Best 5pt/Booster Combo for tall child

My daughter just turned 6 and she is a monster in heights, just over 51 inches. She is currently in the Radian Sunshine Kids xtsl, but it has a height limit of 53 inches. She has a long torso and although she has not met the height limit of the car seat, the wings on the seat hit her shoulders and cannot be adjusted up further. I was looking into the Diono Olympia but it just got a do not buy review by the national highway institute due to it not having an adjustable seatbelt clip when in booster mode causing the belt to touch the child's face. I want to harness her longer, but I am unsure where to turn.

Welcome to car-seat.org!

A 6 year old is usually ready for a booster. While many parents think that harnessing is always safer, the fact is that boosters are considered to be equally safe for children who are at least 4 years old (for skeletal development), at least 40 pounds, and mature enough to use a booster properly. This last qualification (maturity) usually happens somewhere around 5-6 years old, though it depends on the individual child. The child needs to be able to sit still in the car so that the seatbelt remains properly positioned, and not wiggle around, lean over to pick something up, put the seatbelt behind them, etc. If the child sleeps in the car, they might need to be taught how to fall asleep so that they remain properly positioned in the booster while sleeping.

All that being said - if I were in your position, I would definitely consider a booster rather than another harnessed seat. There are lots of great boosters on the market, priced anywhere from $30-ish to over $200. If you'd like booster recommendations, post back, or start with the list of boosters in the recommended seats on carseatblog.

If you still want to go with a harnessed seat, then the ones that has the highest harness height and will last the longest are the Britax Frontier 90 and the Britax Pinnacle 90. Both are quite pricey. If you want other, less expensive options, then again, I'd start with the carseatblog list linked above.

Please post back if you have questions about anything I wrote, or if you'd like more information about certain seats!

I had similar concerns when just picking a new seat for my large 5.5 year old. I ended up getting a Diono Pacifica in order to keep her harnessed longer. Booster seats make me nervous (particularly bc my kiddo doesn't behave well). I was concerned about the bad recommendations for using the seat in booster mode but decided I would just use it until the limits in harness mode and then buy a dedicated booster seat.

Depending on your kids weight, the frontier or pinnacle could be good too.

Also, for a child outgrowing the harness mode of any diono/sunshine kids convertibles by height they will not have more growing room in in another diono or sunshine kids convertible.

nannykates said:

Also, for a child outgrowing the harness mode of any diono/sunshine kids convertibles by height they will not have more growing room in in another diono or sunshine kids convertible.

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I've found that the models without the head wings last longer. My kid no longer fit the RXT at 45" but is now 49" and fits fine in the R100 and Pacifica.

Thanks for the replies! I have looked at the list of high back booster seats from the list in the first post and although I am a huge Britax fan, I do not like cheapness feel of their booster seats...and that is the only one that I have seen in person. So far I am really liking the Kiddy Cruiserfix Pro Car Seat and the Cybex, my next question would be which would be best for the situation of being outboard in a sedan with a Britax Blvd (4 yr old) outboard as well and a 12 yr old in the middle? Or do you have another suggestion for a booster (even an European model if you have any knowledge of those since that could be a possibility for my situation).

Unregistered said:

Thanks for the replies! I have looked at the list of high back booster seats from the list in the first post and although I am a huge Britax fan, I do not like cheapness feel of their booster seats...and that is the only one that I have seen in person. So far I am really liking the Kiddy Cruiserfix Pro Car Seat and the Cybex, my next question would be which would be best for the situation of being outboard in a sedan with a Britax Blvd (4 yr old) outboard as well and a 12 yr old in the middle? Or do you have another suggestion for a booster (even an European model if you have any knowledge of those since that could be a possibility for my situation).

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I don't know if the newest Cybex boosters are any taller than the older ones?? We have a Cybex booster from a few years ago and it's not very tall...in fact, my 9 year old, who's the same height as your 6 year old, may not even fit in it anymore. I haven't checked in awhile, b/c he was so uncomfortable in it the last time he rode in it. His legs are so long at this height that the short seat pan made him uncomfortable. We have loved it for sure--until he wasn't comfy anymore. My six year old loves it though, but he's only 46" tall and the fit is great!

Wow, she's tall. I assume her shoulders are quite a bit taller than the harness slots on her current seat? My kids aren't quite that tall and I won't bother with any boosters shorter than the Britax Parkway SGL. Dedicated boosters do have a different feel than harnessed seats and that requires some adjusting to, but we love our Parkways and don't find them cheap at all. I love that they are so much easier and lighter than our combo seats and narrower to allow the possibility of a 3 across. 3 across with a kid that tall really limits the options. Plus, my 6yo has never flopped over when asleep on those nice, big head wings, something I worried about when switching her to a booster. She sleeps so well in it, I got rid of her combo seats I'd originally kept for longer drives. Definitely get a seat that you're comfortable with, but knowing what it's like to have tall kids, I'd definitely stick with something at least as tall as the Parkway. HTH. Good luck!