new here, i have a 3 and 5 year old! 5 pt seat for 8 year old?

HIMom · Jul 27, 2015

hello!
i just registered, i have a 3 yr old (30 lbs) in a graco 65 and a 5 yr old (40 lbs/47 in) in a safety first. both are in 5 point harness. which by my surprise is not the norm! most of my 3 yr old friends are in high back boosters and most of my 5 yr olds in regular booster/not highback.
i plan on keeping them in a 5 pt until they are 7/8. many friends are suggesting for me to put my daughter (5) into a booster and i just get looks for saying absolutely not!
i have had a hard time finding a new carseat for my daughter (it expires next summer, good for 6 years even though it is rated until 100 lbs) but she is pretty tall and i need help deciding what to get! i want to get a seat that allows her to be tall and restraint until 8. having a hard time finding info online

Brianna · Jul 27, 2015

Is there a reason you think she wouldn't sit properly in a booster? Age 5 is when children start to be ready for a booster in terms of maturity.

For now- what seat is it? Are her shoulders below the top harness slot?

Kel · Jul 27, 2015

Hello! Welcome!!

At 5 it depends on maturity weather or not to booster. It's perfectly safe a long as they know how to sit correctly 100% of the time. My older children could. My 5 yr old son does well in my DH van because it's usually just them. In my van, it's party time and he's stays harnessed due to all the distractions, lol.
I don't like harnessing big kids unless needed because of the neck load issues.

bnsnyde · Jul 27, 2015

My tall child fit harnessed in the Britax Frontier90 as of last year and he was 8 years old. For a tall child, I'd go with that for sure. It will last! Plus, you can hand it down. And the child will stay in position in such a seat, can sleep, etc. It has its advantages. It took some effort to tighten and was hard to reach the harness button, so there are always a few quirks.

We had to fit everybody and allow kids to exit the van (another mom of 6), etc., which is why the new 6 YO is in a Clek backless. I would never choose that if I had more space and options, though. It does have rigid latch, which I love.

I should add I also didn't want to harness so long anymore due to (potential) neck load issues. But I'm all for high-back boosters as long as possible. Our 9-year-old uses the Recaro Performance booster in the spare car, where it fits. But for age 5 or 6 I feel a harness is a good option for sure!

jess71903 · Jul 27, 2015

Hi and welcome to car-seat.org! Glad you registered. It's easier for us to keep up!

The others have covered what I would have said/asked, so I'll just leave it at that.

Brigala · Jul 27, 2015

Welcome!
I can't think of many 6 year old Safety 1st seats your older daughter hasn't already outgrown except *maybe* the Apex. Can you double check the HARNESS weight limit (it will be 40, 50, 65, or 70 lbs, but never 100; 100 would be booster mode only) and also let us know what seat it is and the date of manufacture? That will help us determine how urgent it is to get her a new seat.

Brigala · Jul 27, 2015

Also, don't be scared by the neck-load talk. The safety risk is entirely theoretical and there are benefits also. There is NO consensus or meaningful data available to tell us whether a 40 lb 5 year old is safer in a harness or a booster. Some of us prefer to harness as long as the child fits (and that's the official NHTSA recommendation for kids 4 through 7) and others prefer to booster as soon as the child seems ready and is at least (insert arbitrary age over 4) years old. It's entirely up to you. As long as the seat is used correctly either option is very very safe.

kiloyd · Jul 28, 2015

If the seat expires next summer when your child is 6, I'd get a good hbb.

Can also look at the Diono/Radian.

CMeMeC · Jul 30, 2015

HIMom said:
hello!
i just registered, i have a 3 yr old (30 lbs) in a graco 65 and a 5 yr old (40 lbs/47 in) in a safety first. both are in 5 point harness. which by my surprise is not the norm! most of my 3 yr old friends are in high back boosters and most of my 5 yr olds in regular booster/not highback.
i plan on keeping them in a 5 pt until they are 7/8. many friends are suggesting for me to put my daughter (5) into a booster and i just get looks for saying absolutely not!
i have had a hard time finding a new carseat for my daughter (it expires next summer, good for 6 years even though it is rated until 100 lbs) but she is pretty tall and i need help deciding what to get! i want to get a seat that allows her to be tall and restraint until 8. having a hard time finding info online

Britax frontier is probably your best bet. My personal comfortable level for a booster seat is 5 years and 40lbs.

new here, i have a 3 and 5 year old! 5 pt seat for 8 year old?

HIMom

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bnsnyde

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