Top Tether & High-Back Booster Questions

[Unregistered]

1. We'll be using two Britax Frontier 90 Click Tights in harnessed mode with top tether for awhile, but when it is time to use high-back booster mode, do we continue using the top tether? Or, is top tether for harnessed mode only?

2. We're looking for other harnessed to high-back boosters that fit our other vehicle better. So, I'm wondering if top tether is ever used for a high-back booster, or does it depend upon the individual booster?

3. Does the vehicle seat need to have a headrest in order for a high-back booster to be used correctly, or can vehicle seats without headrests work for high-back boosters?

Thank you for your help!

 

[henrietta]

If the Britax instructions say you can use LATCH in booster mode, that includes the top tether (lower anchors and tethers...). I'm pretty sure that the Frontier allows it.

Some combination seats in booster mode allow the tether, some do not. The instructions are different for each and every one.

Most high back boosters do NOT require a head rest behind them (it's actually that head support is required up to the top of your child's ears while in their seat and it doesn't necessarily have to be a head rest behind the car seat). I think only Cosco/Dorel requires this with their high back boosters, but there could be a few others.

 

[aeormsby]

The Britax Frontiers can be latched & tethered when used as a booster (or one and not the other I believe). We have an older (the original) Frontier that DD uses in booster mode and it's latched & tethered in our vehicle. Tether limits don't apply to booster mode since the latch function is only to hold the seat in place when it's not in use so it doesn't go flying.

I'm pretty sure all/most combination seats (harnessed boosters) allow for latch & tether to be used when they are used as a booster. It would be good to double check that in the manuals before using just to make sure. Dedicated boosters sometimes have latch but won't have tethers (since that's only an added benefit to harnessed seats and required as part of the latch system for harnessed seats).

Most high back boosters (and I'm including combo seats in that) don't require a vehicle headrest support. I can't think of any combo seats that require vehicle support, for HBB's I think it's mainly the Cosco/Dorel brands that require it (Diono and Recaro used to on some of their previous seats, I know the Recaro Performance booster doesn't, I haven't kept up with if the newer Diono does).

Often the forward tilting headrests cause problems for boosters. With dedicated HBB's they sometimes require the back to be in full contact with the vehicle seat which is hard to achieve with those headrests. So removing the headrest helps with the fit.

 

[Cnidaria]

The purpose of using lower anchors and the tether on a booster is to keep the seat from becoming a projectile if you're in an accident and there isn't a kid in it. Boosters that aren't LATCHed need to be buckled in with the seatbelt when unoccupied.

The Harmony Defender is one combo seat that does not allow lower anchor/tether use in booster mode. But the Britax combo seats, Graco Nautilus and Argos, and Evenflo SecureKid all allow LATCH use in booster mode.

 

[Athena]

I can't think of any combo seats that require vehicle support, for HBB's I think it's mainly the Cosco/Dorel brands that require it (Diono and Recaro used to on some of their previous seats, I know the Recaro Performance booster doesn't, I haven't kept up with if the newer Diono does).

I thought all SK/Diono HBBs required vehicle head rest support. When I looked at the Monterey, I spoke with the company to clarify, and it absolutely required vehicle head rest support, so unless something's changed... Also, I think I remember the peg HBB requiring it too. I read here that the previous Recaro models required it, but the latest performance did not. HTH.