10th percentile 10 year old on cross country road trip -- consider Britax harness again?

It's been years since I was last here, mostly because my kids got older, and also because I up-sized from a Nissa Versa (doing three seats across!) to a Honda Odyssey (2012, EX-L) where any child safety seat seems to work somewhere.

My question today is fairly specific and maybe a little unusual.

My younger DS will turn 10 before summer vacation. During vacation, we will be driving cross country twice (there and back again) with side trips in between and definitely doing at least a few long (10+ hours) stretches of driving and covering several weeks. This is significantly more time than we typically spend in the car, and I believe my son will sleep at least sometimes.

My child is small. Measured by the doctor last month, he's 50.75" tall and 60 lbs. (This is 10th percentile for height and 22nd for weight, says the pediatrician.) I measured his seated should height this afternoon (following Britax website instructions) and he's just shy of 17 inches. (Having a short torso runs in my family...)

While my son can pass the 5 step test in some cars, he prefers sitting in a booster for the elevation. Discussing it with him this afternoon, he also STRONGLY prefers a high back booster. He says it is cozy and he likes having the option to lean to the side.

Because my older son handed down his original HBBs to the child in question, our Britax Parkway SG (circa 2010) just expired. We still have a Clek Oobr with several years before expiration. I have several LBBs (Graco Affix and Evenflo Amp) that I use for carpool and school trips, but my son would prefer not to consider those an option for the long drives ahead.

Browsing the Britax site today, and using their "fit my child" form, it turns out my son would actually fit in a harnessed seat(!) as well as an updated version of his old booster. It costs more, but I wonder if there's any potential safety benefit for an older child of his size, especially if he sleeps heavily in the seat?

My son doesn't seem to have any aversion or sense of embarrassment about using a harnessed seat. Actually, he said he felt "nostalgic" about it.

Overall, DS says the Britax Parkway SG is his favorite seat (over the Clek Oobr) because of the "pockets" (a space on either side of the headrest where he rests his hands in the "satisfied, relaxed man" position) and also he likes the cupholders. He does like the Clek and finds it comfortable, just not AS MUCH.

I don't need to buy any new seat, but I probably will just to keep a comfortable HBB option in both of our two family cars for daily use. I can afford to be a little frivolous here, and am willing to "overpay" on the harnessed seat if anyone thinks there is a safety benefit for a smaller, older child on such a marathon road trip.

If there's some other big, bountiful high-backed booster that might appeal to an older kid, that's also great to know.

Thanks for thoughts on this! Like everyone here, my children are precious to me so I perhaps overthink this stuff a bit. Your time is very much appreciated!

--willo

I would personally have your son try it in the van to make sure he fits since seat can lose torso length when they are installed. Personally if I was buying him a new seat I would buy a high back booster because a harnessed seat seem that will only be used this summer seems like a waste of money to me.

It's probably worth saying that:
1) I've never seen a car seat price that is beyond my means. If it will make my child safer, EVEN FOR ONE SUMMER, I'm able to comfortably spend the extra $200 (for the harnessed seat Pinnacle@$312 on Amazon vs. the Britax Parkway SGL booster@$128 on Amazon that I'd likely buy instead.) I don't think I WASTE money, but safety is a very, VERY high priority in our household. For example, I've been known to ask my kids if they think their first choice color is worth $x over the cheapest color option on a seat, but I once accidentally made a ten year old child cry during an emergency (on her mom's part) carpool when I insisted she sit in BACK (because DUH) and use my spare booster because she failed the five step test in my car...
2) After I use stuff for my kids, I have a great network of friends who will be glad to receive my gently used secondhand items. I don't see the seat as a waste even if I give it away after a short period of use.

Let's assume cost isn't a factor here (unless there's some new four figure car seat I haven't heard of being off the site for six years...)

As for size:
Do harnessed seats really lose over THREE INCHES of height from a 20.5" measured top shoulder height to meet the needs of a kids whose shoulder height was rounded UP to 17"? I measured carefully, with a ruler and a measuring tape, and I rounded UP for the size he needs. I truly hope his growth resumes a normal curve! (We're looking into his size medically at this point...) He's not a pudgy kid, either. He's pretty proportional. He's just grown into his size eight clothing at 9.75 years old. Sigh.

