Is the harmoney defender a pain to assemble?

Babywearing Meghan · Jun 19, 2013

I am trying to decide between this and the secure kid.. also which makes a better booster for after? I need one in this ball park price range, and it needs to harness him for a while since he is hyper active.

Nolan will be 5 in Aug and weighs 40 lbs even, he is on the second to last slot of the maestro in dh's car.. but is kind of getting close. I need to replace the frontier with something smaller for my new 3 across situation.

AZmamaof2 · Jun 19, 2013

I watched a video on youtube showing how to assemble the harmony defender, and while it was a little tricky, it didn't look like a huge pain. Try searching "assemble harmony defender" and there is a lady who shows how she does it and tells the steps.

I'm in the same kind of boat as you. Looking for a combo seat with high harness. From the stats, the maestro and securekid both have 18" high harness straps. I was considering those seats among others as a backup. What do you think about the maestro? Is your DS going to outgrow it by the end of the year?

My DS turns 5 in 3 months. He weighs a few lbs more than yours, and has 15" bottom to shoulder height. Do you think he would have much use from a maestro?

Babywearing Meghan · Jun 19, 2013

i am using that right now.. but it is really dh's seat for his car.. he has plenty of height room but weight wise not long enough the way this kid grows.. he was only 33 lbs a year ago. It is just not a high enough weight limit for me to buy another right now. He will need a harness for a very long time the way he moves around.. he had to use a booster in a jam once, it was the vivo.. this was a month ago maybe.. he was horrible in it..he kept standing up, i had to go sit with him, and hold him down till we got home. it was a nightmare.

Babywearing Meghan · Jun 19, 2013

I saw the video too.. I felt like it looked complicated.. someone told me that it came assembled a little while ago.. so maybe I am wrong.

Babywearing Meghan · Jun 19, 2013

I almost feel like the secure kid is a safer bet... not sure though. just need to make up my mind and click purchase lol

tracee877 · Jun 19, 2013

I've had/have both and I really didn't care for the Defender. I LOVE the SK though!

AZmamaof2 · Jun 19, 2013

Tracee, whenever I see your son's pic, I imagine the car seat is giving him a big, strong hug! His legs look like they extend like arms from the seat.

Also, can you specify what you like about the SK vs HD vs GN? I'm also looking for a high harness/booster seat as a backup? Thanks!

AZmamaof2 · Jun 19, 2013

Babywearing Meghan said:
i am using that right now.. but it is really dh's seat for his car.. he has plenty of height room but weight wise not long enough the way this kid grows.. he was only 33 lbs a year ago. It is just not a high enough weight limit for me to buy another right now. He will need a harness for a very long time the way he moves around.. he had to use a booster in a jam once, it was the vivo.. this was a month ago maybe.. he was horrible in it..he kept standing up, i had to go sit with him, and hold him down till we got home. it was a nightmare.

That sounds awful

Hopefully his weight growth will start to taper off a bit to let you harness longer. Do many kids outgrow the maestro in wt before ht?

Babywearing Meghan · Jun 20, 2013

I am going to go this route I think after playing with both

second to last slot is being used.. head rest in second position.. how long does it look like it would last for him? at least a year?

Babywearing Meghan · Jun 20, 2013

on second thought.. I may like the SK better but the defender is probably the one that will last harnessed longer so I should go that route right? I could not figure out the head rest on it in the store but did not have a manual to read there.

Babywearing Meghan · Jun 20, 2013

Is there anything else I should be looking at.. the situation is a 3 across, need to spend less than 150 for sure.. I am out of the loop these days.. it also needs to make a great fitting booster

mom of six · Jun 20, 2013

Meghan, I am the Harmony Defender assembly YouTube video maker. I find the adjustment of the Defender to be very easy. However, the button is kind of awkwardly placed for adjusting in the car. The best way to access it is from above and behind the seat. You have to reach into the cover and squeeze the button up. It is easy to adjust in my minivan if I reach in from the back hatch to access it. Make sure the harness is loose or it will not adjust. That has caught me a couple of times.

One thing I noticed in the picture of your son in the SK is that it looks like his head is being pushed forward by the head wings which makes me think potential for head slump. The way the Defender's head wings are designed it does not push the kids head forward. My son sleeps very comfortably with no head slump.

Babywearing Meghan · Jun 20, 2013

mom of six said:
Meghan, I am the Harmony Defender assembly YouTube video maker. I find the adjustment of the Defender to be very easy. However, the button is kind of awkwardly placed for adjusting in the car. The best way to access it is from above and behind the seat. You have to reach into the cover and squeeze the button up. It is easy to adjust in my minivan if I reach in from the back hatch to access it. Make sure the harness is loose or it will not adjust. That has caught me a couple of times.

One thing I noticed in the picture of your son in the SK is that it looks like his head is being pushed forward by the head wings which makes me think potential for head slump. The way the Defender's head wings are designed it does not push the kids head forward. My son sleeps very comfortably with no head slump.

naa he was just messing around cause there was a tag behind his head that he didn't like.. he really didn't have head slump when I told him to sit right, but I wonder if he would? He never had it in the nautilus. hmm..

on the Defender is the harness long enough in the highest position? I read a complaint about that.

kaleigh71 · Jun 20, 2013

I purchased one last month for my 4.5 year old and after replacing the short crotch buckle with the longer one she is very happy in the seat. I didn't find it hard to put together at all. As for strap length, I tried my average sized 7 year old daughter in it, using the shorter buckle, and had the strap length to do it.

tracee877 · Jun 20, 2013

AZmamaof2 said:
Tracee, whenever I see your son's pic, I imagine the car seat is giving him a big, strong hug! His legs look like they extend like arms from the seat.

Also, can you specify what you like about the SK vs HD vs GN? I'm also looking for a high harness/booster seat as a backup? Thanks!

LOL! It does look that way!

I really like the SK because it's well padded, no head slump, long crotch buckle and LOVE the sureLATCH. I like it better than the GN since the GN is less padded and he tends to have head slump and it doesn't have the nice LATCH connectors. I had the Defender very briefly but it was better padded than the GN. I just really did not care for it overall.

kathysr98 · Jun 20, 2013

I've assembled three Defenders, and didn't really have any trouble. Well, the first one took a while, but I was doing it at the ballfield while watching and then fussing at a group of boys for terrorizing some wild rabbits. Little twits. The Defender is super easy to adjust, IMO. The button is easy to press & you just pull it up. Between my BFF and I we have had four 4-5 yos in them and everyone is happy with the seat.

Is the harmoney defender a pain to assemble?

Babywearing Meghan

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