# 5 pt harness and older children



## amcal (Jan 13, 2003)

I have a 5yo who is 42lbs and a 6 yo who is 52lbs. We were in a car accident last night so I went to replace their car seats today. I bought two Graco Nautilus convertible seats.
This one:
http://www.walmart.com/catalog/produ...uct_id=8112222

It says it can be used as a 5 pt harness up to 65lbs which, for my girls could be another couple years.

They've been in a shoulder belt positioning car seat since they reached the weight limit. So, they will probably not be happy if I try to make them go back to a 5pt harness but, if it's safer, I will.

Would you make your 5 and 6 year old be in a 5 pt harness? Is it really safer? I can't imagine them in a 5 pt harness at 7 and 8 + years old but...... I'm just not sure what's the best thing to do.


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## chickabiddy (Jan 30, 2004)

My 6.4-year-old (46", 48 pounds) does ride in a 5-point harness. I expect she'll fit for another year or so.


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## sunnymw (Feb 28, 2007)

If they fit (remember it's torso height, not so much weight, so they only fit if their shoulders are at or below the top slots), I'd do it. If I ever got into an accident and something happened, I'd always wonder if he'd have been safer in a 5pt than a booster, IYKWIM.


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## hottmama (Dec 27, 2004)

My 5.5 yr. old (46", 45+ lbs) rides in a 5 pt. harness in my car and his dad's car. He uses a booster in other cars occasionally. He'll outgrow the 5 pt. (Cosco Apex) in his dad's car pretty soon (around 6) but will fit in the 5 pt. (Britax Husky) in my car until 8-8.5, I'd guess. The Nautilus has a top harness slot about midway between those seats (18.5", compared to 17" and 20").
If your girls fit into the Nautilus' harness you should absolutely put them in the 5 pt. They fit if the straps are at or above their shoulders.


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## Peony (Nov 27, 2003)

My 5.5y old rides in a 5 point harness the vast majority of the time. We have one booster that we use for my sister's truck and DH's work van, it makes me nervous when she is in it. A harness is much safer. I intend on keeping her in a harness for several more years to come.

Another thing to remember is often older children can buckle themselves into a harness correctly, but a booster/seatbelt is much harder. DD! has been buckling and unbuckling herself for some time now.


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## TexasSuz (Mar 4, 2002)

Well, my kids would never go back after being able to use the seatbelt with a booster. It was a rite of passage for him and he refused to give it up. If you can get your kids to go back go for it but I could not with mine.


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## Ironica (Sep 11, 2005)

My DCs will be in 5-point harnesses until they outgrow the limits listed on their seats (and I chose a seat with a fairly high limit).

But do check the height. Either one of them might be too tall for the harness, in which case it's a moot point.


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## zmom (Jun 29, 2005)

We have a Regent for our daughter who will be 4 in a few weeks. She'll be in it or another 5 point harness for as long as she correctly fits them (I'm guess 8 or 9?). She still often falls asleep in the car so I want to make sure that she's properly secured! I spent some formative years as a child earning "income" by putting car accident photos in order so that um, had a profound effect on my car seat usage!

ZMom


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## thepeach80 (Mar 16, 2004)

My son is 5 and about 45# and still uses his Nautilus and will for at least another 2 yrs I bet w/ the harness. We just got into a crash today too so he gets a new one.


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## kundemama (Oct 17, 2005)

DS is 5 years old and is currently in a Britax 5-pt harness. I plan on having him in a 5-pt harness as long as possible since he has hypotonia and can squeeze through things easily.


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## jeca (Sep 21, 2002)

My youngest turned five in march and is starting kindy. My oldest DD will be 7 in 2 months she is going into the second grade this fall. She has been in a booster since about five but recently I decided to put her back into a 5 point harness. I realize after reading more that I should have never taken her out of it. I expected a lot of resistance but I talked to her about it and showed her some crash test results online and she was actually pretty okay with it. I took them to the store with me to try out different seats and we ended up getting two nautilus which they loved. My girls are still very lightweight and pretty small for their age so I decided it was the safer thing to do. My five year old is 38 pounds and my 6 year old is lighter than I thought at 45 pounds. We installed the new carseats today and they are both very happy with them.My youngest said she missed her old carseat anyway(the 5 point harness I took her out of)and was very happy to get a new seat. They are more comfortable than their boosters which we are still keeping but putting in Dh's car for the few occasions when he has to get them from school. I am very proud of the way oldest handled it.


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## mamapixie (May 30, 2002)

My 6yo is in a harness, in the Nautilus. He hasn't said that he dislikes it at all. He's in a Turbobooster in DH's vehicle.


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## Eman'smom (Mar 19, 2002)

I'm always surprised at how few MDC members have older kids still harnessed.

Ds is 7 and is still happily riding in a Regent. We do have a booster for dh's car (which he rides in rarely). He asked about it once we simply explained that it was safer so that is what we do.


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## Papooses (Dec 20, 2006)

My DD still rides harnessed for the most part (if not in the Husky, then in the Ride Safer Travel Vest: a booster "alternative" but crash tests more similar to a harness) -- she's 6.

Her older half sister rode in the harness with me until she was almost 10 ... after her mom did that false "right of passage" thing 7 years earlier. She loved the comfort + safety of the Husky/Regent. Carseats are not a "right of passage", they're life saving devices. When in my care, I am the parent. I am in charge of life & death decisions.

