Mama

[KayMom]

My darling child is 3 and 1/2 and almost 40 lbs. I want to find the safest car seat as he's almost grown out of her current seat. She will be forward facing and in the back seat. I was considering a high back booster because I read an excellent myth busting article here that said a 5 point harness may not be safer than a belt positioning HBB for FF. My old Toyota 4-Runner has a middle seat lap belt but no shoulder belt. I believe this means I either:

1. Use a belt positioning HBB in the window seat
2. Use a HBB with 5 pt. harness in the middle seat, OR
3. Use a booster with the "RIDESAFER 2" lap belt positioning vest and top tether, in the middle seat.

I like the idea of option #3 because I would have a very secured seat belt and my little one can remain in the middle seat. But, I have only read about this and don't know any one that has used it. Although alternatively, I like the idea of a car seat that has the hard plastic shell and padding on the sides, for help with protection in side impact collisions. Please help!!!

 

[LISmama810]

Hi there. I think what you probably read is something along the lines of: After a certain point, we don't know if a harnessed seat is safer than a booster.

However, we don't know that a harnessed seat is LESS safe, and--very importantly--your child hasn't yet reached that "certain point." We don't recommend booster seats until children reach a MINIMUM of 4 years and 40 lbs, but we like to see kids in harnessed seats even longer than that, if possible.

To sit in a booster seat, children need to be mature enough not to play with the belt, lean forward, unbuckle themselves, etc. Most kids don't have that maturity until closer to 5 or 6. Smaller children sometimes don't fit well in boosters, either, and that greatly diminishes their safety.

I would strongly recommend keeping your child in a harnessed seat for at least another year or two.

 

[TechnoGranola]

You can also use a harnessed seat in your outboard locations as well; you're not limited to the centre position. Vests are typically recommended for travel or seating positions that otherwise can't fit a regular seat. In your case, go with a regular harnessed seat. Use the seating position that has a top tether anchor available.

 

[Celeste]

I am not a tech but a mom of 2 kids - 10 and 6. I can't imagine using a vest for daily travel unless absolutely required. A harnesses seat is MUCH easier for the child to get themselves in and out of. There is very little if any cost difference between a good HBB and a combination harness/booster seat.

My daughter turned 6 over the summer and pretty much outgrew her Diono harnessed radian. So - we had to get her a booster seat. She went from a seat that she has been able to buckle herself in and out of for years - to one that she still struggles to latch and get all of the belts in the right places now that she has to deal with a seatbelt. It stinks! It was so much easier to know that she was always buckled in correctly with the harness! I hope it improves over time but the first 6 weeks have been trying for all of us! I couldn't imagine for a second that she could have been 4 years old in a booster - she is not ready to sleep in one without falling over. We put her radian back in over Labor Day weekend so she could sleep in the car.

 

[brooksfamily]

While not a must at 3.5, if you want the absolute safest option you can RF in the middle seat. I have a who is still 3.5 year old is still rearfacing in all of our vehicles, but I know it doesn't work for everyone. I don't know your budget but a Graco E2F rearfaces to 50 lbs. Then either at 4, or when your daughter maxes out the rf limits of the seat, you could turn her around in an outboard position and harness to 65 lbs, or until she is ready for a booster seat. If you purchase through babies r us, it comes in a model that also converts to a booster.

If you don't want to rearface anymore, then I would definitely recommend a combination seat (forward facing only) in one of your outboard seats. There are tons of options. Here's a link for recommended seats http://carseatblog.com/safest-recommended-car-seats/

You have to scroll a little more than half way down for the combination seats.

 

[CTPDMom]

As mentioned above, the mythbusting blog was about harness v booster once a kiddo is of a safe boostering age. Your child is not yet.

So I'd go with Option 2. This is called a combination seat (FF harness converts to booster). If you tell us your max budget, we can give you some suggestions.