ktgrok Posted March 7, 2017 Share Posted March 7, 2017 Is there any evidence about safety? Rules to follow? My just turned 7 year old is still in a 5 pt harness, in a Graco Nautilus I think. (pregnancy brain, lol..). It converts to a high back booster (and regular booster). Any reason NOT to keep her in the harness? My lovely nice was bragging about being in a booster rather than a harness (backless at that! That is NOT happening here) and it got me wondering if there is a point you are supposed to switch, or if staying in the harness as long as possible is best. She's 50 pounds and not very tall if that matters, and well within the size limits for the harness. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laura Corin Posted March 7, 2017 Share Posted March 7, 2017 I would keep her in if it's still within the specifications, especially if she ever falls asleep. If you fall asleep in a high back booster, you just slide out sideways. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HomeAgain Posted March 7, 2017 Share Posted March 7, 2017 (edited) Once they get to a certain age, it does become iffy on what is best. For some people, the 5pt is thought to restrain the body too much for the force of a larger child. Whether I believe that is another story. I watch race car drivers in 5pt harnesses, using them because they are safer. NHTSA recommends using a 5pt as long as possible. Between 5 and 8 most kids make the switch to a booster for ease of use. They have to be mature enough to stay seated properly and deal with the new freedom. I prefer a high backed booster that can LATCH in to keep it in place, and one with a more rigid frame. We have a Britax Frontier that has a love/hate relationship here. I love that I can tether it and use the lower anchors, the belt path is a good one, and it grows with my kid. My kid hates it because the headwings are deeper than his other seat (a Chicco Kidfit) and it can be difficult to buckle it in in my car because of my recessed buckles. ETA: The sleep thing. This is part of why we use a more rigid, deep seat. We tried a booster (a cheaper high-back) two years ago when my son was 5. He had the maturity, but as soon as he fell asleep he slid out the side and the seat twisted with him. We switched him back into the harnessed seat immediately. However, the Frontier even with just a seat belt cradles him better and keeps him in an upright, restrained position. I worry a lot less than I did with the other seat. Edited March 7, 2017 by HomeAgain 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Katy Posted March 7, 2017 Share Posted March 7, 2017 We have a family member who is a firefighter. He said to stay in 5 pt as long as possible. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lovinmyboys Posted March 7, 2017 Share Posted March 7, 2017 The research I have seen is that once a child is 6 and can be trusted to sit appropriately, a booster is just as safe as a 5pt. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crimson Wife Posted March 7, 2017 Share Posted March 7, 2017 Car seats are actually not safer than seat belts but obviously parents have to follow the laws in their states. Use a harness or a booster as you and your child prefer. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Terabith Posted March 7, 2017 Share Posted March 7, 2017 My issue was that our five point harness expired when my child was about five, and I wasn't going to pay the money for another five point harness. We switched to a high backed booster at that point, which was much easier because as she got older, there was more moving from one car to another. She was able to sit properly and wasn't falling asleep in the car anymore. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Noreen Claire Posted March 7, 2017 Share Posted March 7, 2017 (edited) Here is a blog post by The Car Seat Lady that describes when is is best for a child to move from a 5pt harness to a booster seat: http://thecarseatlady.com/who-should-use-a-booster/. My extremely tall about-to-turn 8yr old son is still in his 5pt harness but I will be converting it to a booster as soon as he outgrows his Britax Frontier90. Edited March 7, 2017 by Noreen Claire Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EmseB Posted March 7, 2017 Share Posted March 7, 2017 Re the race care thing: race car drivers also have head restraints with their five points. Their helmets lock in to their headrests. Kids in car seats don't have that and have proportionally larger heads. Personally, as soon as my kids can sit maturely in a booster with a proper seat belt fit, that is what I use. I don't like forward facing with a harness because of the head flying forward and the body being strapped down in a crash. I like the time between rear facing and booster to be as short as possible for that reason. But, the science I've seen says the difference between a properly fitting seatbelt vs a five point harness is negligible. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ktgrok Posted March 8, 2017 Author Share Posted March 8, 2017 Thanks all. She does tend to wiggle sometimes to reach stuff, and rarely falls asleep, but it does happen. Also, she can buckle herself into the harness...if we use it as a booster I think I'll have to buckle her as I don't think she can reach the buckle well in between her seat and the baby's seat. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zoobie Posted March 8, 2017 Share Posted March 8, 2017 Thanks all. She does tend to wiggle sometimes to reach stuff, and rarely falls asleep, but it does happen. Also, she can buckle herself into the harness...if we use it as a booster I think I'll have to buckle her as I don't think she can reach the buckle well in between her seat and the baby's seat. The self-buckling aspect was why we kept the 5-point as long as possible! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Janeway Posted March 8, 2017 Share Posted March 8, 2017 Is there any evidence about safety? Rules to follow? My just turned 7 year old is still in a 5 pt harness, in a Graco Nautilus I think. (pregnancy brain, lol..). It converts to a high back booster (and regular booster). Any reason NOT to keep her in the harness? My lovely nice was bragging about being in a booster rather than a harness (backless at that! That is NOT happening here) and it got me wondering if there is a point you are supposed to switch, or if staying in the harness as long as possible is best. She's 50 pounds and not very tall if that matters, and well within the size limits for the harness. We have been going through this big time now. Daughter is 5 and really wants to use the HBB. She is too small. But baby did a revolt and no longer wants to be in his car seat, he wants to be FF. Baby is 25 pounds now and quite a handful when he arches his back and screams and flips over and dashes to other parts of the minivan. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MistyMountain Posted March 8, 2017 Share Posted March 8, 2017 (edited) There is not really a safety difference between a booster a a 5 point except for little ones who may not fit properly and who probably cannot sit in it without getting out of position. I would not use it before 5 but after then I would for a kid who can sit properly and it fit them well. I switched at 5.5 with my oldest because her car seat expired then and she was sitting in it good without getting out of position. Some argue that boosters are safer because in a car seat just the head is thrust foward. I still have my youngest in a 5 point harness at 6 but only because she got out of position too often when I did a booster test with her. I think she would be better now. Edited March 8, 2017 by MistyMountain Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ktgrok Posted March 8, 2017 Author Share Posted March 8, 2017 Ok....those saying that the harness keeps body still but lets head go forward, doesn't the seat belt do the same thing? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HomeAgain Posted March 8, 2017 Share Posted March 8, 2017 Ok....those saying that the harness keeps body still but lets head go forward, doesn't the seat belt do the same thing? No. The seatbelt is designed to let the body absorb some of the impact by continuing to travel forward. It goes over one shoulder, not both, which contorts the body slightly. You can look up crash tests online to see the difference, like this one. It's also why it's important to choose a booster wisely to find a good fit and not allow too much movement, like this second video Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blondeviolin Posted March 8, 2017 Share Posted March 8, 2017 We keep kids in a harness as long as possible. My 7yo is still harnessed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kitten18 Posted March 8, 2017 Share Posted March 8, 2017 I kept the harness on my kids' Nautilus until they were about 9 and 8 because I knew when they were in the harness they were sitting up right and positioned correctly. Honestly, I don't even sit correctly in my seat belt all the time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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