High back booster for a 6 year old

[KiraLynB]

Hi! My daughter is 6 years old. She weights 53 lbs and is 44 inches tall.
She has been harnessed until this point. Should I look for a seat like the Frontier with a harness still? Or should I look for something with just a seat belt?
I am looking at the Clek Oobr and the Britax Frontier, but I am open to other suggestions. I really like that the Clek still is latched in and I don't have to worry about buckling it when my daughter isn't in the seat.. and she loves the pink color.
I found you guys/gals to be really helpful last time I was looking to purchase a seat, and would love some feedback as to if I should still harness her and some different seat options.

 

[KiraLynB]

Also thought I would mention that my daughter REALLY wants it to be pink.
I'm trying to be compliant with that, but open to suggestions!
Most of the kids her age aren't even in boosters at all! So I want her to want to be in the seat!!

 

[MommyShannon]

What is she moving out of? My DD started using a high back booster at 6 also. She has done really well staying in position even while sleeping. We got her a nice pink turbo booster, but she has trouble buckling in it. She was in a Graco Nautilus harnessed and we found it fits her well as a booster, she can buckle it easily and it can be LATCHed. So we have stuck with it though she's starting to ask for a new seat since it is "old". She's been in it for 3 or 4 years harnessed and boostered 4 or 5 months.

 

[glockchick]

A booster is a perfectly acceptable choice. My kids that size fit well into the Britax Parkway SGL. It can be latched in and it comes in pink.

[ame="http://www.amazon.com/Britax-Parkway-Booster-Seat-Livia/dp/B0047O3Y2Q"]Amazon.com: Britax Parkway SGL Booster Seat, Livia: Baby[/ame]

 

[KiraLynB]

I don't think I am supposed to be using latch pass 40 lbs though right?

She is in a Britax Marathon currently.
The more I think about it I really want to keep her harnessed as long as possible. It has to be safer.... right?

 

[Jan06twinmom]

I don't think I am supposed to be using latch pass 40 lbs though right?

She is in a Britax Marathon currently.
The more I think about it I really want to keep her harnessed as long as possible. It has to be safer.... right?

There is a debate about whether a booster or a harness seat is safer for an older child who has the maturity to sit properly in a booster. If you have a younger child or a child who can't sit properly in a booster seat, then the harness seat is definitely safer.

For an older/mature child, the debate is about whether it's better to have a child restrained in 5pts but the head moves forward while the body is restrained or if it is better for the child's head/neck to be able to move in line with the body even though the child's body is only restrained at 3 pts.

You can use the latch with a booster seat for a child who is over 40lbs. The latch really just keeps the booster becoming a projectile in an accident when a child isn't in it. In an accident, the seatbelt actually restrains the child and takes the child's weight for a child in a booster seat. The latch just holds on to the booster seat. With a harness seat, the latch is taking the weight of the car seat and child so that's why the weight limits are so important.

Melanie

 

[KiraLynB]

Thanks Melanie.

I looked at the Graco Nautilus and I don't think it would be that good for us for very long harnessed. Frontier seems to have a much higher limit for harnessing.
I feel my daughter is mature, but while I am driving alone in the car with her I can't really see what she is doing back there. It makes me nervous thinking that she has all that freedom of movement. Even if I explain to her not to move I am not sure that she wouldn't. I guess I am over thinking it. My DH thinks I should just get a really cheap booster. He feels very differently than me about it!

 

[MommyShannon]

I wouldn't buy a nautilus at this point. I just wasn't sure what you have. The Frontier is the only seat with a higher harness to really make it worth the extra money at this point if you want a harness. I was surprised how well dd adjusted to being boostered. The turbo is normally a good fit on smaller kids and not very expensive so you could try her in it and see. Like pp said, the LATCH just holds the booster in place. DD likes that feature since it keeps it from moving when climbing in. I like it b/c the seat won't become a projectile in an accident while she is at school and the seat is empty. She is rushed enough getting out at school. She would hate having to buckle in her booster to secure it too.

 

[VoodooChile]

My 6 year old dd has an Oobr and loves it! It is latchable, and comes in pink (Snowberry, I believe). She gets a great belt fit with it; we've been really happy with it.