Booster seat or 5 point harness? Rear or Forward facing?

jamwith3bugs · Nov 20, 2006

Ok - so I watched the videos and read ALL the posts and it's been very informative. My almost 7 yr old (in a Britax starriser booster) is almost 60 lbs - and my 5 yr old (in a graco turbobooster) is 50lbs or so what is you all's opinion about having them in boosters vs a 5 point. Is the 5 point better at their weights? I haven't been able to find any research comparing these two choices at higher weights.

Also my 17 month old (Evenflo Triumph) is 25lbs and we just moved her to forward facing because the straps were so low under her shoulders they kept slipping to the sides no matter how we positions the locking clip at her chest. The strap slots are just too far apart for her very petite frame. We figured better her forward facing with the straps positioned correctly than rear-facing and poorly positioned straps. Her car seat only has 3 slots for straps - 2 for rear and one for forward facing. We had the straps in the top rear-facing position.
My question is - did we figure wrong or right ? We have the seat positioned with LATCH (lower and upper). It's as solid as a rock - but I worry b/c she's such a peanut .....

Victorious4 · Nov 20, 2006

RF trumps FF: the straps should be even with or below when RF, but not to the point of falling off the shoulders -- I would rather have kiddo RF with the straps slightly above than FF.... Kids under 2 years of age are at a heightened risk of spinal injury since the ligaments are not developed enough yet & the head is still so much larger in comparison to the body

Any kids who still fit a harness seat would be safest to use it, but any child who is able to use a booster correctly for the entire length of every ride (without distracting the driver) is also quite safe

Sometime sort of recently I did post some details about this, but unfortunately it's midnight here now & I have a headache & want to sleep

So, if no one else finds that post of mine for you I'll try to look soon!

lovinwaves · Nov 20, 2006

How close is your 17mths old from the top of the shell in her Triumph? Also did you have her straps tight enough? You shouldn't be able to pinch the strap by her collarbone/shoulder. I can actually get the straps tighter on my DS when the straps are below his shoulders.

jamwith3bugs · Nov 21, 2006

What's the 'shell'

lovinwaves said:
How close is your 17mths old from the top of the shell in her Triumph? Also did you have her straps tight enough? You shouldn't be able to pinch the strap by her collarbone/shoulder. I can actually get the straps tighter on my DS when the straps are below his shoulders.

I'm not sure what the shell is ... is it the top of the seat? If so she's a couple inches from the top. I tighten those straps so tight - she's not a movin anywhere - definetly no 'pinch' room! the problem is the straps actually fall off her b/c they are too far apart with regards to her shoulder width - so the tighter they are the MORE they actually fall off her shoulders b/c they are 'set' further apart than her shoulders - obvoiusly this wasn't a problem with my 'line backer boys'

It also wasn't a problem at all with her Graco infant seat. (but she's overweight for that seat now)

As for keeping her rearfacing but using the forwardfacing slot - it's a good 3 inches above her shoulders - is that still ok for rearfacing?

Yoshi · Nov 21, 2006

No, they definitely cannot be 3" above her shoulders if she is RF (rear-facing). If the Triumph's harnesses slip off her shoulders when they are in the correct position (at or below her shoulders) and snug when she is RF, then I would actually go so far as to say you might consider getting a different seat that fits your daughter better.

Some carseats have more "space" between the harness at the shoulders than others. The harnesses look like a wide "V" shape near the top. Sometimes the chest clip is positioned too low- and moving that up to armpit level will correct the "slipping" off the shoulders. Most people put the chest clip lower than recommended. Maybe others here can offer specific suggestions.

Since your daughter is so small framed, that's even more reason to keep her RF- I would highly recommend finding a solution to enable you to continue to RF her.

Was the Triumph purchased new for your baby or is it from one of your older kids? The reason I ask is because if it is passed down, it may be close to it's expiration date (6yrs) and you may need to relace it anyway. Just a thought.

SPJ&E · Nov 21, 2006

If you want to turn your daughter back rear-facing, which would be safer for her, as the others have said, you may want to look into getting her a Cosco Scenera (5 pt. model). It is only $40 at Wal-Mart. It's very simple, very plain, not a lot of padding, BUT it's safe. They have tall backs and high top harness slots and go to 35 lbs. rear-facing (40 lbs. forward-facing), so it would last quite some time.

I have an Evenflo Triumph that my first son used as his spare seat until he outgrew it rear-facing by height (at 13-14 months). After that, I got him a Cosco Scenera to use as his spare seat. He has plenty of growing room in it and he is almost 2 years old, 25 lbs., and 33.5 in. tall.

jamwith3bugs · Nov 21, 2006

We can put the chest clip almost to her chin it seems and we still have the problem. Ever since we got the seat - this has been a problem - it's just grown with her and now worse bb/c there is no other choice (b/c there are only 3 slots to choose from) We do love this seat - it is the only seat we've had that the straps don't EVER get tangled - not once! It's also the easiet tightening carseat we've ever had - but this (slot width) is a HUGE problem. We got it new for her when she was about 9 months or so. I guess when we got it - I just never thought that 'this' (problem we're having) could actually BE a problem - I should have sent it back.

