Tall 5 Year Old

[Cocomo]

My son is 5 years old (will be 6 in June). His shoulders are just under the limit line on his Britax Boulevard Clicktight, so I am looking to get him a new seat. I don't think that he is ready for a seat without a 5 point harness yet due to his maturity level. He has ADHD and can be very impulsive. At his last doctor's appointment in December he measured 48" and 43 lbs. It looks like the Britax Grow With You has the highest harness height, but the standing height limit is just 49". Is it ok to use a forward facing harnessed seat beyond the standing height limit if the child's shoulders are below the highest harness setting?

 

[ketchupqueen]

My son is 5 years old (will be 6 in June). His shoulders are just under the limit line on his Britax Boulevard Clicktight, so I am looking to get him a new seat. I don't think that he is ready for a seat without a 5 point harness yet due to his maturity level. He has ADHD and can be very impulsive. At his last doctor's appointment in December he measured 48" and 43 lbs. It looks like the Britax Grow With You has the highest harness height, but the standing height limit is just 49". Is it ok to use a forward facing harnessed seat beyond the standing height limit if the child's shoulders are below the highest harness setting?

That's a tough decision you would have to make as the parent.

If you would like a higher standing height, the Chicco MyFit is nearly as tall and has a higher listed height.

 

[Cocomo]

I wish the car seat manufacturers would explain where the standing height limit comes from.

Thanks for the feedback! I'll probably end up going with the chicco and hope that he makes some gains in maturity over the next year.

 

[ketchupqueen]

The standing height limit exists because regulations require it to. Most usually they had come from estimates of what size child they estimated would usually fit. However, with new regulation changes requiring testing with the very large 10 year old dummy for any seat with a limit over 49", most manufacturers chose not to put limits over that on a harnessed seat because the testing is expensive and complicated.

I hope that helps you make your decision