Question Fwd facing carseat without top tether?

jlpoirier

New member
Hi all,

I have a dilemma I did not anticipate. We just hired a lovely woman to be our new babysitter, and part of her job is to pick up my son from Kindergarten and bring him home each day.

When we went to install our Britax Frontier (Click Safe) car seat in her 1999 Honda Accord Wagon, I was surprised to discover that we were unable to find any top tether anchors. We did find a loop in the floor of the cargo area that was clearly not intended for carseats (and which stated a 50 lb weight limit), which we have temporarily clipped the top tether to.

My questions:

1. Can anyone tell me whether this car has the capacity to have tether anchors? (We would be happy to pay to have one installed.) I've called two Honda dealerships and gotten two different answers. When I called the mothership, I was put on hold for 30 minutes and then had to get back to work.

2. How terrible of an idea is it to have the carseat clipped to the cargo anchor, rather than a proper carseat anchor? (The seat itself is 25 lbs, and my kid is around 32, so we clearly exceed that weight - on the other hand, that clip is not the only thing holding them in.)

3. Are there other carseat options that would not require the top tether? My kid is too small/young for a booster (he is just 5 years old with normal (read: poor) impulse control, and is wee, at 38" and 32 lbs - basically the size of an average 3 year old).

Any other solutions anyone can think of? For logistic reasons, we cannot give her one of our cars to use, nor can we buy a third car for her to use.

Thanks for any input!
 
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MN_Mom

New member
From the Frontier manual:
The top tether MUST be used in harness mode for children that
weigh more than 65 lbs (29.5 kg). BRITAX recommends that
the top tether be used at all times when installing the child seat.
Using the top tether will improve the stability of your child seat
and reduce the risk of injury.


I would use the seat without a tether before using a cargo hook.
 

oakster

New member
I know for sure that you can have one installed in the sedan Accord for that year. It's conceivable that the wagon is different, but I would expect Honda to offer it for both. Our old caregiver had the sedan and had had her local dealer retrofit the tether points. I believe the kit cost very little and the dealer installed them for free.
 

lgenne

New member
Do you have a convertible car seat? My first choice in that situation would be to rear face him, at least temporarily, until a tether anchor can be installed.
 

AllieK

New member
I would also choose to RF him, especially in a car of that age that doesn't have advanced safety features.
Posted via Mobile Device
 

jlpoirier

New member
Thanks for the all the thoughtful replies!

I don't have a convertible - sold ours last year after buying the Frontier. However, it sounds like it is feasible to install the anchor, it's only going to cost about $50 for parts and labor, and our caregiver is open to it, so, hooray! We'll get that done ASAP.

Quick question, in case we run into some sort of problem: what convertible would you recommend for RF a kid who is 38" (all torso, by the way) and 32#? I really thought we were done buying carseats with the Frontier, so I have to admit to being unenthusiastic about spending a lot more.

Thanks again!
 

Cnidaria

New member
He could RF in just about any convertible on the market (that I can think of; possibly excepting the original Scenera if his head is above the shell), at least for a couple more inches.

The least-expensive one that would make the most sense is one of the Graco "clones": MySize, Size4Me, Headwise, Fit4Me or Contender. The convertibles cheaper than them all have a 40" standing height limit for RF. But the clones are very tall and can get all kids to 40 lbs RF.

But if you're only going to need it for a short time, the Cosco Scenera NEXT is only $45 at Walmart. It has a 40" standing height limit for RF. And the kid's head has to be no higher than even with the shell, so you might want to check him in it on the shelf at Walmart if you go that route.
 

AllieK

New member
Quick question, in case we run into some sort of problem: what convertible would you recommend for RF a kid who is 38" (all torso, by the way) and 32#? I really thought we were done buying carseats with the Frontier, so I have to admit to being unenthusiastic about spending a lot more.

Maybe the Evenflo Sureride would be a cheaper option? You can get it for as low as $75, it will RF to 40lbs and has high harness slots. I've heard people say it can take up a little more room front to back when RF but I haven't had any issued in my sedan. The Sureride will last awhile because of the high harness slots & it's a great travel seat because it's so light.
 

zeo2ski

Well-known member
Very true; the SureRide won't RF any longer than the Scenera NEXT but it'll actually become useful after as a FF seat.

Is the shell not taller? The sureride says 25" and next says 23" internal seating height, so even though the child height limit is 40" for both it would depend how much torso the child has.
 

AllieK

New member
Is the shell not taller? The sureride says 25" and next says 23" internal seating height, so even though the child height limit is 40" for both it would depend how much torso the child has.

Only the 1-4th harness slots can be used RF (in the US) so I think that's a limitation of the SureRide vs. the NEXT...?
 

Cnidaria

New member
Is the shell not taller? The sureride says 25" and next says 23" internal seating height, so even though the child height limit is 40" for both it would depend how much torso the child has.

That's true; a long-torsoed child might outgrow the NEXT by their head being even with the shell before they hit 40" standing height. I think it would be impossible to outgrow the SureRide RF by the head-within-1"-of-the-top rule before hitting 40".

The two seats do have the same RF "stats" of 40 lbs/40", which is what I was thinking of. But you're right that there could be a differential for a kid with a long torso.
 

joolsplus3

Admin - CPS Technician
I'd just use the Frontier without a top tether till you can get one installed, personally. That seat performs very well, with the super solid install and the energy absorbing base, especially with him being so small and light (every time I see crash test numbers, the 3 yo size dummy, which he roughly is, performs much better than the much larger 6 yo size dummy, well within standards, even without a top tether).

This is from the LATCH manual, but there's no info about the wagon...? Hmmm...

"The Honda top tether anchor retrofit part number for its retrofittable U.S. and Canadian market vehicles is 82410-SE3-C01, called a "plate assembly" by Honda, and detailed install directions are in the vehicle's owner's manual rather than accompanying the top tether anchor retrofit part kit."

Here's a generic instruction page, it might help you locate the tether point and know whether the dealer is giving you the right part, at least! http://www.saferidenews.com/srndnn/LinkClick.aspx?fileticket=ifRDwrcdGns=&tabid=173
 

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