And back to booster seats:
My son saw me browsing boosters this evening, and he likes the looks of the Recaro Performance Booster. I'll research that here, now. Maybe it will be exactly what we need and at a good price! (I haven't even researched it, so apologies if there's a full write up somewhere that I didn't yet read.)

I'm just a mom who wants the very safest option for her child, like most of the parents I've ever met on car-seat.org.

Thanks again!
--willo

Ok, I'm guessing it won't lose 3 inches but I'm not an expert. Go for it if you have the means and he will actually ride in it.

I suspect your 10 year old will fit in the frontier/pioneer/pinnacle harness. I tried my 10 year old (60 lbs/53") in one a week or so ago and he fit with room to spare. He wasn't even close to the last harness click and I would say his torso is around 17-18".

Having said that, unless I planned to use the frontier/pinnacle as a highback booster for a while longer I don't think it would be worth it. My ds sleeps very comfortably in his highback boosters at this point and they are considerably cheaper and lighter.

If he wants to be in a harness, you think it'll be beneficial on the long trip, and you have the money to spend, why not? The Frontier/Pinnacle also make decent boosters later on, so even if you only use the harness this summer, you'll likely get a lot more use out of it later.

We've done several cross-country trips, and my boostered kids have always done fine (even sleeping), but all kids are different. If you decide not to go with a harness, just show your son how to tilt his head back or to the side when he sleeps (rather than slumping forward.)

One suggestion if you do go with a harness: I'd opt for the Frontier over the Pinnacle. Exact same seat except the Pinnacle has bolsters on the outside of the seat that supposedly help with side-impact protection. While it's a nice feature, it's not something I'd make a priority for a short-term seat in a modern vehicle. It will also be nearly impossible to fit it next to another seat/person if you ever need to do that.

My 10 yo DS is very clear on his preference for a HBB, even at his advanced age. Whether that's because he feels comfortable/cocooned by the high back, or whether his small stature makes the HBB a better, therefore more comfy fit, physically, I don't know, but I'd say we will continue using a HBB daily for the forseeable future.

I think all my musing and research has also clarified a VERY important question:
* Does the Britax Pinnacle (or Frontier) work as easily/simply as a booster as the dedicated Britax Parkway SGL?

Having just retired an older Britax Parkway SG, I'm assuming the SGL will operate/function almost exactly the same in my car as far as seat belt path and ease of buckling. Does the extra "stuff" in the harness-to-booster seats get in the way at all or make the booster usage more complex? While I still suspect I'd gain a little in safety using the harness this summer doing marathon driving, I am also very confident that my son is using his current booster correctly EVERY DAY in my car as we go about our lives. (I do look forward to having LATCH on whatever new booster/seat he uses, as I won't have to confirm he's buckled in his empty booster anymore for my OWN safety! The older SG didn't have LATCH like the newer SGL.)

DS does complain that it is somewhat harder to buckle himself in the Clek Oobr vs. his old Parkway SG. He can do it, but he has to reach just a bit.

My just turned 9 yo is in a size 7 slim now
And he's in a HBB and has no interest in taking the back off. He tried once and wasn't as comfortable. He uses a NBB in my husbands car and in carpools etc.


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My 9.5yo, 51.5", 57 lb daughter with a 19"+ torso fits in my son's Frontier Clicktight with a small amount of growth room. She wears a girls size 7 slim bottoms and size 8 tops. Your 10yo will fit.

Would I buy a harnessed seat for her, even for one summer? No. There is no evidence that a harnessed seat would provide any additional safety at that age and weight. If he sits correctly in a booster, then a booster is the correct seat for him at his age and weight.

If he loves the Parkway and it provides good belt fit for him, get him a new one for the summer. That will give him the support he needs for sleeping during the long road trip. It will also give him any reminders he needs to stay in position during those long hours of driving.

This comes from a mom who bought a $300 carseat to give my son 3 more months rear-facing due to a severe bone age delay, so I understand that safety trumps cost when you have the finances to cover the cost. If I thought that the harness would keep your son safer, I'd recommend it, but I just don't think you'd see a benefit from it, so I think the high back booster is your best bet.