, but one thing to consider is there is a minimum allowence for head excursion in any seat. Use without a tether there is to be no more than 32" of forward movement. Use with the tether there is to be no more than 28" of forward movement. I am betting that after 50lbs, with the combined weight of the regent's shell and size, it does not pass the 32" without a tether, but it obviously passes the 28" with a tether or they would not be approved.
That is why I am comfortable using it. I know they use standard latch in their testing and take into account any failure that happens. So they would not approve it if they didnt think in real life crashes the seat would perform at the standard.

The high weight limit seats that do not require tethering at any weight do pass the 32" minimum without the tether, but Id feel much more comfortable tethering past the limit in any seat at any weight than not at all because I know with it it passes the 28" minimum.

Well, I canceled my Regent order (but kept my Decathalon on order). I will wait until ~after~ I purchace the car that would get the regent. I only ordered it now because it was easy to do both at once and I wanted to be sure to get them both in Sahara .
I'lllll wait. I am intending to get a car that doesn't have tether limits (an Hyundai or a Nissan) but there is a chance that we will be getting a honda- in which case I should probably wait until my son has outgrown our other options, just in case there is something better suited to our vehicle at that time.

I have my husky in our elantra right now. DS is only about 40 pounds, but hyundai does not have limits on its anchors, so i will be able to tether above the 50 pounds required.

Seats under 50 pounds in the US cannot require the use of a tether. That is why you see no other seat require it for use. Over 50 pounds a manufacturer can require the use of a tether, hence the reason the husky/regent has this requirement.

IMHO, I would like all seats to require a tether. It would make all our kids safer. If Canada has the requirement, it obviously can be done. Now to get us policymakers to do it for our kids.........

Hm, that is interesting, but I do not fully agree with you RubysGirl....

The Regent is a tried & true product that so very few people are not immensly pleased with that it's not going to change or leave the market any year soon -- especially since the other options are either flimsy, too expensive and/or more difficult to install.

What is outdated is that use of top tethers should be required for every carseat & the testing for anchor points should universally tested the same way as are carseats & approved beyond an 80# limit -- ex: EZOn's tether anchors are tested to withstand at least 1000 pounds more force than Ford!

YOu know, you're right. I do think tethers and anchors should have a higher universal requirement.

I do think the regent is a good seat, and that it fills a niche. I just really, really think britax can do better.

I saw a head excursian chart a while ago, from government testing.. and it actually seemed to be in limits without a tether with the 6lb dummy, but I forget how much that one weighed.

I think sk is on to something with the radian. I'm betting that they'll come out with another another hwh seat soon, with a higher harness. Maybe if they do a forward facing only or have more than one set of loops on their harness they'll beable to have higher slots. I'm waiting though, something better is bound to come out soon.

Has anybody heard how high the harness slots go on the new recaro?

papooses said:

... tethering at a reasonable angle is also acceptable (using the adjacent anchor point, but not from one outboard side to the opposite outboard side).

Click to expand...

Thanks, Tiffany. That's good to know that a center tether anchor is okay for an outboard seat if necessary.

For the poll, I have my Regents seat-belt installed and top-tethered, above the reported 40 lb. weight limit of my Honda tether anchors.