Safety Harness vs booster

Lets say a 5 year old child sits perfectly in a booster. The booster fits the child like a glove and has sip all around. Is it safer for the child to ride in a harnessed seat or booster or are they both just as safe?

That's the million dollar question, isn't it?

A top tethered harnessed seat is certainly AS safe as a high back booster that fits well at that age.

I wouldn't put a 30 pound 5 year old in a booster, but for a 5 year old closer to 40 pounds, I wouldn't get the vapors over boostering.

Gah, I typed the response then decided to vote and lost it.

Ok, again. I would count weight into the equation as well, and it would depend on who was using the seats (potential for misuse with the harnessed seat) and how often/what type of trips the seats were being used for as well. And, it might make a difference if I already had the seats or had to buy one. But in general, I would chose the harness over the booster I think, despite there being no real data on the difference, so that's what I voted.

Okay, so I want to know because, due to an in and out and in and out situation with the car seats, I let dd3 ride in the bodyguard for a fairly long trip. She sat perfectly, even while her brother was acting like a banshee and throwing shoes at her. After being shown how she was able to buckle, unbuckle, work the lockoffs, and correctly route the seatbelt. This was in a 3 across too. Things would be easier to have her in a seat she could buckle herself in and out of. My guess is that no one would have problems with this child in a booster if she was 40 pounds. What is the difference though? Up until very recently this child was rfing. I am very interested in her safety. She's just at that age, where I wonder, why not a booster? The seat is approved for a 30 pound child.

How much does she weigh? The trouble with kids under 40 pounds in boosters is that their less substantial bulk leaves them more at risk of submarining. If she's 30 pounds, I wouldn't be comfortable with it, personally.

Pretty hard to imagine how even a skinny kid could submarine out of that clamped lapbelt, though....

joolsplus3 said:

Pretty hard to imagine how even a skinny kid could submarine out of that clamped lapbelt, though....

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Yes. In any other booster seat, dd would have space on the sides between her and the armrests. The seatbelt would be left loose, even if the belt was locked. Not so with the bodyguard. The adjustable seat goes just as small as a hug on her skinny bottom. The lap belt is clamped in the proper position on her thighs.

How much does she weigh?

Maedze said:

How much does she weigh?

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I'll go weigh her to see if maybe she's gained some weight

You are totally avoiding my question :duck:

Maedze said:

You are totally avoiding my question :duck:

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Not avoiding. I wanted an accurate measurement. With the clothes on, no shoes or socks, dd weighs 34 pounds!!! I don't know if that makes a difference, but she was 31 pounds last measurement.

Welp, my instinct as a parent would be to get her closer to six before boostering. 34 lbs is just so little, you know?

I have a sort of sliding scale in my head that goes like this. If four, at least 40, if five, at least 35, if 6, at least 30. No scientific basis to that, just my personal rule of thumb

I really would prefer to see a 34# 5yo harnessed, but can't get all that worked up about her in a Bodyguard.

What I think I am understanding is that this is sort of a gray area. It would be preferable for a child of said size to ride harnessed, but it wouldn't be terribly unsafe for her to ride in said booster as long as she behaves. Which means, I've still got to decide on my own. I won't have my van back till tomorrow, so I'll go play around with car seats then.

christineka said:

What I think I am understanding is that this is sort of a gray area. It would be preferable for a child of said size to ride harnessed, but it wouldn't be terribly unsafe for her to ride in said booster as long as she behaves. Which means, I've still got to decide on my own. I won't have my van back till tomorrow, so I'll go play around with car seats then.

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Umm :yeahthat:

not saying you haven't but have you checked the DOM? All the seats I've dealt with have eight year life spans although none have been britax's. In 2003 the bodygaurd was replaced by the parkway you might be near the end of or over its life...more of a better to check while its easily accessible thing.

mfrasier said:

not saying you haven't but have you checked the DOM? All the seats I've dealt with have eight year life spans although none have been britax's. In 2003 the bodygaurd was replaced by the parkway you might be near the end of or over its life...more of a better to check while its easily accessible thing.

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The Bodyguard was manufactured through 2005, which means there are still many that have not yet expired.

mfrasier said:

not saying you haven't but have you checked the DOM? All the seats I've dealt with have eight year life spans although none have been britax's. In 2003 the bodygaurd was replaced by the parkway you might be near the end of or over its life...more of a better to check while its easily accessible thing.

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The dom of my bodyguard is March 2006. The pictorial is incorrect about them being discontinued in 2005.

good to know, britax's timeline on the website made it seem like 2003.

I didn't vote, because I'm having the same debate myself.

When I found the board <a year ago, my understanding from what I initially read was "harness! Harness forever!" and so I bought harnessed seats for almost all of my kids. As I read more and was here longer, though, there seems to be more of a shading of grey for those "middle-aged" kids, the fives and young sixes and maybe even older fours, who sit well in boosters. Immature, harness, absolutely. But mature? ...

There's this new debate that seems to be running around about neck loads due to harnesses, and without really knowing what I'm talking about, it seems to make sense to me. I have a just-turned-5yo who is ~48lbs, maybe a bit more now, and I told him that when he turned five I would start booster training him. He's done so well in it that I let him choose between the Monterey and the Natuilus every time we get in the vehicle, and am inclined to go ahead and booster him f/t. FF vs Booster risks as I see it are 1) submarining, 2) head exertion, 3) SIP/lack thereof, 4) neck loads.

Because your dd is so small, I agree with Maedze's point about submarining, but the description of the bodyguard (I'm not familiar with it, I should go google it) sounds like it makes that moot. Therefore if you weigh the other points, and you feel that she's equally safe/safer, then there's no legit reason not to booster.

I dunno, to me 34lbs is such a peanut I'd probably still have her RFing. After much internal debate I think I've decided my "ideal" situation is a child who RFs to six, then goes directly to a booster, dang Swedes for putting that in my mind. I've gotten a little RF nutty.

And BTW, your deferring of Maedze's question makes me think that you know the answer, you just don't want to hear it, lol. If that's the case, then I'd stick with what you "know" to be the right thing and keep her harnessed. I think that I'd weigh the concerns about neck loads vs submarning with a child that small, and know she's more likely to submarine, and less likely to have a high neck load, since she doesn't have as much weight to translate into forces on the neck, know what I mean?