Question kid with BIG head, harness or booster.

lovemybabies924

New member
if you had a 5 year old 40lb kid who can sit equally well in a booster or harness, and they have a BIG head lol would you rather have them in a harness or booster? he's asking for a booster, but is still harnessed. I have been booster training and he does equally well in a booster w/good SIP like the vivo. im wondering about that huge noggin and what would be better in a crash lol
 
ADS

ketchupqueen

CPST and ketchup snob
Staff member
Hmm, hard to know, huh. On the one hand, lower head excursion with a tether. On the other, potentially lower neck forces with the booster (though there's not a lot of data on that...) I don't know, but at 5 I'd lean toward keeping him harnessed one more year just because sometimes 5 year olds get wiggly fits at unexpected times, I like to see 6 for full-time use for most kids just for brain maturity reasons, you know? I'm thinking the head excursion/neck forces thing may be a wash.
 

Evolily

New member
All things equal I side with harnessing until 6 or 7. not that he NEEDS harnessed, and there would be nothing wrong with boostering him, I just would lean towards a harness.

I clinically qualify for a benign macrocephaly diagnosis, so a big head, like bigger than at least 99% of the female population, completely off the charts, lol, and even MY head is not significantly bigger than the average persons. A slightly larger head is going to increase neck loads, and head excursion, but bar hydrocephalus or a pathological macrocephaly it wouldn't even figure into my decisions, at all. And for those conditions I would probably want to rear face and consider importing a seat if necessary

It is impossible to know what variables you would be trading up- maybe the booster has decreased neck loads, but increased head excursion. Maybe the booster is safer in a frontal impact but more dangerous in a side impact. maybe a harness is safer in your coupe but more dangerous in your SUV (or vice versa). Think about it long enough and you'll get a headache! As you know, whatever you pick use it properly, and your kid will be very, very safe.
 

lovemybabies924

New member
hes 3rd row in an ody usually, but right now hes in the second row of a 00 accord...my vans ignition went out so hes gonna have to stay in a radian for a while anyway lol. i think i will keep harnessed for another year since he can do it himself anyway. hes just BEGGING for the green SS turbo..and its on sale :/ haha. and his head is MRI at 3 large haha
 

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