Is there a car seat with a 5 point harness for kids over 40lbs?

Question

My son is turning 6 soon and weighs around 40lbs. The car seat he has now can convert from a 5 point to a 3 point but one of the straps has been bleached by the sun and i dont feel is as safe any more. He is also getting too tall for the 5 point harness which i like and feel is safest.

Is the 5 point harness a safer belt than a regular seat belt in a car?

If so are there car seats with a 5 point harness that will fit my son as he grows?

Answer 1

The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) say to keep children in each car seat stage for as long as possible, until it has genuinely been outgrown by weight or by height. In fact, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) says on their website to keep 4-7 year olds in a car seat with a harness for as long as possible as shown here: http://www.safercar.gov/parents/RightSeat.htm



And like Star said, do not use his current car seat if his shoulders are over the top most harness slots. When a child is forward facing, it is extremely important that the harness straps are coming from at or slightly above his shoulders. This may seem insignificant, but if the harness straps were coming below, the forces of the crash would transfer to the child's spine. Here is a crash test showing this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J2hyfCs-Atw



The recommendations want children to ride in a car seat with a harness for as long as possible (which you did follow the recommendation), however the AAP and NHTSA do not have any data showing that children over 4 years old are safer in a properly used harnessed child seat than in a properly used booster seat.



Sweden has the lowest fatalities for children in car crashes. In fact, in a period of 5 years, only 5 children have died in crashes. Compared to the United States, 5 children die every single day. In Sweden, children ride rear facing until they are 4 years old. Then after they turn 4 years old, they ride in proper fitting boosters. The Swedes believe that a harnessed car seat puts more forces on the child's neck than a booster seat. They believe this because, during a crash, the harness holds the child's shoulders back while the neck flys forward. This puts a lot of force on the neck. In a 3 point seat belt (lap/shoulder), the body is able to move more with the neck.



A lot of times- harnessed car seats are often compared to a race driver's harness The problem with this comparison is that race car drivers have a HANS device. This prevents the head from being thrown forward during a crash. A race car driver some years ago broke his neck from not wearing a HANS device.



For a healthy child who is over the age of 4 and who sits properly in a booster, there is no data saying which is safer. What I'm trying to say that if your son has any health condition pertaining to the development of his bones. If your son has a health condition pertaining to his bones, he would be better off in a harnessed car seat.



If your child is an average and healthy 6 year old, a properly used belt positioning booster seat is absolutely fine and is *very* safe. The key word in that sentence is properly used- if your 6 year old is a wiggle worm, he would be better off in a harnessed car seat.



The Britax Frontier 85 has the tallest height limits with the harness on the market. It has approximately 20 inch top harness strap slots and an 85 lb weight limit with the harness. Measure your 6 year old's torso- torso height growth is about 1 inch per year. If your 6 year old has an 17 inch torso, the Frontier may last him for another 2-3 years. It also converts to the tallest high-back booster seat on the market.



A booster seat's job is to correct seat belt fit- by positioning the lap/shoulder seat belt correctly on the child. Having the lap belt on a child's tummy is extremely dangerous as during a crash, it would sink in, injuring the child's internal organs and spinal cord. The problem is that not all booster seats are doing their job, which is correcting seat belt fit.



The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) rates how well booster seats are positioning seat belts in a variety of vehicles for the average 6 year old child. Here is more about that: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HnxiKz0kjPY



And here are the IIHS's results: http://www.iihs.org/research/topics/boosters/default.html



Seats that are "best bets" are most likely going to position the adult seat belt properly. The Graco Turbobooster does a great job of positioning the adult seat belt- it typically costs around $50 at Target. The Graco Turbobooster with Safety Surround costs more- about $80.



You must *always* check the seat belt fit on your particular child in every single vehicle that they ride in. In one vehicle, the lap belt may be properly positioned on the child's hips and in another vehicle, the lap belt may be on the child's tummy, which is extremely dangerous.



Many states require children to ride in a booster seat until they are 8 years old. The truth is that most 8 year olds are not ready to use an adult seat belt alone.