No, we don't have comprehensive enough comparative data to know just how much safer extended harnessing is, but we also do not have any data to show that it's unsafe. In fact, it's been a standard in the racing industry & for pilots for years. That's enough for me.

It's also quite convincing to know that, based on watching numerous crash test videos, a 5 point harness does contain the child more, reducing risk of brain/spine injuries & it spreads crash forces out over a broader area of the body.

Yes, if you have the $ and the kids still fit, then extended harnessing is safest practice. If you would be going against the manufacturer's instructions (ie. the child is too big) then it's most likely less safe than a booster. If you cannot afford a high weight harness option then simply focus on using a highback booster correctly.

Each "graduation" of seat type is actually a *demotion* in safety, but it all comes down to CORRECT USE. Whatever seat you decide on should be checked by a Child Passenger Safety Technician (ask to see their SafeKids ID info)


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## rabrog (Dec 20, 2005)

Def. put them back in a harness. If they don't like it, they'll get pretty bored staying at home all the time and I'm sure will want to ride in the car again soon. It shouldn't be too much of a struggle.







And yes, I'm serious about not taking them anywhere if they don't want to be harnessed.

Jenn


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## bnhmama (Nov 28, 2006)

My 5.5 year old (43 inches, 43 pounds) still rides in a harness. I think we'll probably get another year out of it.


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## jrabbit (May 10, 2008)

My dd is alive because she was in a 5point harness at 4.5 years old. Believe me, she was in that 5point harness (new seat, obviously) until she really and truly got too tall - maybe beyond 6 years old, but I'm not positive when.

The accident was pretty bad, pretty scary - and she was safely secure within the seat. No injury, even.

My children are not given any choice in the matter. They sit where I tell them to sit, and they know they can't ride in a car without the belt on or in a proper car seat. I see far too many children day-to-day (I work at a children's resale shop), who are 1-not in a car seat, 2-forward facing younger than a year, or 3-allowed to squirm out of the car seat without any repercussions. I want to throttle those parents. I don't care how expensive car seats are!

If I told my oldest (now 8.5) that she had to go back to a 5point harness, she would do it. Maybe not be HAPPY about it, but she would trust me that it's the safest thing to do. Neither child is allowed to ride in Nana's car anymore because Nana doesn't have a good enough car seat IMO.
--janis


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## SaraC (Jan 11, 2002)

My 5 year old rode in a high back booster until May 14, 2008. We had a car wreck where we were hit by a city bus going approx. 35 mph. All of my children were restrained according to the law--baby in rf Marathon, 7 year old in a low back booster, and 5 year old in a high back booster--but I know in my heart of hearts that my 5 year old was not in the safest seat for her. She suffered a broken neck and my other children were not injured. I know if not restrained at all she would have died but I cannot shake the feeling that if she had been in a 5-pt then she might have not been injured as bad. She is ok and did not have to have surgery but I kick myself for not going for the safest seat. She is now in a Regent and rides happily in it. My 7 year old would be in one too if she was not so tall and heavy at 56 inches and 77 lbs. My best friends all put there older 7 year olds back into 5pt seats after my wreck since they saw what can happen to a child in a booster.

I would put them back and just be firm if they resist. I wish that I had just listened to my one friend who encouraged me to get a 5pt with a higher weight a year ago when I moved her to a booster.


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## doubtful (Jun 7, 2008)

I just bought the Nautilus carseat for my DD, she is 2 but already 34 pounds.
I love it







: and I am so happy that she can stay in a 5pt restraint so long. My MIL thinks I am crazy, but I know how much safer DD is in a 5pt restraint.


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## the_lissa (Oct 30, 2004)

My 4.5 year old is still harnessed and will be for as long as she fits, which will be at least a couple years, I imagine.


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## KayleeZoo (Apr 8, 2003)

My 8 yo is still harnessed- as is her 5.5yo sister and 3yo brother.

As Papooses mentioned, 5pt harnesses are the standard for race car safety. It's been shown that a 5pt harness absorbs crash forces better than a 3pt (which is what a booster provides) harness does.

My kids don't make the safety decisions in our family; I'm the adult and that's my job. What clothes to wear, whether to watch Disney or NickJr, sure. They can decide. But making decisions that could cause them to be killed or permanantly injured in favor of what they perceive as "cool" or whatever? Nope. Not in this lifetime.

My 8yo has asked other kids who comment on her harnessed seat why their parents don't love them enough to keep them in a harness instead of a booster or nothing but the adult seatbelt. She's seen the crash test videos and gets it.


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## lexbeach (Mar 6, 2002)

My 5.5-year-olds are still harnessed and will be for quite some time (in Regents and Radians). We do have BPBs that we've used a few times for quick drives in grandma's car (both the regent and the radian are a huge PITA to install, so we don't move them unless it seems really necessary), and my kids think the boosters and seatbelts are less comfortable than their five-point harness seats. The vast majority of their friends are out of harnesses (actually, I can't think of any who are still in a harness), but even though they've noticed that, my kids haven't complained. They know it's safer and they think it's more comfortable, so it hasn't been a big struggle.

Lex


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## fizzymom (Nov 20, 2001)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *KayleeZoo* 
My 8yo has asked other kids who comment on her harnessed seat why their parents don't love them enough to keep them in a harness instead of a booster or nothing but the adult seatbelt. She's seen the crash test videos and gets it.









Smart girl.

My 7.5yo DS is in a 5 point harness (Regent) and will stay there until he outgrows it. Period.


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