U
Unregistered
Guest
I have a car from the 60's with no shoulder belt - just lap belt. I have a child 40 lbs and 40" tall. What type of car seat/ booster would be safest?
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C
California
Guest
No shoulder belt -old car
What is the best child restraint for an old car (60's) with no shoulder belt - only a lap belt? Child is 40lbs and 40" tall.
What is the best child restraint for an old car (60's) with no shoulder belt - only a lap belt? Child is 40lbs and 40" tall.
Well, you don't say how old your child is, but a booster seat cannot be used with lap belts only, so you need a harnessed seat. At 40 pounds you're looking at a forward facing seat. What's your budget?
Lap belts are not safe to hold human passengers, just harnessed seats, so as your child gets older and grows out of available harnessed seats you'll either need to retrofit shoulder belts, or get a tether anchor installed and use a harness system.
Additionally, many cars from that era did not have headrests or tall seatbacks. Every forward facing person in the car needs support to the level of their ears. That includes adults (adults aren't safe in lapbelts only, either). Your chances of whiplash or worse are greatly increased in a car without headrests or high seat backs. So your child will have to stay in a high back seat, either a harnessed seat or a booster with a harness system, basically until they outgrow the booster, and then it's not safe for them to ride in the car at all.
Probably without knowing your child's age or budget I'd recommend the Britax Frontier. The harness is good for nine years with 18.25" top height and an 80 pound limit (most kids will outgrow it about 60-65 pounds) and then it turns into the tallest high back booster out there. Most adults could probably sit in it.
Wendy
Lap belts are not safe to hold human passengers, just harnessed seats, so as your child gets older and grows out of available harnessed seats you'll either need to retrofit shoulder belts, or get a tether anchor installed and use a harness system.
Additionally, many cars from that era did not have headrests or tall seatbacks. Every forward facing person in the car needs support to the level of their ears. That includes adults (adults aren't safe in lapbelts only, either). Your chances of whiplash or worse are greatly increased in a car without headrests or high seat backs. So your child will have to stay in a high back seat, either a harnessed seat or a booster with a harness system, basically until they outgrow the booster, and then it's not safe for them to ride in the car at all.
Probably without knowing your child's age or budget I'd recommend the Britax Frontier. The harness is good for nine years with 18.25" top height and an 80 pound limit (most kids will outgrow it about 60-65 pounds) and then it turns into the tallest high back booster out there. Most adults could probably sit in it.
Wendy
MomToEliEm
Moderator
Here is a site showing various options for lap-belt only seatbelts for kids over 40 pounds:
http://www.cpsafety.com/articles/Over40.aspx
http://www.cpsafety.com/articles/Over40.aspx
U
Unregistered
Guest
Thank you for your replies. The information I was getting prior to here was that there is no car seat that will work with a lap belt only car so you are suposed to just use that by itself with a child (yeah, didn't sound right to me either). The child is 6 y/o. Cost is not a factor. The car is a mercedes convertible.
Pixels
New member
All American harnessed seats are tested with lap belt only. In fact, they are not tested with a lap and shoulder belt. Once the children outgrow the harnessed seats, if they are going to ride in this car, they should move directly to the seatbelt. Boosters cannot be used with lap only belts. The lap only belt does provide some protection, so it should always be worn (by adults, and children too large for a harnessed seat).
When they outgrow harnessed seats the 86Y harness is an option, though (up to 168 lbs.) and can be used with some boosters to improve lap belt fit and provide head support.
carseatcoach
Carseat Crankypants
All seats can be installed with a lap belt only. Some require a top tether after a certain weight, and top tethering is always recommended. If you post the year and model, someone can look up retrofitting a top tether.
Even without a top tether, I would personally look into a Radian or Graco Nautilus. The Nautilus would last longer as the shoulder strap slots are higher. Sunshine Kids, maker of the Radian, is the only company that releases actual crash test results and they test very well with lap belt only and no top tether. All seats sold in the US must pass the same tests, so we know all seats pass, and we don't know the Radian is the best, but we do know it's very good.
