Question At what age do YOU consider a child to be "Extended Harnessing"....

Mags462

New member
Alright... i have been reading all the threads on Boostering and when to do so. And i don't want this to turn in to another debate - it's been done ;)

But what i was thinking reading all of those posts was, what does everyone consider the age at which you are "extended harnessing"?? I mean we throw that phrase around but what does it mean to people??

ERF is generally accepted as going beyond the well known 1 and 20 rule - but there does not seem to be a standard interpretation of the "extended harnessing" phrase.

I know for me personally i see most 3yr olds in boosters around here. So in my mind when i think "oh she practices extended harnessing" i think any child still in a harness past 3.5! :eek: Yeah i know... but i see it all the time, and so that's what my mind conjures up.

So let's hear it.... what say ye? :whistle:
 
ADS

Cryssy Jane

New member
I've always ran the assumption that ERF was past 1 and 20 and EH was past 4 and 40, although yes I do see a lot of 3 year olds in boosters here as well.
 

christineka

New member
Where I live the minimum for a booster is the manufacturer's limits. EHing would then be technically, harnessing past 30 pounds since there are many boosters with minimums of age 3 and 30 pounds and the dorels (very popular) with age 1 and 30 pounds as the minimum. Around here, kids usually move to boosters at 3 years.
 

jjordan

Moderator
In general, since 4 & 40 is a commonly-cited "minimum booster" requirement (although more stringent than most boosters' actual requirements), I'd say anything past that is extended harnessing.

But the law in my state (NY) is 4 OR 40 before moving to a booster, so here I would consider anyone harnessing past the 4th birthday OR harnessing past 40# to be extended harnessing (for example, a 45# 3 year old would count as extended harnessing by this definition).

But in a state that doesn't have a harnessing requirement and instead defers to the manufacturers' age/weight recommendations, I wouldn't consider a 30# two year old to be "extended harnessing" just because there IS a booster seat that they could legally ride in, kwim? So going beyond the legal minimum does not always qualify as "extended harnessing" to me.
 

urchin_grey

New member
I've always ran the assumption that ERF was past 1 and 20 and EH was past 4 and 40, although yes I do see a lot of 3 year olds in boosters here as well.

Pretty much everyone here boosters at 3yo/30lbs because "the sign on the booster said I could". :( I've yet to meet anyone that had any idea of the law in our state. I honestly don't know how people even miss it though! Even when Bram was very small, before I had internet, and before I was a carseat nerd, I knew "1 and 20 for FF, 4 and 40 for boosters".
 

christineka

New member
Even when Bram was very small, before I had internet, and before I was a carseat nerd, I knew "1 and 20 for FF, 4 and 40 for boosters".

I knew that too. When my second baby made it to 20 pounds, I knew enough to buy my 2 year old a combo seat rather than to move her to a booster. When the third baby needed the convertible, I bought another combo seat for second child rather than moving my oldest who was then 3 to a booster. I knew kids were supposed to stay harnessed until 40 pounds. Dd1 finally went to booster mode when she was five and had made it to 40 pounds. (My kids are also short in the torso AND dd's seat was a cargo with no padding, so 17 inch top slots.)

While I did buy very economical seats and didn't have much of a clue, I still didn't want to skimp and send my under 40 pound kid to a booster.

Still, many people I know just can't wait until their child is heavy enough (30 pounds) for that booster.

I would also say past 4 and 40 pounds would be extended harnessing.
 

Jennifer mom to my 7

Well-known member
See, I would say 4 OR 40. NY state law is harnessed to age 4. Exception is if the child is over 40 pounds, they may ride in a dedicated booster seat.

And, back in 2005, when my then 3.5 year old dd was just about out of her marathon, my only choice for a new seat that would last more than a month or 2 was a regent. She was 42 inches and 42 pounds.
 

Evolily

New member
4 years old. Before 4 I would call it "premature boostering". Not sure about weight though- I guess I feel harnessing after 4 to be EH even if the child is only 30 lbs. If the legal minimum here was different I might have another opinion.
 

rachelandtyke

Well-known member
I was going to say 4 because it feels like we are the only one harnessing, but legally here DD can not be in a booster yet as she is not yet 40 lbs. So I guess when she turns 6 and the weight doesn't matter and she's past the age for a law, then we'll truly be EHing around here.
 

Pixels

New member
3 and 30, since I'm in a proper use state and that's the minimum on most boosters. Then there's "really extended harnessing" ;) at over 4 or over 40.
 

Baylor

New member
I don't know? I mean for so long Car seats had lower weights so they were only in them til maybe 3? So I guess anything over that?
 

BookMama

Senior Community Member
Eh, I don't really think of it as "extended harnessing" (or "extended rear-facing"). :eek: To me, saying "extended" says that you're doing it way beyond what's necessary, longer than we should be able to expect parents to RF/harness. My DD didn't ERF to age 4, she just RF'd to age 4.

Well, OK, maybe DS was EH (harnessed beyond what's necessary) at age 8 :p but he was just harnessed because it made our 3-across much, much more doable. But I didn't refer to "extended harnessing" him when he was 6 or 7 - he was just harnessed.

:twocents:
 

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