High backed Booster seats-without latch.

[HMR]

I’m starting my research early on what high backed booster would best fit in my suv and my son.

My son had a very long torso and legs and the FF straps on his britax marathon are almost flush with his shoulders and are maxed out I have a feeling if he goes through another growth spurt he will be too tall for it.

He’s currently 44 1/2 inches tall and 44lbs

My SUV is a 04 trailblazer EXL so it has the third row which I ideally want to put him and my daughter eventually as we plan on having another kid and we also have a 6 year old that still had some growing room in her britax marathon.

The crummy thing about my suv is that the third row doesn’t have anchors or so I cannot find so the booster would have to be compatible and safe with going latch-less.

There is a hole on the rear third row on the seats that you open and they look like they would be an anchor, but I don’t think it is. See attached photo. The brush is pointing to the hole and said hole.

Another thing to consider I guess is moving my 6 year old daughter to a HB booster and my son to her seat. It seems to have a higher strap position even tho it’s a britax marathon but a year older.

My son is still taller torso wise and they weight the same. She’s also not much taller than him.
Any suggestions/advice would be welcomed.

Thanks.

 

[SafeDad]

Hello. How old is your 44 lb son? Do you mean to put him in a high-back belt-positioning booster? If so, this type of seat does not need lower or top tether anchors at all. Some premium boosters have these, but they are optional and mainly hold the booster in place while it is unoccupied or during loading/unloading. This would be a fine option for a third row without LATCH system anchors, provided he is at least 4 years old, preferably 5 years and mature enough to be seated properly in a seat belt for a whole trip.

Or, did you mean to have him in a 5-point harness of a combination harness/booster seat?

 

[HMR]

Hello. How old is your 44 lb son? Do you mean to put him in a high-back belt-positioning booster? If so, this type of seat does not need lower or top tether anchors at all. Some premium boosters have these, but they are optional and mainly hold the booster in place while it is unoccupied or during loading/unloading. This would be a fine option for a third row without LATCH system anchors, provided he is at least 4 years old, preferably 5 years and mature enough to be seated properly in a seat belt for a whole trip.

Or, did you mean to have him in a 5-point harness of a combination harness/booster seat?

Thanks for the reply, he is 4. I don’t plan on moving him asap to a high backed booster, but I will have to move him as soon as he goes through another growth spurt.

 

[SafeDad]

Thanks for the reply, he is 4. I don’t plan on moving him asap to a high backed booster, but I will have to move him as soon as he goes through another growth spurt.

Apologies as I did not get a notification of your reply. This is a difficult situation because top tether attachments are even more important for older and heavier children in a 5-point harness.

To get decent value in a harness car seat for an older child at 4 years and 40 pounds, the Chicco MyFit and Britax Grow With You ClickTight have the tallest torso height limits on the market. These can both be installed safely with most seatbelt systems, so you will not need lower LATCH anchors to install them. Both should be used with a top tether, however.

Your vehicle is equipped with at least 3 top tether anchors but I believe all 3 are for the 2nd row seat. You would have to consult your owner's manual to confirm, as they are often confused with cargo tie-down anchors. If you choose to put it in the third row, it is a difficult choice to use a 5-point harness system without a top-tether vs. a belt-positioning booster. This may depend on the maturity of your child as well.