Harness vs Booster

lourdes

Well-known member
For those of you who know about the head overload when you practice extended harnessing, I will like opinions about it, and also about extended harnessing. DD will be 6 in April, she had been asking to ve in a booster for a long time and I told her when she was 6 and 40 pounds she was going to a booster... but, I don't know if I am ready yet! She is 38 pounds right now, I was going to get her a Monterey but I can't find it, I am not a fan of the Turbo, the Britax's boosters are kind of big for her, the Clek is too expensive, what else is out there? I was looking for a booster that fits small children preferable with latch... or to keep her harness for a longer time?
 
ADS

MommyShannon

New member
The Monterey is being replaced by the Cambria soon. That's why they aren't available.
ETA: I may be in the minority, but I love the Nautilus/Argos as a first booster after the harness is outgrown. It is wide though so in some cars it's hard to buckle. My kids prefer the rigid back, the belt guide works better than others for us, and the routing is easier. My kids were bigger when they switched to it as a booster at 6. I'm sure that impacts fit.
 

Pixels

New member
Are you referring to the theory that boostering is preferable to harnessing due to neck loads? It's baloney.

If you take three combination seats and test them all in each mode, there will be slightly higher neck loads in harness mode than in booster mode. However, the difference from one seat to another is much greater than the difference in modes in the same seat. More significantly, in all cases, neck strain is below injury limits.

I do prefer kids to stay in a harness until 40 pounds and true booster maturity. Beyond that, do whatever works best for the kid and family.

The Monterey is gone and will be replaced by the Cambria, but it's not out yet. There have been a few threads about the Cambria, which should be easy to find with a search.
 

lourdes

Well-known member
Yes, I have read here comments of people against extended harnessing, referring to the increase of head load.
I don't think she is ready to go booster full-time but of course she doesn't understand that and now DH is joining her...
She rides in a Radian and she has plenty of room in it. So I can keep her harness for a long time but I wanted to be sure that I was doing the right thing and that I wasn't just me that was not ready.
So if I start booster training part time, what booster is good for a small child?
 

lourdes

Well-known member
Now I am mad... the Cambria is rated from 40 pounds and it looks as big and wide are the Britax's
 

henrietta

Well-known member
Yes, I have read here comments of people against extended harnessing, referring to the increase of head load.
I don't think she is ready to go booster full-time but of course she doesn't understand that and now DH is joining her...
She rides in a Radian and she has plenty of room in it. So I can keep her harness for a long time but I wanted to be sure that I was doing the right thing and that I wasn't just me that was not ready.
So if I start booster training part time, what booster is good for a small child?

She may surprise you and be just fine in a booster. You won't know until you try, and I certainly won't talk you into a booster or out of a harness at that age and size. It's really a personal decision to me at age 6 and almost 40 lbs. My son with high functioning autism went into a high back at that age and size and he did really well. Much better than I thought! My second son though is a stinker. He CAN sit in a booster, but he acts like a turkey sometimes and so he's still harnessed at 5.5 and 42 lbs...he has almost outgrown the harness in his seat and we will soon have no choice but to booster full time. At least we've done it part time and have worked on it with him. He's much better behaved in a high back booster than a no back booster though.

Have you looked at the Graco Affix? It's a high back with LATCH. Graco's fit little ones really, really well...so do the Harmony high backs. (-; http://www.diapers.com/p/graco-affix-highback-booster-seat-with-latch-atomic-777758?site=CA&utm_source=Google&utm_medium=cpc_D&utm_term=AGO-283&utm_campaign=GooglePLA&CAWELAID=1719744890&utm_content=pla&ca_sku=AGO-283&ca_gpa=pla&ca_kw={keyword}
 

lourdes

Well-known member
She may surprise you and be just fine in a booster. You won't know until you try, and I certainly won't talk you into a booster or out of a harness at that age and size. It's really a personal decision to me at age 6 and almost 40 lbs. My son with high functioning autism went into a high back at that age and size and he did really well. Much better than I thought! My second son though is a stinker. He CAN sit in a booster, but he acts like a turkey sometimes and so he's still harnessed at 5.5 and 42 lbs...he has almost outgrown the harness in his seat and we will soon have no choice but to booster full time. At least we've done it part time and have worked on it with him. He's much better behaved in a high back booster than a no back booster though.

Have you looked at the Graco Affix? It's a high back with LATCH. Graco's fit little ones really, really well...so do the Harmony high backs. (-; http://www.diapers.com/p/graco-affix-highback-booster-seat-with-latch-atomic-777758?site=CA&utm_source=Google&utm_medium=cpc_D&utm_term=AGO-283&utm_campaign=GooglePLA&CAWELAID=1719744890&utm_content=pla&ca_sku=AGO-283&ca_gpa=pla&ca_kw={keyword}

I have looked at the Graco turbo and affix but I don't like how the feel, I guess I am used to the "sturdyness" of the Radian but I just don't like it... I liked the Parkway but is kind of big for her and I liked the Clek but it is too expensive... what's the opinion her about the Evenflo right fit? I haven't seen it yet and don't know what store has it.
 

Jackie010307

New member
I was in the same place with dd last year. I wanted to booster her at least part time because she was riding with friends a lot more. We bought a parkway to try, and at first she did well. After the newness was gone she just wasn't sitting still. It didn't help that she had outgrown the radian she had been in so I had nothing on hand to go back to! I ended up getting a frontier 90 and she stayed harnessed for another 6 months. She's now 7 and does well in a booster. Long story short, at 6 I would try a booster. If it doesn't work out then just go back to the harnessed seat.
 