Here is more about when a child is ready to use an adult seat belt alone:



http://www.boosttil8.org/



The video above describes the 5 step test, which is shown here: http://carseatblog.com/3966/the-5-step-test/

Answer 2

Every step down from rear-facing is a step down in safety. Common sense and tests on adults show that a 5 point harness distributes the force of an accident better than a 3 point adult belt, and children's bones are more easily broken until they're well into puberty and the bone finally finishes growing and thickens. This is why it's not recommended kids don't sit with a seat that has airbags until they're 13+, their bones break more easily. And why Nascar/car-race drivers wear a harness and not a 3 point belt. A 5 point system is safer, for EVERYONE, no matter their age. Boosters can also be annoying in that you have to fasten them every time... even when the child is not in it, because if it's left loose then if you were in an accident then it becomes a projectile. The tests for boosters are also far more lax than for forward-facing seats, as evidenced by the IIHS's list of 'good, better, best' boosters, the main purpose of which was to point out boosters that not only don't do their job, but put kids in more danger. You don't see a list like that from the IIHS for harnessed seats because they're better monitored by the government.



More than all of that, if YOU feel like it's the safer choice for YOUR child then you should go with that gut feeling. You know your child better than we do. I know my daughter would see nothing wrong with pulling the seat over her head to reach a toy for her baby sister or brother at a stopped light, and until I know she wouldn't then she's staying in a harness so long as it fits her.



I would look into the Britax Frontier 85, it has a much higher weight limit and has the highest slots, plus it converts to a highly rated booster seat when he's ready for that. You can also try the Safety 1st Go Hybrid Booster, it has high slots. If it was me, I'd measure how high my child's shoulders are, and then look at longer harness seats and see what seems it would last the longest. The third link is a list of forward-harnessed seats that you can look through and their pros and cons.

Answer 3

This Site Might Help You.



RE:

Is there a car seat with a 5 point harness for kids over 40lbs?

My son is turning 6 soon and weighs around 40lbs. The car seat he has now can convert from a 5 point to a 3 point but one of the straps has been bleached by the sun and i dont feel is as safe any more. He is also getting too tall for the 5 point harness which i like and feel is safest.



Is...

Answer 4

Measure the harness height from the seat up. If it is near 17 inches, there are just a couple of higher harnessed seats but cost $$$. My 6 yr old is in a Evenflo Secure Kids top slot is 18 inches.But, the harness barely has any slack. Britax Frontier is another good option, but costs $$$. The seat goes up to some crazy high weight. but a good 2nd option is a high back booster seat. If your child is near the 50 inch tall range, might be best to go with the high back booster.



(if you go for a harnessed seat, measure strap heights. Some seats say they hold kids up to 50 pounds but the top slots are so low they could barely fit a three year old.)

Answer 5

If his shoulders are over the top slot of his current seat, he can't ride in it again.



Most 6 year olds are ready to move to a high back booster- is there a developmental reason you'd prefer for him to remain in a harness?



"Is the 5 point harness a safer belt than a regular seat belt in a car?"- Yes, children need to ride in boosters for a few years between harnessing and moving to just the seat belt. If you mean if there is a safety difference between a 5 point harness and a belt positioning booster for a child of booster age & size (usually 5 years & ~35 pounds), no, we don't have any studies showing which is safer- provided both are used correctly. If the harness is outgrown, it is less safe. If the child doesn't sit in position and the seat belt doesn't fit correctly in the booster, it is less safe.



http://www.safercar.gov/parents/RightSeat.htm



He can move to just the seat belt when he passes the 5 step test http://carseatblog.com/3966/the-5-step-test/

Answer 6

if your kid is six, and over 40 pounds its not really necessary to have a 5 pt harness. In my (personal) opinion that is a little over protective. An average seat belt should be fine, just put him in a booster when he grows until he is big enough for a regular seat.

Answer 7

no need -it's too dangerous. a good booster seat & a the car's seat belt are perfect. see the pros at the local fire station or ambulance service for help with seat installation.