Carseat with 5 point harness for 49" plus??

[ktjo17]

Ben has outgrown his car seat (he's just shy of 50 inches) and I don't think there is one that will work on him besides a booster what's the best one? With a back or backless? He's only about 50 pounds.

Also it there a rear facing car seat for a child over 40 pounds? Right now I have Henry facing forward (in a Nautilus) but I would seriously consider turning him around if there's a car seat that would hold him. He's 46 pounds and 43 inches tall.

TIA

[TaivensMama]

The highest rated rear facing seat is to 45 pounds which are Radian XTSL and Radian SL 80 a few others rear face to 40 pounds, (some being graco my ride 65, cosco serena, safety first complete air, britax marathon (and other models such as the boulevard) 70, Radian 65) but being that he is over the top rated he is only able to forward face and the nautilus is a great seat....

The radian I have which is the xtsl does go to 53 inches, and the manual states you can have the shoulders past the top harness slot as long as the child is under 53 inches and the top of the ears are not past the shell of the seat. The harness holds up to 80 pounds forward facing.

The Britax Frontier 85 has a harness to 85 pounds and 57 inches is also a booster upto 120 pounds!...the nice thing about this seat is it has a 9 year life so you could use it for your other kids after he has outgrown it and it will not have expired like the normal 6 year life span.

I am unsure what the height limit is on the graco nautilus for the harness but I do know the harness holds up to 65 pounds then turns to a booster and then to low back booster up to 100 pounds, the seat is reasonably priced and readily available as well.

There are plenty of other seats that have higher harness weights past 50 pounds, you would just really have to narrow it down by actually bringing him in or figuring out his torso height to know how much room for growth he had before outgrowing the harness height so you can avoid needing to use the booster with a seatbelt sooner than you'd like or having to get another seat to fit his needs to keep him in a harness...

Maybe taking a trip to baby news or petaluma baby warehouse and checking out your options in person wouldn't be the worst idea, doesn't mean you need to purchase from them but you can at least get an idea of what your options are from their stock and then weigh your options on what seats he fits in and what has the most room for growth and such,


If a booster is what you decide on I would go with a full booster as opposed to a backless booster it offers more protection. There are quite a few models to choose from and a few that even accommodate up to 120 pounds such as the sunshine kids monterey which is nice because you can size it to the particular child in width and height and has a lot of side impact protection. There are a few other options such as the recaro pro booster with is up to 67 inches tall and 120 pounds Also the britax Parkway goes up to 120 as well....I do feel he would be safer in a harness and think he could find a seat that would meet his needs to fit him in the harness for some time...and getting a harness seat that would then be used as a booster is likely your best and safest purchase if you can find one that will accommodate him...

[My3sonsplus1]

Honestly the "height" that matters is torso height not standing height. How does Ben fit in the nautilus, that seat has one of the highest harness heights. Also, in Sweden children go from rear facing to boosters skipping forward facing harnessing all together. If a child is at least 40 pounds and (this is key ---->) can ride correctly in the seat without fiddling around (usually a child is about/at least 5yo) a booster is just as safe and Sweden actually feels safeR than a forward facing harness. The reason being in a harness the body is held back completely while the head is thrust forward. In a (properly used!!) booster the crash forces are transfered through out the whole body since only one shoulder is holding them back and they sort of pivot at the seatbelt straps plus the seat belt itself helps the passenger r "ride down" the impact a bit before it locks in that split second. People often mention that "race car drivers have 5 pt harnesses..." as a reason why extended harnessing is a good idea, but they fail to factor in the part where race car drivers have their helmets tethered to the headrests of the seats. In fact Dale Earnhart died of internal decapitation because he was in a 5pt harness without a tethered helmet. If a child cannot use a booster properly then certainly a 5 pt. harness is better because the booster is only as good as the fit at the moment of impact, but if a child can use a booster correctly and it fits them properly (lap belt rests on upper thighs not against their tummies and don't cut across the neck) they are just as safe as a harnessed child. A backed booster is a much much safer choice as it still cradles the head and torso.

[jellybeanmichelle]

Thank you for asking this question!
My Mom bought a booster for her car. It has a back to it, but it's not a 5-point, which I really wanted. So that's good to hear the back gives more support.

V is growing out of her Britax Marathon even though it goes to 65 lbs. She is about ready to grow past the last strap hole, and if I remember correctly, her head is popping a little bit above the seat, so that means her ears are almost there.

I like Britax, so I'm going to look at the Britax Frontier 85. I like the 9 year life, so then we can use it on the next one.

[ktjo17]

Thanks for all the info!