I will look for other options - do you recommend any other seat? I'd like to get one that will last her forever! (this time!) I have a feeling we'd have to get a new one anyway since her head is so close to the top already at 17 months. Since she is such a tall peanut - when she is rearfacing her legs are super bent and cramped - is there anyway to fix this? Is there a seat that reclines enough to remedy this problem? Just wondering - I just want my next seat purchase to be my LAST!!!!!

wendytthomas · Nov 21, 2006

There's no problem with her legs being bent. If she's uncomfortable she'll let you know.

Kids generally sit with their legs bent or crossed anyway. They're far more flexible and they prefer it to having straight legs.

Wendy

mamato2 · Nov 21, 2006

Just want to say that I had my 5 yr old rf in our spare Scenara for a while and would have kept her in it longer (she now has to ff in our RA) but we had the same harness height issue. To get the straps below her shoulder it was so low and awkward and they tended to slip off no matter how tight we got them. I put the harness up one slot and it was high enough that I just didn't feel comfortable with it. Too bad, she could have rf a lot longer When she grows some we could use it rf again but by then she'll probably be almost 6 and I don't think we'll bother!!
SO if you DO go check out the Scenera (and I do think it's a great seat especially for the price) make sure you adjust the harness height to rf to try it out first to make sure you don't have the same issue. I imagine some kids just 'shoot up' and aren't in that odd 'what do I do' range for very long.
C.

abacus2 · Nov 21, 2006

If you want a seat that will last her "forever" look into a Sunshine Kids Radian. They can be had at Target.com for $180 plus tax if you get a 10% off code. It has a very tall seatback and the highest shoulder strap setting of any convertible on the market. In a less favorable review a mom complains that although she liked the seat, the staps were set too close together to fit her kid comfortably (sounds great for your situation). Post #5 has a pic of a Radian in the signature.

gwenvet · Nov 21, 2006

If the straps are falling off then there is nothing holding her in her seat so it sounds like you need a new seat ASAP. Unfortunately any seat you buy for a 17mo old won't be your last. I would get a high weight harnessing seat like the Britax MA/BV/DC, Radian or Apex, and then when she outgrows it, hopefully she will be mature enough and weigh enough for a booster (or the Regent). Sorry I can't tell you which of these has straps closest together. If it were me I would keep her RF to the limit of the seat, don't worry about her legs...worst case senario broken legs are better than a broken neck! Good luck.

jamwith3bugs · Nov 21, 2006

We'll look into another seat - I'm upset we have to do it - but I understand it's a safety thing. What's a couple hundred dollars compared to a life, right? I like the Radian - any other great seats that will last till 60+ lbs that can go both rearfacing and forward facing?

Thanks SOOSOSOSOSO much for all your help all!!!!

abacus2 · Nov 21, 2006

The Britax Marathon, Decathlon, and Boulevard face rear or forward and harness to 65lbs. These are more expensive than the Radian at $200-300. The Fisher Price Safe Voyage Deluxe ($150 on sale) is a stripped down version of these Britax seats and only goes to 55lbs, although most kids will outgrow these seats by height before reaching the weight limit. These seats are very, very nice and a good option although they have top harness slots about an inch lower than the Radian.

Kellyr2 · Nov 21, 2006

If you have the budget for a Britax convertible like mentioned above, I'd go for one of them.

lovinwaves · Nov 21, 2006

Just dittoing Kelly!!

Victorious4 · Nov 21, 2006

I haven't gotten my hands on a Radian, but we've used the Britax seats -- my kiddo was RF until her 4th birthday in the Britax Wizard & Boulevard: the adjuster on these seats allows for a "custom" fit (but the Radian has slightly taller top slots after either seat kiddo will need a dedicated booster).... Scandinavian kids RF until about 50# & have no recorded case of leg/foot/hip injuries but we here have thousands of cases of broken necks from FF too soon

Booster seat or 5 point harness? Rear or Forward facing?

jamwith3bugs

New member

Victorious4

Senior Community Member

lovinwaves

New member

jamwith3bugs

New member

Yoshi

New member

SPJ&E

New member

jamwith3bugs

New member

wendytthomas

Admin - CPST Instructor

mamato2

New member

abacus2

Well-known member

gwenvet

New member

jamwith3bugs

New member

abacus2

Well-known member

Kellyr2

New member

lovinwaves

New member

Victorious4

Senior Community Member

Car-Seat.Org Facebook Group

Sponsors

Forum statistics