# 5 point harness or shoulder seat belt for 6 yo/45 lbs+?



## doublyblessed (Jun 4, 2008)

i heard that some 3yo died from a car accident incident where they had a shoulder strap on w/ booster seat but that if the dc was in a 5 point harness they would have been alright, most likely...

so i ran out and bought a carseat (eddie bauer) w/ a 5 pt. harness that fits 22 lbs thru 100 lbs i believe. but...according to the booklet it came with, my dd should be in a shoulder strap in the carseat, not using the 5 pt. harness. i personally think the 5 pt. harness is safer...but...maybe not. she still fits in that...the top part where the harness comes out is even or a bit taller than her shoulder...so i suppose when she outgrows that its time for a new 5 pt. harnessy carseat or she goes to the shoulder strap.

anyone know what's correct for her? thank you.


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## thepeach80 (Mar 16, 2004)

The carseat you have can only be used till 40# w/ the harness and depending on the seat, cannot be used w/ the harness in the top slot. If you want a 5pt harness, look at the Graco Nautilus. I'd be o.k. at 6, as long as they could sit well in the car, using a booster full time. Maybe check out the Sunshine Kids Monterey as well.


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## an_aurora (Jun 2, 2006)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *thepeach80* 
The carseat you have can only be used till 40# w/ the harness and depending on the seat, cannot be used w/ the harness in the top slot. If you want a 5pt harness, look at the Graco Nautilus. I'd be o.k. at 6, as long as they could sit well in the car, using a booster full time. Maybe check out the Sunshine Kids Monterey as well.

I concur


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## mama2mygirl (Dec 14, 2005)

I'd go with a five point for as long as you can. I have my five-year-old in a Frontier. She'll last two or three years in there.


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## pumpkinhead (Sep 15, 2003)

The Graco Nautilus and the Sunshine Kids Radian both harness beyond 45lbs. Depending on which Radian you get, one harnesses to 65lbs and the other to 80lbs.


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## thepeach80 (Mar 16, 2004)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *pumpkinhead* 
The Graco Nautilus and the Sunshine Kids Radian both harness beyond 45lbs. Depending on which Radian you get, one harnesses to 65lbs and the other to 80lbs.

The Nautilus will last longer though and unless you have big, short torsoed kids, I doubt either Radian would get you to 65#.


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## Eris (Sep 11, 2002)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *doublyblessed* 
she still fits in that...the top part where the harness comes out is even or a bit taller than her shoulder...so i suppose when she outgrows that its time for a new 5 pt. harnessy carseat or she goes to the shoulder strap.

I want to clarify here- your daughter _has already outgrown the harness_. The harness on a carseat is outgrown forward facing when _either_ one of these occur: the correctly installed straps come from below the child's shoulders, or the child has reached the maximum weight for the harness. In this case, your child may have actually outgrown the harness height, because some of these seats can't actually use the top position to install the harness straps, but she has _definitely_ reached (and exceeded) the maximum weight for the harness, and you absolutely must stop using it.

If you already have a dedicated high-back booster that you were using before, go back to that, or else go ahead and do the conversion on your Eddie Bauer seat to use it as a booster seat. Now, before taking your daughter anywhere in the car!

There are some good harnessing options for your DD, but she is also quite safe in a properly fitting high back belt-positioning booster seat at her age and weight, as long as she sits in that seatbelt correctly for the entire trip, every time.


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## UberMama (Feb 27, 2007)

Ditto the above. The harness is made for children up to 40 lbs max.

My boys are almost six years old and 45-50 lbs and in boosters now. If we could have afforded five pts for them to keep them harnessed through 65 lbs, we would have. The boys do great in their boosters though, which makes me feel better.

My DD is 4 y/o and 45 lbs and she is in a five pt that harnesses to 65 lbs. She is NOT ready mentally or physically for a booster!


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## pumpkinhead (Sep 15, 2003)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *thepeach80* 
The Nautilus will last longer though and unless you have big, short torsoed kids, I doubt either Radian would get you to 65#.


