# Needing an inexpensive 5-pt-harness HBB for 7 yr old **Found HBB Update post #25



## HarperRose (Feb 22, 2007)

I had been under the impression (based on my research) that my older kids were now above the weight/age/height necessary for boosters. My mil2 (fil's 2nd wife, 1st one died last year) recently heard that Texas had changed it's carseat/booster seat laws, so I looked into it.

What I found is that while ds1 is ok, dd is not. She needs a seat!

Dh and I talked about it and dd and I actually went seat-looking at Target today. (No finances to buy yet.)

She wants a 5-pt-harness. I suggested a backless booster but she did not feel safe or comfortable in those, she really pushed for a 5-pt-harness.

The cheapest one I found (that had her height/weight requirements) at Target was still $50! I just don't have a budget for that.







(We're eating beans & rice for meals. It's just extra tight right now.)

Do you guys know of any other 5-pt-harness seats for less than $50?

If that's the cheapest, we'll do it, but it will be a little while.


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## BathrobeGoddess (Nov 19, 2001)

How big is your dd...height and weight? I'm thinking its pretty unlikely she fits in a $50 five point if she fits in a backless booster. I don't think any seat that cheap goes above 40lbs and have pretty short shells...I'm guessing your talking about the Scenera...

The cheapest harnessed bigger kid seat is the Graco Nautilus at about $150


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## chickabiddy (Jan 30, 2004)

There are only two harnessed seats with a regular retail less than $50.

If a child fits in the harness of a $50 seat (Cosco Scenera or Cosco High Back Booster) by height and weight, she is too small to safely use a backless booster.

If she can use a backless booster, or the seatbelt fits her without a booster (you say she has not been using a booster?), there is no way she will fit in a $50 seat.

I have a shortish 7yo and she outgrew all 40-pound (read: less expensive) harnessed seats by height at least a year ago.

What is her height and weight, and is she longer in the torso or the legs?


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## sunnymw (Feb 28, 2007)

If costs is really an issue and your DD is in the right weight limits, you could get a 86Y harness and use it with a high-back booster.

http://www.car-seat.org/showthread.php?t=26201


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## Cinder (Feb 4, 2003)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *BathrobeGoddess* 
How big is your dd...height and weight? I'm thinking its pretty unlikely she fits in a $50 five point if she fits in a backless booster. I don't think any seat that cheap goes above 40lbs and have pretty short shells...I'm guessing your talking about the

The cheapest harnessed bigger kid seat is the Graco Nautilus at about $150

That's what I was going to say, I have a TINY almost 7 year old, and the cheapest 5pt harness she will fit in height wise is the nautilus. She's 34lbs and 46" or 47"....


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## DahliaRW (Apr 16, 2005)

I would probably just get her a turbobooster (high back) which you can find sometimes for around $40. If money is tight, you're unlikely to find anything that will harness her in your price range.

Albeebaby.com has a one for $34.99 and a couple for $39.99 + shipping (which I think is $4.95 right now):

http://www.albeebaby.com/grtusa84inre.html
http://www.albeebaby.com/graco-safe-...e-8e02glr.html
http://www.albeebaby.com/graco-turbo...3-8e13tal.html


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## confustication (Mar 18, 2006)

I'd contact your local fire department, or sheriff's office, many of them will be able to point you in the right direction to get some assistance in terms of affording a seat.

Additionally, harnessing a 7yo? I know my dd is within weight limits, but is well over the harness slots in anything with a 5pt harness. We use a high-back booster.


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## chickabiddy (Jan 30, 2004)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *confustication* 
I'd contact your local fire department, or sheriff's office, many of them will be able to point you in the right direction to get some assistance in terms of affording a seat.

Additionally, harnessing a 7yo? I know my dd is within weight limits, but is well over the harness slots in anything with a 5pt harness. We use a high-back booster.

My 7yo is still harnessed in one of our cars. She's little-ish, but she also has a good bit of growth room. It's possible. It's not (usually) necessary.

And as someone who helps give out seats at seat checks, it is very highly extremely super-duper unlikely that they would give a harnessed seat for a physically and developmentally typical 7yo. We're all on very tight budgets. Our goal is to keep as many kids as safe as we can, and for better or worse, that means that we give the least expensive seat that the child can use safely. For most 7yos, that would be a backless booster.


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## confustication (Mar 18, 2006)

Our county is currently trying to give out anything we can- we're underbudget- and will lose funding if we can't demonstrate enough 'need'. I forget that in other areas you actually have a population.


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## chickabiddy (Jan 30, 2004)

Just out of curiosity -- does your county even stock higher-weight harnessing seats for giveaways? We don't, at least not on a regular basis.


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## HarperRose (Feb 22, 2007)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *BathrobeGoddess* 
How big is your dd...height and weight? I'm thinking its pretty unlikely she fits in a $50 five point if she fits in a backless booster. I don't think any seat that cheap goes above 40lbs and have pretty short shells...I'm guessing your talking about the

The cheapest harnessed bigger kid seat is the Graco Nautilus at about $150

No. It's a Cosco HBB w/ 5 pt harness. I looked very carefully and compared it to a Cosco Scenera, which we have for ds2. It goes 40-80 lbs and 4ft 9 in, I think. (Don't recall height specifically, but was over 4 ft.) The Scenera goes to 40 lbs.

Dd weighs 45 lbs and is about 4ft tall.


