Hamony V7 in booster mode ?

[MamanMoore]

I'm thinking of getting on of these as a narrow FFing seat, the booster function would be nice though (for driving bigger kids around or when ds1 gets older). Reading the manual online page 42 (?) said to lock the seatbelt in booster mode. I know there's been some speculation about the belt not sliding nicely through the belt guide, but I haven't read anything on the belt having to lock. I thought you didn't want seat belts to lock on boosters. An I totally off here? What do you guys (aka people who know tons more about seats than me) think of this? I could always get a dedicated booster, is this seat worth it just as a FFing seat then?

 

[Nimommyof2]

Do you need it to fit for a three across? Personally I think I'd look into the Evenflo 400 instead its a bit more but looks like it'll make a nice booster and not to wide. Though if you need three across depends what you have to puzzle with. Not sure on any other good ones hopefully someone else has some more recommendations.

 

[MamanMoore]

Do you need it to fit for a three across? Personally I think I'd look into the Evenflo 400 instead its a bit more but looks like it'll make a nice booster and not to wide. Though if you need three across depends what you have to puzzle with. Not sure on any other good ones hopefully someone else has some more recommendations.

My goal is fitting 3 across in my ford focus wagon (2006). Right now we have two kids. I'd like to keep the car for the next baby (who will hopefully be born sometime in 2013. But for now I'd like to be able to take another passenger (adult or child).
Right now we have a GN for the 3 yo and an AOE for the 1 yo. Those are both really wide but I was thinking two harmony v7's with a scenera or something could work (or one harmony, a scenera and a seat belt for an adult).
The whole seatbelt locking thing for the booster just totally threw me off. The manually doesn't make it sound optional at all.

 

[Nimommyof2]

I haven't looked at the manual so can't say. I do know that it absolutely would not install in the back of my Honda Oyssey with the seatbelt, a tech and I tried wouldn't work. Its supposed to install great with latch is that an option? If you are going to spend money on two seats, instead could you look at getting a Diono Radian and put that next to the GN it would probably give you a lot more options. I personally wouldn't use it as a booster

 

[MamanMoore]

Why wouldn't you use it as a booster? Because it requires the seatbelt be locked? I know the guide isn't height adjusting so it wouldn't set as a booster very long as a booster, I would think.
I'm just wondering if this seatbelt locking for a booster is at all normal. I thought it was not how the seatbelt was meant to be used.

 

[Keeanh]

I played with one of those briefly and wouldn't use it as a booster. Maybe as a backless... I don't know. The belt got all jammed up in the guides. I only had my 3yo with me to try it out, but I can't see how the shoulder belt fit would be good on someone taller. This child still fits in a Scenera, yet if she were much taller, the belt would be pulled off the side of her shoulder. She's right at the 2nd-to-top slots of the harness.

 

[canadiangie]

I was not aware that the manual suggests manually locking the seatbelt in booster mode!

 

[Keeanh]

Oh, and for a harnessed installation, the instruction manual wants the seat adjusted so that both the bottom & back of the Harmony are flat against the vehicle seat. But depending on your vehicle seatbelts, you may or may not be able to get a good install like this. And for a 3-across you don't want to be using LATCH.

It's too bad, because it's a narrow, inexpensive seat. But from what I've seen, its usefulness is a bit limited.

ETA: IF you can get a good seatbelt install, and you have children with short torsos (top slots are only about 16"), I do think it's a decent harnessed seat for a good price.

 

[MamanMoore]

Oh, and for a harnessed installation, the instruction manual wants the seat adjusted so that both the bottom & back of the Harmony are flat against the vehicle seat. But depending on your vehicle seatbelts, you may or may not be able to get a good install like this. And for a 3-across you don't want to be using LATCH.

It's too bad, because it's a narrow, inexpensive seat. But from what I've seen, its usefulness is a bit limited.

ETA: IF you can get a good seatbelt install, and you have children with short torsos (top slots are only about 16"), I do think it's a decent harnessed seat for a good price.

I thought harmony had said the back didn't have to be totally touching.
My 3.5 yo has a 12" torso so I think it would last him until he's ready for a booster. I'm thinking 1"/ year. Is that a reasonable guess?

 

[mommycat]

I contacted Harmony about my install with the V7 and was told the entire seat back does not need to be flush with the vehicle seat. From what I understand, you want to make sure there is not a big gap as shown in the manual, but it's not a all or nothing issue. I find it hard to believe a headrest could cause much of an issue since the headrest is above the seat shell in my civic, so it's just a matter of whether the bottom of the seat is not too far from the seat night due to contouring, bad initial positioning or the seatbelt too far ahead of the seat bight allowing the seat to slide forward. I still need to retry the UAS install but the seatbelt worked well for me after a first couple of tries. I did not read the booster section since ds2 is only about 35lbs but I will go have a peek at the wording now.

