Question Forward-facing harnessed carseat help please!

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Gran

New member

• Aug 6, 2013

• #1

Hi. I cannot find your list of 'Front facing harness carseats' for a child to use until they go into a booster. I like the 'combination' ones, but find that the ones I would prefer are not available here in New Zealand.

Thank you
Gran

 

Last edited: Aug 7, 2013

G

Gran

New member

• Aug 7, 2013

• #2

Hi.

I am looking for a forward-facing harnessed carseat for my grandson. He is a shorter than average, 23kg, nearly 6 year old. The problem being that I need him to be able to both click shut & tension his own harness as I have arthritic hands and cannot help. It needs tensioning as it depends on what he is wearing e.g. raincoat, tshirt, jersey as to whether it needs to be tighter or looser. I understand the Nautilus 3-in-one car seat will allow him to do this but the Britax (that I like...) won't. Alex is extremely good and knows the rules re. carseat in gran's car! I have a safe-n-sound that he has now outgrown. The cost is not an issue. I hope you can help with some suggestions. I have read so many reviews and nowhere does it tell me that a child can clip himself in or out, or indeed tighten or loosen. They should! chuckle.
Thank you.
Kind regards
Gran

 

MommyShannon

New member

• Aug 7, 2013

• #3

Hi! I'm not familiar with what seats you can get, but I'd consider a high back booster instead of a combo seat for a 6 year old. If he's mature enough to sit properly, it would be easier for you (or maybe him) to help buckle it and it will tension correctly. It'd also be easier for you to get in and out. Everything but the new Britax would be hard to install with arthritis.

 

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Gran

New member

• Aug 7, 2013

• #4

Thank you for your reply. The car-seat stays permanently in my car, a Hyundai Sante Fe, so it is not an issue to move it. You mention the new Britax? Could Alex fasten / unfasten it?
Bev
Oh, and I have a wonderful son-in-law to install it, so that isn't a problem either, chuckle.

 

MommyShannon

New member

• Aug 7, 2013

• #5

I haven't tried the new Britax. We have the Frontier 85 and my kids can buckle/unbuckle themselves. I haven't shown them how to loosen it. Coats shouldn't be worn in carseats, so the harness just stays the same all the time. When winter comes and they wear jeans vs thin shorts and sweatshirts instead of tshirts, I do loosen it a little.

 

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Gran

New member

• Aug 7, 2013

• #6

Thank you. I love the Britax, unfortunately not available in this corner of the world but I can ship it to friends in the USA and they can forward to me. Hesitant as, obviously, would at least like to try him in it ... or see it... or touch it? You have the 85, looks great.
Bev

 

MommyShannon

New member

• Aug 7, 2013

• #7

6 is a very appropriate age to use a high back booster. I wouldn't spend a ton shipping a seat not available to you there. Have his parents tried him in a booster yet?

 

Patriot201

Car-Seat.org Ambassador

• Aug 7, 2013

• #8

Hi, Gran! Welcome to car-seat.org!

We have some members here who live in New Zealand, so I'm hoping they'll have better advice than do I (as I live in the US ), but I'll do my best to help out.

From the little bit of research I just did, it appears that it is not legal to use American or Canadian seats, but that it is legal to use Australian seats? Is that correct?

A Child Safety Harness might be an option. Here is one made by Britax/Safe-n-Sound. Here is another.

The Phil and Teds Discovery might be another option, but it appears that the harness only holds up to 18kg, and Alex weighs 23kg, correct? So that would

Looking at this, I would also recommend the Diono Monterey for a 6-year-old. It is a booster, but is a highly-recommended booster.

 

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Gran

New member

• Aug 7, 2013

• #9

Short answer is no, they haven't. I wish this site had a list of forward-facing harness seats that I could then compare to what is available here. (I'm not made of money, heh, heh) Thanks.
Bev

 

soph's mom

New member

• Aug 7, 2013

• #10

First I want to say how great it is to see a grandparent so interested in car seat safety. A lot aren't and it has nothing to do with love for the children but just simply the fact that there weren't many, if any, options when they had young children and they just aren't really aware of the danger. So glad to see you are well informed!

Second, it may help to post in the international section of this forum or have this moved there to get some advice from those in your area. I'll send a request to the moderator for you.

Good luck!

 

G

Gran

New member

• Aug 7, 2013

• #11

My daughter & son-in-law will only have Alex in a 5pt harness. I too have looked at all the NZ sites and recognise that Alex cannot do up boosters with car seat belts himself. So, onto the safest convertible or booster one - with harness! Happy to get convertible one & when he grows out of it a booster, think that may be the solution.
Thankyou.

 

G

Gran

New member

• Aug 7, 2013

• #12

Not so well informed as I thought however! I didn't know that a child shouldn't wear a coat in a car-seat, bummer that if I am on child - school drop off duty. It is winter here!
I just wish that all the reviews & blurb on those for sale (like NZ sites) actually told you whether the child can do up / undo etc. When I rung up asking at several stores they don't know and although I can go in with Alex (I live rurally an hour from shops) they also said they do not have samples of many of the ones for sale but just order them in on purchase. No good for me.....

 

amelia222

New member

• Aug 7, 2013

• #13

The problem with seats advertising that the kids can buckle/unbuckle themselves is that all kids are different. It depends much more on the ability of the child in question that on the seat itself.

Hopefully one of our NZ members will be able to give you some more suggestions.

 

finn

New member

• Aug 7, 2013

• #14

Most of the cheaper seats here are European and only harness up to 18kg.

Would you consider using a booster? Rather than a harness? Most of the 6 year olds I know can easily buckle themselves using the car seat belt and then I just check it for tightness.

I wouldn't use a child harness linked by patriot, they are super fiddly and very hard to use correctly every time, they also have a tendency to pull the lap belt up too high.


There is a few to chose from that harness above 18kg

The Diono Radian, it harnesses to 36kg, my son could buckle it himself at 4
http://www.babyuniverse.co.nz/product/35640/sunshine-kids-radianxtsl-convertible-car-seat/

The Evenflo Symphony, that harnesses up to 29.4kg
http://www.babyuniverse.co.nz/product/34467/evenflo-symphony65-convertible-car-seat-static/

The Safety 1st Complete Air, which harnesses up to 29.4kg (they have this at the Baby Factory so you could go and try it out)
http://www.babyuniverse.co.nz/product/43893/safety-1st-complete-air-se-convertible-car-seat/

The Evenflo Sureride, harnesses up to 29.4kg (Baby on the Move sell this, they are really good at letting you try them out in your car).
http://www.babyonthemove.co.nz/car-seat/toddler-car-seat/Evenflo-SureRide-DLX

The Evenflo Securekid, which is a forward facing seat only and harnesses up to 29.4kg (this is also at Baby on the Move)
http://www.babyonthemove.co.nz/car-seat/convertible-booster-seat/Evenflo-SecureKid-300-Loy

We do have the Graco Nautilus here but it is the European version and only harnesses up to 18kg.

I personally chose to illegally import a Britax Frontier to keep my son harnessed until he was 5 but at the time there were no other options available to harness above 18kg.

 

finn

New member

• Aug 7, 2013

• #15

Gran said:

Not so well informed as I thought however! I didn't know that a child shouldn't wear a coat in a car-seat, bummer that if I am on child - school drop off duty. It is winter here!

Click to expand...

I always make the kids take their coats off, when we get to school they put them on in the car before climbing out