Big Brother is 6.5 years old. Most kids his age use either a booster seat or just the seat belt (darn Michigan’s crappy laws!) while riding in the car. BB rides in a 5-point harnessed seat. This crash test video demonstrates why. (Note that the dummy in the foreground is using a properly installed high-back booster, while the dummy in the background is using a properly installed 5-point harness. Watch the difference in their movement.)
In a nutshell, that’s why I support extended harnessing.
Now, lest you think that I’m saying you must go out and purchase an expensive harnessed seat for your first grader, I’m not. For those who are interested in keeping their kids harnessed once they outgrow the traditional 40-lb-limit seats (which can be alarmingly young – I’ve seen two-year-olds who have outgrown traditional seats!), there are higher weight harness options in all budget ranges.
Graco Nautilus $130-$160 This is a relatively new seat that hanesses to 65 lbs., then becomes an excellent high-back booster, then a low-back booster. (Graco also says that LATCH/upper tether may be used in high-back booster mode, and that the backless booster portion has an expiration date of 9 years – compared to 6 years for the rest of the seat – but they haven’t updated the manual yet.)
Fisher Price Safe Voyage Deluxe $129: Harnesses to 55 lbs.
Evenflo Triumph Advance – $129: Harnesses to 50 lbs.
Sunshine Kids Radian 65 $199: Harnesses to 65 lbs. They also make one with an 80 lb. limit.
First Years True Fit $180. This harness-only convertible seat accomodates small rear-facing infants all the way through big kids weighing up to 65 lbs.
Britax Marathon/Decathlon/Boulevard $204-299: Harnesses to 65 lbs.
Britax Regent $269: Harnesses to 80 lbs. Has the highest top harness slots of any non-special-needs seat on the market.
Britax Frontier $280. This new seat from Britax harnesses until 80 lbs. and then becomes a high-back booster with the highest top position on the market; the entire seat has an expiration of 9 years.
Safeguard Child Seat $449: (OK, I’ve never seen anyone with THIS expensive seat!) Harnesses to 65 lbs.
7-10-08 Edited to add a picture of Book Boy in his Graco Nautilus. He ASKED me to buy him this seat, because he wanted another “seat with straps” in our second car, instead of the booster he had been riding in.
11-07 Edited to add a picture of BB in his Regent. As you can see, he is perfectly happy in it.
um wow. Thanks for the links, I need one of those. I bought a Futura back in 2k1 on the internet for way more than retail to get a harness for my now 9yr old, but it’s over 5 yrs old, so technically I can’t use it (it’s still in the garage for cases where a seat is needed in a bind, as in my husband’s going somewhere and I forgot to take out the baby’s carseat). I went searching recently and only found ones in the 3-500 range.
unfortunately a carseat $80+ is not “budget range” for many. (I’m going to have to wait a bit to buy one of those myself), but much easier to purchase than what I’ve found before stumbling across your post.
Great info. My 10 yr old only weighs 58 lbs but it’s hard to tell a 5th grader that she has to sit in a car seat. I took the boosters out a couple years ago.
Oh, by the way, I tagged you for a meme (hope that’s ok!)
Check it out..
Navi, you are in luck! While most car seats expire after 6 years, the Fisher Price Futura doesn’t expire until 8 years after the date of manufacture, which should be stamped somewhere on the seat shell. (Note that it’s from the date of manufacture, not the date of purchase.) So if your seat was manufactured in 2001, it could have up to two years of life in it still. As long as your child still fits in it – weighs less than 60 lbs, and the top harness slots are above the shoulders – you’re good to use it until it expires.
Not a bad idea to continue saving for an Apex or other newer seat though, depending on how old your child is.
I was mentioning to my sis-in-law (with a 5 yr old and almost 3 yr old) that your stats of how many car seats are not installed properly were very scary! When she told me that they went to a clinic to check their’s, the State Trooper was also saying they he rarely ever found one installed to his standards…. anyway, my bro-in-law had done it correctly and was told it is “TROOPER TIGHT” and now my young nephew (the almost 3 year old) says “Trooper Tight” every time they strap him in. I thought it was cute… You do a great service with this info!!!
The info you share about car seat safety is invaluable. Kudos for
the car seat safety checks you do and for supporting extended harnessing. I’m sending every mom I know the link to your blog.
bkclubcare, thanks for your comments. I spend a fair amount of time on this car seat stuff and it’s really nice when someone lets me know it’s appreciated.
My youngest daughter rides in a Britax Regent too and she turned 5 on July 2nd. Safer is always better! Thanks for publishing all this great info! I hope that others follow your lead.
So I have a 11 month old son and 2.5 year old son. I own 2 Britax maratons and 1 evenflo booster (not sure the exact style). My 11 month old had grown out of the bucket seat and we needed to get him into a regular carseat. We have 3 vehicles and didn’t want to mess with switching them between vehicles. We do like our marathons but do not have the money right now to buy 3 more of those or 3 frontiers. I read so many reviews and could not decide btwn the Cosco High Back Booster, the Graco nautilis, and evenflo triumph (they were all recommended by friends) so we bought one of each. So now the 11 month old has our 2 marathons and the evenflo triumph and the 2.5 year old has our older evenflo booster, the nautilis, and the cosco. In summary, they all are fine. Yes, the boosters and nautilis sit more upright then the marathon but my 2.5 year old does not sleep much in the car anyways ad the frontier (by the looks of it) would have been very upright as well. They are all sturdy and both my sons fit well in all them and they do not mind any of them. Britax is more plush than the booster or nautilis but does not look like the Britax frontier was very plush. The triumph looks very much like the marathon and is just as plush. I don’t know why I was freaking out so much reading millions of reviews since they all are about the same and all had good safety ratings. I have not had to clean any of them yet