Even without a top tether, I would personally look into a Radian or Graco Nautilus. The Nautilus would last longer as the shoulder strap slots are higher. Sunshine Kids, maker of the Radian, is the only company that releases actual crash test results and they test very well with lap belt only and no top tether. All seats sold in the US must pass the same tests, so we know all seats pass, and we don't know the Radian is the best, but we do know it's very good.
southpawboston
New member
in addition to the comments above, i simply would not trust 40 year old belts to hold a restraint in a crash. belts are inexpensive to replace. i would replace with new ones... even cheap generic lap belts are DOT approved and safe. and they are easy to install into the existing bolt holes.
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U
Unregistered
Guest
Thanks so much for the info!!! The car model is a mercedes 300 SE convertible 1964. What does the top tether connect to? I drive a 08 Scion so it connects to the latch on back of the back seat but with the mercedes (which by the way I don't drive - it is the mother who is driving the child without anything other than a lap belt) what would it connect to? Thanks again.
carseatcoach
Carseat Crankypants
According to the 2009 LATCH manual, unfortunately, that car cannot be retrofitted with a tether anchor (either Mercedes-specific or generic). So that limits your choices somewhat: of the higher-weight harnessing seats with reasonably high strap slots, the Regent must be tethered at 50 pounds and the Frontier at 65, and the Sunshine Kids Radians and the Graco Nautilus and the First Years TrueFit and the Recaro Como/Signo and the Safeguard ChildSeat do not require tethering.
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U
Unregistered
Guest
So none of these require tethering? How heavy of a child can you place in these?:
"..Sunshine Kids Radians and the Graco Nautilus and the First Years TrueFit and the Recaro Como/Signo and the Safeguard ChildSeat do not require tethering."
-Thank you.
"..Sunshine Kids Radians and the Graco Nautilus and the First Years TrueFit and the Recaro Como/Signo and the Safeguard ChildSeat do not require tethering."
-Thank you.
That's the top tether up there that you're talking about. The LATCH is the top tether plus the lower anchors. If you have your child on the side in the Scion you may be using the LATCH. If she's in the center you may just be using the top tether.
The Radians have 65 and 80 pound versions, but most kids outgrow them about 60 pounds. The top slot height is the same on all. The Nautilus has slightly higher top slots and a 65 pound limit, and average kids will probably get to 60-65 pounds in it before it turns into a booster. The True Fit has a 65 pound limit with 17.5" top slots (just shorter than the Radian, about an inch shorter than the Nautilus). The Recaros have a 70 pound limit and 19" top slots, but VERY narrow shoulders and little leg support. Plus they sit very high. I wouldn't put them in a convertible car at all. My Britax was high enough to make me nervous with a roll bar. The Recaros are even higher. The Safeguard is pretty high too with a 65 pound limit and 19" top slots.
HTH.
Wendy
U
Unregistered
Guest
Thank you again. No I wouldn't have my child in a convertible with just a 45 year old lap belts to restrain either but unfortunately I have no say as it is her mother who is transporting her this way. I am just trying to get educated so I can pass the information along with the hopes of her using one of the seats being recommended here. The other issue is that these seats apparently scratch the leather upholstery so this will be another hurdle 
She can put a recieving blanket or very, very thin towel under the seat to protect the leather.
Pixels
New member
Seat protectors aren't recommended for most seats (some do recommend or require them in the owner's manual, most notably Graco seats) because they can cause the install to be looser than it seems. But, I'd rather see a child in a carseat, installed as tightly as possible with a seat protector, over a child in an improperly fitting lap only belt.
Commercial seat protectors are almost all too thick. A THIN towel or blanket (like a receiving blanket) is the best choice, if something is going to be used.
Commercial seat protectors are almost all too thick. A THIN towel or blanket (like a receiving blanket) is the best choice, if something is going to be used.
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