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## HarperRose (Feb 22, 2007)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *chickabiddy* 
If she can use a backless booster, or the seatbelt fits her without a booster (you say she has not been using a booster?), there is no way she will fit in a $50 seat.

She doesn't fit them right. Hence, part of the reason for double checking seat laws and looking for the right for her.

Quote:

What is her height and weight, and is she longer in the torso or the legs?
45 lbs 4ft tall.

Longer legs.


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## DahliaRW (Apr 16, 2005)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *HarperRose* 
No. It's a Cosco HBB w/ 5 pt harness. I looked very carefully and compared it to a Cosco Scenera, which we have for ds2. It goes 40-80 lbs and 4ft 9 in, I think. (Don't recall height specifically, but was over 4 ft.) The Scenera goes to 40 lbs.

Dd weighs 45 lbs and is about 4ft tall.

The Cosco HBB can only be used with the harness to 40lbs, and then has to be used as a booster. So your dd is too heavy to use it with the harness.


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## HarperRose (Feb 22, 2007)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *DahliaRW* 
The Cosco HBB can only be used with the harness to 40lbs, and then has to be used as a booster. So your dd is too heavy to use it with the harness.

I did not see that on the pkg. How irritating. I will keep looking.


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## BathrobeGoddess (Nov 19, 2001)

I think this is the cheapest five point and it converts to a booster...

Have you considered just getting a high back booster? At your dd age and size she could use the side impact protection...The Turbo Booster is a pretty good booster seat


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## Equuskia (Dec 16, 2006)

You won't find a 5 pt harness seat for children over 40 lbs cheap. They simply don't exist. The cheapest one is the Nautilius, which, well, isn't cheap.

What exactly is the objection to the backless booster?


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## pers (Jun 29, 2005)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *HarperRose* 
No. It's a Cosco HBB w/ 5 pt harness. I looked very carefully and compared it to a Cosco Scenera, which we have for ds2. It goes 40-80 lbs and 4ft 9 in, I think. (Don't recall height specifically, but was over 4 ft.) The Scenera goes to 40 lbs.

Dd weighs 45 lbs and is about 4ft tall.

The 40 to 80 is for the booster mode. That seat can only be used to 40 pounds with the harness.

The cheapest seat that would fit her in a harness is probably the safety first Apex which is usually over $100 but is on sale for a bit less here: http://www.albeebaby.com/sa1stap65boc.html. I don't think you'll find anything less expensive for harnessing a child over 40 lbs.

If you can manage it, I'd suggest the high back Graco turbobooster someone else gave you links to. My daughter loves hers, and it is a very safe booster. But if you can't, a low back booster is much better than nothing. There should be a strap that comes from the low back booster to be used to position the shoulder belt correctly.


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## HarperRose (Feb 22, 2007)

Ok, here's the one she tried today.

The information on the pkg AND the website doesn't say anything about the weight limits for harness use. I'll have to try again and see if her shoulders are within the slot height.


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## HarperRose (Feb 22, 2007)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Equuskia* 
You won't find a 5 pt harness seat for children over 40 lbs cheap. They simply don't exist. The cheapest one is the Nautilius, which, well, isn't cheap.

What exactly is the objection to the backless booster?

This is the objection:

Quote:

She wants a 5-pt-harness. I suggested a backless booster but she did not feel safe or comfortable in those, she really pushed for a 5-pt-harness.


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## BathrobeGoddess (Nov 19, 2001)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *HarperRose* 
Ok, here's the one she tried today.

The information on the pkg AND the website doesn't say anything about the weight limits for harness use. I'll have to try again and see if her shoulders are within the slot height.

It does say on their web page...see here
From the web page:

Quote:

Combination high-back belt-positioning booster secures your child from 22-80 lbs.

• *Forward-facing 22-40 lbs using the 5-point harness*

• *Belt-positioning booster 40-80 lbs*

• 2-position shoulder belt positioning guides
Sorry mama...you just can't use that seat for your with the harness...


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## HarperRose (Feb 22, 2007)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *BathrobeGoddess* 
It does say on their web page...see here
From the web page:

Sorry mama...you just can't use that seat for your with the harness...

Well, sure enough, there it is.









Sigh. I'll have to talk her into a belt positioning booster, which is doable, I just know she's not going to like it as much.


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## HarperRose (Feb 22, 2007)

Here's a thread discussing the new info.

Nevermind. It got closed.


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## DahliaRW (Apr 16, 2005)

She may feel more secure in a high back booster then she did in a low back. The back and headwings probably will help. At her age, it is a perfectly safe option.


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## HarperRose (Feb 22, 2007)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *DahliaRW* 
She may feel more secure in a high back booster then she did in a low back. The back and headwings probably will help. At her age, it is a perfectly safe option.

I'm perfectly happy getting her a HBB, she just requested a harness.

I'm wondering, too, if part of her request is that she wants to feel babied a bit.


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## HarperRose (Feb 22, 2007)

Well, after hours of research, online shopping, in-store shopping, and visiting a few stores more than once, we ended up at Target and purchased an Evenflo Big Kid Booster Car Seat.

It was manufactured in April 2009, so it won't expire until 2015, which means ds *might* get to use it for a little while, but I'm not banking on it. His Scenera goes to 35 lbs RF, then 40 lbs FF, and we intend to keep him in it to those limits. If he grows like ds1, he'll be 40 lbs at about 4 yrs old, but if he grows like dd, he'll be 40 lbs at 6.

Either way, dd loves it and feels comfortable in it and that's the main focus.


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