Tethering a booster

So in the carseatblog review of the KidFit, it said that Chicco still directs parents to seatbelt the seat in when not in use (even if LATCHed) because the top part of the seat can become a projectile (I think by rotating forward? I can't remember). The author commented that this would seem to be a problem with any booster that wasn't top-tethered.

This got me thinking...

1. Are there any dedicated boosters (as opposed to combination seats) that have the ability to be top-tethered?

2. Projectiles aside, would the overall effect of the tether provide a safety benefit or a safety problem? Neither? I can see how tethering would help prevent the weight of the booster from pushing the child forward, but I can also see how holding the booster back might make it more likely that the child would be thrown forward of the headwings. I'm not very knowledgeable of crash dynamics, though.

Thanks!
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I loved that using the Nautilus gave me a chance to have a tethered latched booster.

I don't know of any dedicated boosters that have a tether.

I would not buckle in a latched empty booster. The reason they are purchased is to avoid such attention IMO.

Recaro Start! Discontinued, though I think they have some similar models at Adaptivemall.com with extra positioning harnesses now.
Back in the olden days, boosters were supposed to weigh 9 pounds or less out of the theory that more weight would load the child in a crash, and the 'fix' was a top tether (Starts in the EU have no top tether, but there is a shoulderbelt clip that was mandatory, I don't know if it did something similar). (The Britax Bodyguard had lapbelt clips to get around the extra weight, and the Cosco Summit had a removable base to get the weight down, but they gave up on that quickly and just broke the weight rule because they just wanted to...it started a trend, now the rule is completely unenforced).
There's really no other booster with a top tether now, I wish they would, though, because people like their seats to be attached and like to use all the straps and hooks they can, while rebuckling a booster is... not done by most people most of the time.

I've probably written, "You don't want the booster attached to the car, you want it to ride with the child during the crash for better side protection" ten million times (to explain why they didn't have LATCH for the first few years), honestly I don't think it really matters if it's attached or not, from an injury perspective, but wouldn't it be nice to see some crash tests? Maybe some nice springy LATCH/Tether straps to hold the seat in the car AND ride with the child? (As if anyone would pay for a seat that would cost that much to engineer... well, maybe, I spent $330 WITH an AAA discount for my first Recaro!)

joolsplus3 said:

Maybe some nice springy LATCH/Tether straps to hold the seat in the car AND ride with the child?

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I'm not sure about it's USA counterpart, but in Europe the isofix Recaro Monza has rigid anchors that kinda release in a crash, starts out with rigid bar attachment, if crashed with enough force the seat only remains attached to the isofix anchors by wires. Well, not really springy straps but something along the line ...

I've been wondering a lot about both isofix-ing and tethering boosters lately [kinda struggling to find the perfect booster for DD ]. Whenever I start to have doubts about whether it maybe actually makes the performance worse I always think about built in boosters like i.e. Volvo has; it's, uhh, totally fixed to the car and obviously Volvo thinks it's a good idea and on all things car safety I for some reason really trust Volvo ... [it might be kinda irrational ...]

joolsplus3 said:

Maybe some nice springy LATCH/Tether straps to hold the seat in the car AND ride with the child?

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Makes me wish we could combine a bungee cord with LATCH attachments .

brightredmtn said:

Makes me wish we could combine a bungee cord with LATCH attachments .

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Sounds cool... but can you imagine finding that on pinterest?

Isn't this kind of the thinking with Britax's "versa tether"?

Nedra said:

Isn't this kind of the thinking with Britax's "versa tether"?

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Sort of, and the Diono thing for ff kids under 40lbs, and even the bent clips on the RideSafer.... those are to 'lengthen the ride down time', or slow the stopping time (like cupping and moving your hand to catch an egg, without those devices, the child stops too fast, like throwing an egg at a brick wall).
Some rigid LATCHes, as mentioned above, also pivot and deform to keep that child from stopping too fast.
Some boosters don't have LATCH that tightens at all, and Graco's first once didn't really STAY tight, I don't know if they crash tested better that way? Graco caved to complaints and made their LATCH on the Affix stay tight, the others just said it wasn't necessary to tighten, so who knows?

Interesting! So if *you* had a combination seat that you were using as a booster, would you tether it in booster mode?

Yup. I think most allow it...?

joolsplus3 said:

Yup. I think most allow it...?

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Dorel combos don't.

murphydog77 said:

Dorel combos don't.

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Thanks, Heather. Those are so off my radar, I forgot them!

Part of the reason for the Start tether was that it folded. If you called about bypassing the shoulder belt clamps, the answer was that you could, but only if the tether was in use to keep the back from folding in a crash due to its own weight.