Mom2natalie

New member
The graco booster with safety surround may work. This one has latch, the ones at Target don't. (Just in case you prefer one over the other.)

http://www.gracobaby.com/products/p...fety-surround-and-latch-system-stargazer.aspx

My daughter is 6 years old, 5 months, 45 lbs, 45 inches tall. She is still harnessed in her Nautilus. She wants to do a booster now. When I tried the Nautilus in booster mode the lap belt rose up too high on her belly.

I am booster training her. Right now on short errands she rides in a backless Harmony, or Turbobooster depending on the vehicle.

The Compass b570 may also work for you.

Right now my first choice for her new Hbb is the Parkway sgl, second choice the seat linked above, third the b570.

We're going today to BRU and Target to see some seats in person and let my daughter sit in them, etc.
 

Pixels

New member
I have a Recaro Pro Booster (predecessor to the Performance Booster) and a Harmony Folding Travel Booster. Neither of mine have lower anchors, but the Performance Booster does. They do a good job of positioning the belt on smaller kids and are rated below 40 pounds.

The Harmony is not as flimsy as a Graco or Evenflo, but not as study as a Recaro.
 

henrietta

Well-known member
The Harmony is not as flimsy as a Graco or Evenflo, but not as study as a Recaro.

We also have a Harmony folding travel booster, and I love the belt fit on both of my kids! It's not a flimsy booster...and while I understand the concern about boosters not seeming as "sturdy" as a harnessed car seat, we have to remember that the booster's primary purpose is to correctly position the adult seat belt on kids. I personally am uncomfortable with a really heavy booster, unless it can be latched in. Our Cybex booster is really heavy and sturdy...and we have used it when it wasn't latched in...but I much prefer it latched. ;)

Anyhoo..the Harmony doesn't fall apart when you move it, it's light weight, and it does have additional safety features (deep head wings, air blown shell--forget what exactly that's called, but it's supposed to offer similar extra protection to EPS/EPP foam, a bottom shape that could make sliding under the lap belt less likely, etc).

Babies R Us carries the Evenflo Right Fit. I think it looks really nice. We have an Evenflo Amp high back that fits well in some cars and not well in others (lap belt rides too high in some cars, b/c of the seat belt geometry).

In all honesty, most boosters are not going to seem as "sturdy" as a harnessed car seat. They are designed differently. The most important thing is that the belt fits properly and your child sits right in it. If what works/fits is a $30 "flimsy" Evenflo Amp high back, then that's better for that kid and situation than a $120 Britax Parkway that the shoulder belt is too far off the shoulder of a skinny kid (like my son's--the PW actually does NOT position the shoulder belt correctly on them. I don't let them ride in my friend's. She bought an extra Graco to have on hand for them. (-;)
 

Lenae

Active member
The new Performance Booster is huge. If you don't like how big the Britax boosters are, you will not like the Performance Booster. The earlier version of the Performance Booster is the ProBooster. It's nearly as wide as the 2013 Parkway, but maybe a smidge more narrow. It fits my small 6yo son very well. My 4yo (not 40 lbs yet) sat in it to ride up our long driveway to get 6yo off the school bus and the fit was excellent on her.

ETA: The new Maxi Cosi booster looks not as wide as the previously mentioned boosters, so maybe one to look at, too.
 

Pixels

New member
ETA: The new Maxi Cosi booster looks not as wide as the previously mentioned boosters, so maybe one to look at, too.

The one without arm rests? I lust for it, but the $300 price tag is too steep for me. Being a Dorel product, it should rewrote vehicle head support as well, though I have not verified. Car Seat Blog reviewed it, I'm sure they would have mentioned vehicle head support.
 

lourdes

Well-known member
I haven't seen the Maxi Cosi here in stores, I have to go back to the store to see if they have the Compass, I think they do, and I want to go to babies r us to try the Evenflo right fit, I have seen the Recaro online but not in store so I can't try it, the other one that they had was the Peg Perego
 

Lenae

Active member
The one without arm rests? I lust for it, but the $300 price tag is too steep for me. Being a Dorel product, it should rewrote vehicle head support as well, though I have not verified. Car Seat Blog reviewed it, I'm sure they would have mentioned vehicle head support.

Yeah, the cost is what is keeping me from trying it myself. However, the RodiFix does in fact NOT require vehicle head support.
 

Lenae

Active member
KQ just told me last night on a FB group that Maxi Cosi said on their FB page that the booster does require vehicle head support. So apparently they're waffling. Does anyone have a manual?
 

safeinthecar

Moderator - CPS Technician
The neck load argument has only really been discussed as a theoretical since not one study has ever been produced that backs it up. Yes harnessed seats do show slightly greater neck loads than the same seat in booster mode, they also generally show higher chest deflection (how much the chest squashes) in booster mode since the force is more concentrated. What it boils down to is we have very detailed studies about what the human body can tolerate, and both harnessed and booster seats perform within those tolerances.
 

joolsplus3

Admin - CPS Technician
Hey the Rodifix is only 250, not 300! (But seriously, why isn't the price coming down? I've been watching and watching for it to go lower...)
Evenflo Right Fit breaks breaks breaks. Pick it up and bend the sidewings by accident? Crack. One floor model after another keeps getting chucked into the damage pile at my store. Too bad there's not just a little more plastic reinforcing those wings, it's otherwise very nice.
 

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