Is there a seat with 5-point harness past 50 inches tall?

[ecook]

My 6yo son is 50 inches tall and weighs 47 pounds (yes, VERY tall/thin). He's currently in the SureRide, which still fits, but is not working for us. He used to be able to buckle and unbuckle himself in the Radian XTSL (which he outgrew for shoulder height). The SureRide he has a lot of trouble buckling. I think the main problem is the fact that the straps are connected beneath the seat, meaning you can pull one longer and the other gets shorter, and it's easy to pull them wonky when he's putting the shoulder straps over his shoulders and then it's impossible to buckle the shorter strap and difficult for him to pull them even once they're on. So, I'd like a new seat for him, even though money is a bit tight right now.

I would prefer to have him in a 5-point harness as long as possible. Maybe something that will convert to a high back booster? I looked at the Graco Nautilus, but it says you can use the harness until 49 inches, which he has already surpassed. Are there any 5-point harness seats that will fit a child past 50 inches in height, or am I being unrealistic? Is it just time to get a plain high back booster? Eek. I'm not ready for him to be just in a seat belt... he seems so vulnerable! He does use a regular booster and seat belt when he goes with daddy in the truck, but that is very rare.

Car setup and other (probably irrelevant) info: 97 Expedition with 3 seats across (newborn, 5yo, and 6-1/2yo). The 5yo is in an XTSL behind driver, 6-1/2yo is in the SureRide in the middle, and the baby is on the passenger side in a FlexLoc. The kids want the baby in the middle, which I may consider. The XTSL will NOT install properly in the middle position because the position of the belt is forward of the seat crease (don't know my seat/belt terminology). However, lifting an infant seat in and out of the middle is a major hassle. As it is, I let the kids out on the driver's side and then go around and get the baby. I'm thinking of reversing this and getting the baby out of the driver's seat, then letting the kids out that side - at least as long as he's in the infant carrier. Unless anyone has a different suggestion that might work better.

 

[bubbaray]

RN RFg with angle adjuster behind driver, Sure ride FFg centre and Parkway booster passenger outboard is what I would try. There are other boosters, but unless there are special needs, I would not buy a harnessed seat for a 6yo

 

[jjordan]

Hello! The Britax Frontier 90 and Pinnacle 90 have the highest harness height of any seats on the market, at 20.5" (seating surface to top of the shoulder). I expect they would fit your son with growing room.

One thing to consider, though, is that we have absolutely no evidence (that I know of) to suggest that a 6 year old who is capable of sitting properly in a booster would be any safer in a harness. Several years ago, when your son was just a baby, you might have heard "you should harness your children as long as possible," but back then, "as long as possible" usually translated to about age 4-5, for most seats on the market. Now we have HUGE seats that are capable of keeping most children harnessed to age 6-7, even 8! But what we don't have is data telling us that harnessing is any safer for kids of that age (whereas we DO know that it is safer for kids who aren't old enough to sit still in a booster, like typical 4 year olds). So anyway, I would encourage you to think seriously about moving to a full-time booster, especially if your son is doing well in the booster that he uses in his dad's car.

 

[ecook]

So, if I'm going with a dedicated high-back booster, what do I look for? Are some safer or easier to use than others? Is there a guide somewhere? I looked at the spreadsheet and was thinking of going with the Cosco Pronto or Safety 1st Boost Air Protect simply because those 2 have the highest belt guide heights and seat heights. Are those good options?

 

[jjordan]

So, if I'm going with a dedicated high-back booster, what do I look for? Are some safer or easier to use than others? Is there a guide somewhere? I looked at the spreadsheet and was thinking of going with the Cosco Pronto or Safety 1st Boost Air Protect simply because those 2 have the highest belt guide heights and seat heights. Are those good options?

Basically, the most important feature of a booster seat is that it positions the seatbelt correctly on your child. The lap belt should be low, over the hips, touching the thighs, not riding up on the soft tummy. The shoulder belt should cross the center of the shoulder, not too far to the outside where it is falling off, and not too close to the neck where a child will be tempted to move it.

The IIHS rates booster seats on how likely they are to fit a random child in a random car, so starting with their list of best bets boosters is a good starting place. Beyond that, you ideally want to try a booster in your car with your child to make sure that the it positions the seatbelt well on your child, in your car. Also, booster-aged children are generally pretty opinionated, so getting one that the child likes is a good idea, too! Some people also look for LATCHable boosters (because otherwise you need to buckle the booster in when not in use so it is not a projectile), increased side impact protection (there are no standards for this, it's more a matter of "that one looks good to me!"), and so on. I think that carseatblog has a good list of recommended seats (boosters are toward the bottom; scroll down). Also, reading some of their booster reviews might give you some ideas of features you'd like to look for in a booster (or, features that you don't really care about having!).

 

[bubbaray]

I would start with the Britax Parkway and considered others if the fit of that one isn't good.

 

[Brigala]

I would start with the Britax Parkway and considered others if the fit of that one isn't good.

:yeahthatlove:

The extra SG-clip (which functions similarly to a crotch buckle on a harnessed seat) may give you some piece of mind, plus it tends to work well in tighter spaces.

But try before you buy, because different seats fit different kids differently.

The Cosco and Safety 1st boosters are good, but they do require that the child have a head rest (or a high vehicle seat back) behind his head. Frankly I recommend that whenever possible anyway, but it's something to keep in mind that some boosters require it and others don't.

 

[babyherder]

If you want your ds to be able to buckle himself i'm not sure a booster is the way to go. They can be difficult to buckle in a three across.