I'm not sure, but I think the Nautilus and the Radian 65 (Radian Premiere) both have top slots that are the same height. However, since the Nautilus converts to a booster you'll definitely get more use out of it that way.


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## thepeach80 (Mar 16, 2004)

No, the top slots on my Radian were about 17", my Nautilus is just over 18". AJ has much more room in the GN than he did the Radian. He was in the top slots of the Radian since 3, he just moved into the top slots of the GN last week and now I'm questioning if I should move them back down.


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## an_aurora (Jun 2, 2006)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *thepeach80* 
No, the top slots on my Radian were about 17", my Nautilus is just over 18". AJ has much more room in the GN than he did the Radian. He was in the top slots of the Radian since 3, he just moved into the top slots of the GN last week and now I'm questioning if I should move them back down.

Yes, this was our experience too. DD was on the top slots of her Radian and in her Nautilus she is on the second-from-top.


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## bc1995 (Mar 22, 2004)

My 48lb 6 yo is still in a 5 pt harness. I just don't feel safe putting him in a booster. We have a Britax Wizard that we use 99% of the time, and a Safeguard Go that we use on occation when we ride in a different vehicle.


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## pumpkinhead (Sep 15, 2003)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *thepeach80* 
No, the top slots on my Radian were about 17", my Nautilus is just over 18". AJ has much more room in the GN than he did the Radian. He was in the top slots of the Radian since 3, he just moved into the top slots of the GN last week and now I'm questioning if I should move them back down.


Interesting. My Radian has 18" top slots. Perhaps it's because it's a Canadian seat? I've never seen a Nautilus in person, but I've been told that the top slots are something like 18.25". Mu 6 year old (he's just a little over average for height) is in the second from the top slots on the Radian. He could probably move up, but annoyingly, the top slots are a long way from the second set. It's kind of irritating that there are so many slots so close together and the top slots make such a big jump.


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## thepeach80 (Mar 16, 2004)

That's how my Nautilus is. I sat there and watched for like 2 wks trying to decide if I wanted to move them up and I did and now I'm not sure.







: I should just leave them and move on.







The same thing happened when I had to move up the straps on his Radian (at 35 mos!).


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## hottmama (Dec 27, 2004)

My son will be 6 in January, is 45-50 lbs (was 45 last January) and rides in a harnessed Britax Husky in my car. He has a looong way to go in it. He rides in a booster in other cars sometimes, but I prefer to have him harnessed.


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## LittleBlessings (May 26, 2008)

i think the The First Years True Fit Convertible Car Seat
Holds childern 5-65 lbs in a harness


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## LittleBlessings (May 26, 2008)

I just went to the saftey first website and you can keep your child in a 5 point harness until 65 pounds in the True Fit Convertible Car Seat and also it is not as expensive as some of the other ones

http://www.learningcurve.com/product...R?locale=en_US


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## an_aurora (Jun 2, 2006)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *littleflower~** 
i think the The First Years True Fit Convertible Car Seat
Holds childern 5-65 lbs in a harness


Quote:


Originally Posted by *littleflower~** 
I just went to the saftey first website and you can keep your child in a 5 point harness until 65 pounds in the True Fit Convertible Car Seat and also it is not as expensive as some of the other ones

http://www.learningcurve.com/product...R?locale=en_US

Most kids outgrow car seats by height well before weight. At 6 and 45 pounds, the OP's child wouldn't have much time left in the True Fit


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## LittleBlessings (May 26, 2008)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *an_aurora* 
Most kids outgrow car seats by height well before weight. At 6 and 45 pounds, the OP's child wouldn't have much time left in the True Fit









How tall is your son? The First years true fit holds a child up to 50 inches
(127 cm) or less.


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## an_aurora (Jun 2, 2006)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *littleflower~** 
How tall is your son? The First years true fit holds a child up to 50 inches
(127 cm) or less.

It's torso height that matters. The Nautilus has higher top slots.


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## thepeach80 (Mar 16, 2004)

AJ is only 43" but I'm guessing he'd have about 1/2" left of growth in the True Fit.


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