Tethering questions?

[MamaChirpy]

Could someone help me understand why I need to tether my Recaro Sport combination seats if my kids do not weigh 65 lbs? But I do not need to tether the seats if they DO weigh 65 lbs?

I also only have 1 rear tether where both seats are.


Mama to 4 little stair steps
www.chirpylove.wordpress.com

 

[henrietta]

Could someone help me understand why I need to tether my Recaro Sport combination seats if my kids do not weigh 65 lbs? But I do not need to tether the seats if they DO weigh 65 lbs?

I also only have 1 rear tether where both seats are.


Mama to 4 little stair steps
www.chirpylove.wordpress.com

First, kudos to you for reading the instructions!!! :dance:

Second, there are usually weight limits on the top tether anchor provided by the car manufacturer. Many of us feel confident in ignoring that weight limit, as it's assumed the tether anchor is very unlikely to break and/or the tether itself is unlikely to break and by the time it does, it will have already served it's purpose (limiting the forward motion of the child's head).

Another consideration is the younger the child, the more at risk they are. Often by the time a child is old enough to weigh 65 lbs, they are a bit sturdier. My 10 year old is a little below average in size and he's 65 lbs. So, one could argue that it is less necessary in many larger kids b/c they are likely older. As long as my kids were harnessed, I always used the top tether where one was available. Granted, my kids outgrew their harnessed seats by height long before they reached the weight limits, but most kids do.

Many vehicles can have top tether anchors retrofitted. If you want to share your vehicle's make, model, and year, I'm sure someone here can help you.

 

[MamaChirpy]

First, kudos to you for reading the instructions!!! :dance:



Second, there are usually weight limits on the top tether anchor provided by the car manufacturer. Many of us feel confident in ignoring that weight limit, as it's assumed the tether anchor is very unlikely to break and/or the tether itself is unlikely to break and by the time it does, it will have already served it's purpose (limiting the forward motion of the child's head).



Another consideration is the younger the child, the more at risk they are. Often by the time a child is old enough to weigh 65 lbs, they are a bit sturdier. My 10 year old is a little below average in size and he's 65 lbs. So, one could argue that it is less necessary in many larger kids b/c they are likely older. As long as my kids were harnessed, I always used the top tether where one was available. Granted, my kids outgrew their harnessed seats by height long before they reached the weight limits, but most kids do.



Many vehicles can have top tether anchors retrofitted. If you want to share your vehicle's make, model, and year, I'm sure someone here can help you.

I have a 2008 Chevy Suburban. I called Chevrolet about retrofitting a tether and they said to call my local dealer. So I called the dealer that I bought from and um, uh, they had never, uh, heard of that and they would call me back. That was last summer (2014). Sigh.

So I DO need to tether the seats?


Mama to 4 little stair steps
www.chirpylove.wordpress.com

 

[henrietta]

I have a 2008 Chevy Suburban. I called Chevrolet about retrofitting a tether and they said to call my local dealer. So I called the dealer that I bought from and um, uh, they had never, uh, heard of that and they would call me back. That was last summer (2014). Sigh.

So I DO need to tether the seats?


Mama to 4 little stair steps
www.chirpylove.wordpress.com

Legally, no. At least in the US. Many people have vehicles that do not have a tether anchor in any or all the positions they need.

Whenever possible, I would use the top tether. It reduces the forward motion of the child's head, which lessens the risks of head and neck injuries.

If you have to pick which child gets the one and only tether anchor, I would probably choose the youngest forward facing child, unless there was some reason their seat wouldn't fit in that location. (That said, if the youngest ff'er is 3 or under, I'd look into turning them back rear facing and giving the tether anchor to the next youngest ff'er).

There used to be generic top tether anchor kits. It may be worth inquiring about them here in a new post.

hths

 

[safeinthecar]

I personally would want to know the details of the children's ages, weights, and seats before I advised on this situation since certain features and install methods on some seats help make up for the lack of a tether.

 

[MamaChirpy]

I personally would want to know the details of the children's ages, weights, and seats before I advised on this situation since certain features and install methods on some seats help make up for the lack of a tether.

Ok
A is 44 lbs. 44" tall. 5.5 years old
L is 40 lbs 39" tall. 4 years 3 months old

Both ride in a Recaro Performance Sport (combo harness to booster)

There are no lower anchors on the back seat and only one tether.


Mama to 4 little stair steps
www.chirpylove.wordpress.com

 

[MamaChirpy]

Legally, no. At least in the US. Many people have vehicles that do not have a tether anchor in any or all the positions they need.



Whenever possible, I would use the top tether. It reduces the forward motion of the child's head, which lessens the risks of head and neck injuries.



If you have to pick which child gets the one and only tether anchor, I would probably choose the youngest forward facing child, unless there was some reason their seat wouldn't fit in that location. (That said, if the youngest ff'er is 3 or under, I'd look into turning them back rear facing and giving the tether anchor to the next youngest ff'er).



There used to be generic top tether anchor kits. It may be worth inquiring about them here in a new post.



hths

Thanks!


Mama to 4 little stair steps
www.chirpylove.wordpress.com

 

[safeinthecar]

You have 4 kids total according to your siggy. I'm assuming the other two are in the 2nd row. What are the kids and seats there?

 

[MamaChirpy]

You have 4 kids total according to your siggy. I'm assuming the other two are in the 2nd row. What are the kids and seats there?

Ok, my Suburban has captain's chairs in the middle, then a bench in the back.

Behind the driver in the middle is my daughter, Blair. She is harnessed in a Nautilus. She is 3 and about 32 lbs.
I RFed as long as possible until her legs absolutely wouldn't fit anymore.

My daughter, Annley, is in the other captain's chair RF in a Graco Size4Me. She is 9 months, 19 lbs.

Both seats are installed with LATCH.
Both of these locations have tether hooks.

The obvious fix would be to move the RFer to the back since she doesn't need a tether right now. I have tried this. Believe me, her seat will NOT RF on the back seat. I can get it to fit in the middle of the back bench. However, it's not a solid install because there isn't enough room. And even if I could, no one can climb past her seat to get into the outboard position on the back bench because it completely blocks the path.

Mama to 4 little stair steps
www.chirpylove.wordpress.com