Recommendations for booster seat with 5 point harness

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ksa822

New member

• Apr 13, 2014

• #1

Hello all,

I'm sure that this has been covered elsewhere on the site so forgive me for not doing enough digging. My head is just spinning a bit! I'd like to have a few recommendations for a good, budget-friendly booster seat that comes with a 5-point harness. I'm having trouble finding a list of booster seats that also have the harness option and I thought this would probably be the best place to ask. Thank you!

 

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tesslouise

New member

• Apr 13, 2014

• #2

What you're looking for is a "combination" seat, as in, it combines a harnessed forward-facing seat and a booster.

We have a Britax Pinnacle. There are definitely cheaper seats but the "click-tight" seatbelt installation is pretty cool on the Pinnacle.

 

jacqui276

New member

• Apr 13, 2014

• #3

What is the age, height and weight of the child that will be riding in it, what are they currently riding in, and what type of vehicle?

 

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ksa822

New member

• Apr 13, 2014

• #4

She is 4 years old, 39 lbs. and 37 inches tall. I know she is not quite at the weight requirement yet - she is fine in her current car seat but I have begun to do the research now. I also have a very large 7.5 month old who will move to her convertible seat soon.

Currently, she rides in either a Britax Marathon (which, I'm sorry I know everybody loves Britax, but I have not been that happy with that seat) or a Cosco Scenera, depending on which car she is in. The combination seat will be going in a Routan minivan.

 

MommyShannon

New member

• Apr 13, 2014

• #5

http://carseatblog.com/carseatblogcoms-recommended-car-seats/
Just scroll down to "forward facing only".

 

cookie123

New member

• Apr 13, 2014

• #6

She weighs enough for a combination seat. I would look at the Graco Nautilus, the Britax Pioneer or Frontier, the Evenflo Secure Kid 300/400 or the Harmony Defender. These seats will offer your dd some growing room and make a good belt positioning booster after the harness is outgrown. What harness slot is she on in the Marathon? (Harness should be at or above the shoulder for forward facing)

 

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ksa822

New member

• Apr 14, 2014

• #7

Thank you for that list - that is super helpful.

She is currently in the top slot on the Britax. I find it very difficult to get her harnessed in easily in that seat. I actually posted about the problem here and tried the suggestions that posters offered.

 

Mary_Ann

New member

• Apr 14, 2014

• #8

Hi! If she's on the top slots of her Marathon, she might have outgrown the scenera. Her shoulders need to be at or below the harness slots.

 

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ksa822

New member

• Apr 14, 2014

• #9

Ok, thank you. I will check her in the Scenera today. I'm sorry, there just seem to be so many different ways to tell if a child has outgrown a car seat . . . it gets a little confusing sometimes!

So even if she is not yet 40 lbs. I can still move her to a combination seat? Sorry to be so dense about it.

 

MommyShannon

New member

• Apr 14, 2014

• #10

ksa822 said:

Ok, thank you. I will check her in the Scenera today. I'm sorry, there just seem to be so many different ways to tell if a child has outgrown a car seat . . . it gets a little confusing sometimes! So even if she is not yet 40 lbs. I can still move her to a combination seat? Sorry to be so dense about it.

Click to expand...

Yes! Most have much lower weight limits actually (20-22lbs). Overall, belt positioning boosters aren't recommended until 40lbs, though some have 30lbs minimums.
ETA: Rearfacing as long as possible is best so ideally a 20lb child would be rearfacing. A 39lb 4 year old is perfect for a combination seat.

 

Mary_Ann

New member

• Apr 14, 2014

• #11

That's OK!

The 40 lbs you are referring to apply for most booster seats that only use the seat belt, no harness. A combination seat, as a previous poster said, is a forward facing only seat that allow the use of the 5 pt harness or the seatbelt.

 

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ksa822

New member

• Apr 14, 2014

• #12

Ok, thank you! This helps so much. And it's about time for my younger son to move to the convertible seat so this works out well. The recommendations on the blog are great. It can be very hard to navigate all of the choices out there!

 

MommyShannon

New member

• Apr 14, 2014

• #13

Yep, I prefer to pass down convertibles and use FF only seats at this point too.