 

[mommycat]

Forgot to say yes, I think approx 1" of torso per year is a fair estimate. My 4.5yo still has a little bit if room to grow in the harness and as I said is light, so he may or may not get to use the high back portion as a booster. The lowback section is a little different than out harmony backless from Walmart but if it fits half as well it will be a great little seat.

 

[mommycat]

Just looked at he manual and the issue with a gap at the top of the seat could exist if the v7 is more upright and the vehicle seat is more reclined - typically this could be fixed by making sure the vehicle seat is not reclined and that the v7 recline mechanism is adjusted to match. And no overhang of the base is allowed so that does need to be checked for both in harness and booster mode.

I find the wording is not that great about how to route the belt despite them trying to be very explicit. They state that the lap belt needs to under both armrests. They state the shoulder belt needs to be through the shoulder belt guide. They also say that the lap/shoulder belt needs to be under both armrests (hopefully parents will look at the picture and not route the shoulder belt under both armrests!) but based on the previous two statements and the fact that the pictures have the child's arm mostly obscuring the buckle side armrests, I would worry that some parents might route the shoulder belt section over the buckle side armrest.

I also have a warning on that page 42 about feeding the slack back into the retractor - is this what you are referring to? From my understanding of this warning, it is saying to remove slack (because the "belt angles", and my guess is based on the belt guide getting hung up, too) but it doesn't say to lock the belt at the retractor - just to feed the slack back in.

 

[MamanMoore]

Did you look in the manual online? That's where I was looking. I'm just wondering because that doesn't sound like what I read at all. I'll go on the desktop and look again and try to copy out or link to what I read. That's hard to do on the app. Thanks for looking though. Now I'm wondering if the printed manual is different from what I found online.

 

[MamanMoore]

Ok, I found the warning your talking about on the online manual.
I'm talking about point "7" at the top of that page. It says "Pull the seatbelt all the way out until the retractor locks" and then point "8" says "SLOWLY let the seatbelt retract until it is snug against your child". These are points 7 adn 8 of the section "SECURING CHILD AND BOOSTER SEAT IN VEHICLE" which starts on page 41. (just a note: I'm not yelling at you, the caps are just what in the manual and I thought keeping the format would help you find where I'm talking about)

 

[mommycat]

No worries, I didn't think you were yelling. Lol.

I am looking up the online manual now but my manual does not have a point 7 or 8. Page 41 ends with point 6 "Ensure the buckle is secure by gently pulling on it." then on page 42 it starts with a "!" bullet that says "ENSURE that belt do not press on the child's flesh or push the child's body into an unnatural position."

I just read the online manual. Very interesting, also the comment about locking all unused seatbelts (which would be pointless because once they retract far enough they unlock?)

My manual is labelled
HMYV7HBB-S1 11/11
The online one is
HMYV7HBB-F3 03/12

So it looks like the manual was updated since mine was printed. Maybe this is to address issues with the belt guide allowing slack to build up? My only question with that would be, what about vehicles with ELRs and LLLs?

Also now includes on p40 "NEVER USE A LOOSE SHOULDER BELT."

The wording i typed above about l/s belt being under both armrests has been removed.

 

[MamanMoore]

Very interesting...
Your idea of locking the bel to avoid slack makes sense, but does it make sense to use a booster with the seat belt locked?
Glad that weird wording was fixed. It seems like Harmony is being pretty responsive in regards to this seat.

 

[mommycat]

I'm going to message Trudy, I know she had been speaking with them about a number of questions and she may have done insight.

 

[MamanMoore]

Thanks!
Also, somewhat OT but: my DS1 is in a GN right now and I hate the head slump - how do you find the Harmony v7 for car sleeping?

 

[mommycat]

I haven't had the chance to find out but it has nothing to push HHS head forward. The nauti is awful for head slump for us as well. Last time we used the other vehicle with the nauti in it for a longish drive I sat in the back and held ds2's head up, lol.

 

[MamanMoore]

Well, if you find out I'd love to know. I know the nautilus just seems ridiculous. Is painful to look at. I've been tempted to try and hold up his head somehow (but I can sit in the back with him). My SIL used her purse strap to hold up her Ds's head :banghead: I won't ever do it because I know it's completely unsafe, but I see her wanting to fix his head.