Question 5pt harness and seatbelt used together??

Ok, this question is going to sound pretty dumb, but DH and I were discussing car seat options for our oldest DD. She is nearly 5 and will soon outgrow the 5pt harness on her seat. It does convert to a belt positioner.

I explained to him that I am just not comfortable with her being in a booster yet, and that if anything were to happen to her in an accident I wouldn't be able to forgive myself if I thought I could have saved her by her being in a 5pt. We have limited space in the back of our Hyudai Tucson (3 across), and although I like the idea of the Graco Nautilus, it just won't fit, so I'm thinking the SK Radian 65 is the way to go. He doesn't like the price tag, and thinks I am being overly paranoid about the whole booster thing.

After much "discussion" :fencing:, he asked my why we can't use the tether and UAS on our current seat, and still use the 5pt as well as the belt across her. I didn't have an answer, I just said it was stupid, lol. I'd really like to give him a clear and concise reason as to why this is not ok though.

Also, he always installs the car seats with both the belts and the tethers. Is there something wrong with doing this?

Thanks in advance

The short answer to both questions -- harness/seatbelt and seatbelt/tether -- is that the manufacturers do not allow it. This either means that they have not tested the seats in those configurations or that they have tested and failed. Neither is what you want for your child!

What carseat is she currently in? Many of the combination seats make very poor boosters. How is she outgrowing it - by weight, or height?

As for installing the carseat with both the seat belt and the lower anchors, aside from the standard "it's not approved for use that way," I'd like to add for your dh's sake that every carseat I've seen that was installed with both was installed incorrectly with both.

What often happens is that the seat belt alone doesn't seem right, and the lower anchors don't seem right, so the parent tries using them both, and then the carseat feels tight, but in reality neither the seat belt nor the lower anchors are securing the carseat properly. I'd recommend you find a certified tech in your area and make an appointment for the whole family - that will make it less of an argument between the two of you, at least, and get all three of your kids properly secured.

While ideally I'd like to see a 5yo still using a 5-point harness, if that just won't work in your situation, your daughter would be much safer in a correctly used booster than in an incorrectly used 5-point harness.

Seatbelt and TOP tether is okay, in fact it is the preferred way if you are using seatbelt. Seatbelt plus lower anchors is not okay, as PP has explained.

The seatbelt and lower anchors do essentially the same job - hold the bottom portion of the seat. The top tether does something else, hold back the top of the restraint, to reduce head injuries.

Thanks for the replies

I'm not sure of the model, but it's a Evenflo seat, and DH went out to check the height/weight restrictions on it, and it goes to 45" and 47lbs. I should probably add that I'm in Canada if that makes identifying the seat easier. The part that is to hold the seat belt does look pretty chintzy, so I think we should probably get something better when the time comes. I originally wanted 2 Graco Nautilus' (Nautili? ), one for the almost 5yr old and one for the 2.5yr old, and a Radian 65 in RF in the middle for the 6mo. I think they should fit, if the Nautilus and the Radian fit together well (of this I'm not sure), but it's just too much money to drop all at once for us right now. We do have seats that are fine for now, but the baby only has about 2" left before she's too big for her snugride, so we will probably need a Radian then anyway.

This has me brainstorming though. We have an Eddie Bauer 3-in-1 in DHs car that my oldest can't use anymore because it only goes to 40lbs. If I put that in my SUV, and put the 2.5yr olds evenflo in DHs car, then my eldest could still ride in DHs car (for a little while anyway, until she has outgrown it), and my 2.5yr old could be back in a rear facing seat. I don't even recall why we switched her at 2yrs, I think it was so we could have the Eddie Bauer in DHs car, which could (in different orientations), accommodate any of the 3 kids, but I think this will be much better, since the baby never goes anywhere with DH anyway.

I asked DH and he said that he is only using the top tether and the seatbelt, so I guess that's not an issue, but I think it is probably a good idea to have them properly installed by a tech., especially before we start the relatively frequent 3hr drives to the cottage this summer.

I found an organization online called S.E.A.T.S for kids in Ottawa (which is where I am), but the next clinic isn't until May 30th, so I guess I'll have to wait until then. I hope it's not hard to get a spot.

Doh! That above reply is mine...I guess I wasn't signed in :doh:

There might be a clinic in April - you should check the website in the next week or so! Also, there is a chance that if you email SEATS at the contact address on their website that someone might be able to help you before that...

Just thought I'd add in that if you do end up trying to get into the next clinic in Ottawa, be at the ready at your computer as soon as registration opens (or even earlier) because they fill up FAST. Like in 20 minutes.

FYI -There is a clinic on April 25th in Kanata - the registration will probably open soon.

Hey - if you need it looked at earlier pm me and I'll get you into my office for a quick check.

Unregistered said:

The part that is to hold the seat belt does look pretty chintzy, so I think we should probably get something better when the time comes.

Click to expand...

If you mean the belt guide for booster mode, well it is just that, a belt GUIDE. It basically keeps the belt aligned properly on the child's shoulder, just like the seat of the booster is meant to keep the lap belt positioned properly. A booster seat and all it's parts are just there to position the seat belt. The seat belt actually does the work in the accident.

How much does the 2.5yo weigh? Does she still have 1" of hard shell (not headrest) above her head in the EB 3-in-1? I think using that for the time being is not a bad idea, and RF is great assuming she still fits the seat within the limits. I don't know if you are using it with or without the base (I am assuming all EBs have the base...) but taking the base off can make for more room in your 3 across.

Just want to throw this in in case you haven't seen it before: the top headrest position on the EB is for booster use only - it is not reinforced for use with the harness - check the back of the seat and there should be a little arrow and message by the top slot where the metal bar clicks in.

In your position, I would probably hand down the EB 3-in-1 to the baby in 2inches time, give the Evenflo to the 2.5yo, and get something like a Radian for the 5yo. Obviously you can get the Radian before you retire the Snugride, if you need to. Then by the time the next younger one needs the Radian, you should feel ok getting a TurboBooster or something for your oldest.

And use the 2nd Evenflo in DHs vehicle with the harness for as long as it lasts. It would be a bit of a hassle to switch between kids once 5yo doesn't fit in the harness, but it will work for now, right? Are the 2 older on the same slots FF or do you need to switch heights anyway?