5 Point Harness Booster Seat - Mount Bethel,PA

Updated on April 08, 2010
A.C. asks from Mount Bethel, PA
24 answers

Hi
My son is now 4 and I need to switch him to a booster seat as he has outgrown is car seat. I do not feel comfortable putting him in a regular booster seat and using the lap belt. I would like to get a booster seat that is a five point harness. Does any one have a seat that their child loves, and is a 5 point harness?
Thanks in advance!

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A.R.

answers from Philadelphia on

My children use the Sunshine Kids Radian 80. It is a substantial seat and it rates good on crash tests. These tests prove that children especially 40lb children are NOT safe in belt positioning booster seats. Anyway, The sunshine kids seats are fantastic.

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N.R.

answers from Pittsburgh on

We LOVE the Graco Nautilus (sp?) car seat. It has a great 5-pt harness and later converts to a regular booster with or without the high back. My 3 1/2 year old (but only 32 lb) son can still sleep in it on the rare occasion that happens and generally likes the comfort factor. However, his favorite parts are the cup holder and the "race car cubbies" built into the side arms. It is much thinner and less bulky than the comparable Britex booster. I use it with two other seats for three across in my Honda CRV. Good luck!

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W.B.

answers from Allentown on

My daughter has the Cosco High Back Booster seat. I am insistent on her being in the 5 point harness as long as possible. I actually just went and got two more to have a total of 3. She loves it. It has a cup holder with a snack spot holder attached to it. It's very easy to use and easy on the budget as well.

http://www.kmart.com/shc/s/p_10151_10104_024W892794110001...

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A.P.

answers from Allentown on

You're absolutely right to feel that way! Children are MANY times safer in a 5 pt seat than a booster, even after the suggested MINIMUM of 4 yrs AND 40 lbs.
We recently got a Britax Frontier for our daughter (who's 6 1/2) to ride in. It's a forward-facing only seat that harnesses to 80 (or 85 lbs if you get the newer version) and then later transforms into a booster that will properly fit most children. (MANY of the 5 pt to "booster" seats on the market (ie: Cosco, Evenflo, etc..) will NOT properly fit most children & are therefor, extremely dangerous to use in booster mode. The NHTA recently released a report listing many of these seats as seats that they suggest not using. The Frontier, however, was listed as one of the Best Bets).
The Frontier also has a 9 YEAR LIFESPAN whereas most seats only have a 6 yr lifespan before expiring.

If you go to www.HipMonkey.com there are some excellent seats on there & you can often use the coupon code "Thanks20" (I believe!) to get 20% off!!!

Hope that helps! Good for you for doing your homework on this very important topic!

2 moms found this helpful
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A.P.

answers from Houston on

Hi. We have 3 different 5pt harness booster seats. We bought the Britax Regent 4 years ago when it was the only 5pt harness booster up to 80lbs. When our next daughter needed one we bought the Sunshine Radian80 b/c it got great safety ratings and was a lot smaller than the Regent. Now that we need another one for our third daughter, I just bought the Britax Frontier85. I would never buy the Regent again b/c this seat is HUGE and is heavy to move. But, it is safe. We have been happy with the Sunshine Radian80 and the new Britax Frontier85 (which is different than the older model Frontier). Good luck and so happy you're choosing to keep your child in a 5pt harness to 80lbs!!

1 mom found this helpful
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K.B.

answers from Harrisburg on

Congratulations for taking the safest and most responsible route for your child!

Britax has the best, the Regent, although it's seems to be discontinuing this, but do an online search. If you can find one, it'll be much less than the original price! They are THE roomest and safest and easily goes up to 80 lbs, 8 years. The Britax Frontier is ok, if you have a small, skinny child. They are narrow and no way would work with my larger 5 year old! The arm rests are what part of the problem is. I'm curious on what Britax will put out after the Regent. I would look at every site that makes 5 pt harness seats and find the largest one for each brand, and then compare stats. Write down the measurements of:

shoulder to rump
rump to top of the head
seat area, front to back
height of each shoulder strap slot
seat width

Compare all areas of the seats and find the largest one to last as long as possible and have the most room as we don't know how our children grow until they've already outgrown their seats.

Once you've got your top 2 or 3 seats, then look at safety ratings through Consumer Reports and other reputible companies. Price should not be a factor when it comes to your child's safety. Ask for family and friends to pitch, give money for birthday, etc.

K. B
mom to 5 including triplets
(owner of 4 Britax Regents!)

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/HarrisburgPAChat
events and chat within 2 hour radius

1 mom found this helpful
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M.W.

answers from St. Cloud on

We got our daughter the Britax Regent about 6 months ago (on clearance as another poster said) but I went online to get another one a couple days ago and couldn't find them available for $150 any more. One website still had them but were selling them at regular price.... The Regent goes to 80#.

The Regent has been replaced with another carseat that goes to 85# and after that, turns into a booster where you can use a seatbelt till 120# ish........ I think that one is running about $280.

I highly recomend checking out the Britax carseats. They are GREAT!

1 mom found this helpful
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V.L.

answers from Pittsburgh on

Britax Frontier. My twins love theirs. Armrests, cupholders and they got to choose their own colors.

Word of caution, though: it is not a seat that can easily be moved from one vehicle to another. Once it's in correctly, it's like part of the car. It's heavy! I like the 5-point and other safety features on it.

It converts to a regular booster seat when they get too tall/heavy for the 5-point. Cheapest price I found online for them was Elite Car Seat.

We had them in the Britax Marathons before (still use them for hubby's vehicles since the kids aren't too big for them yet). The biggest difference from Mom's perspective is that the straps on the Frontier aren't as "stiff" as the Marathon and twist easier. Best way to deal with that is put the armrests up as you're getting your son out of the car and loop the strap over them.

1 mom found this helpful
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R.G.

answers from York on

My 6 y/o daughter moved into he Britax Frontier a year ago. I trust the Britax brand - we have used the Marathon seat and now the Frontier. I have also tried the Regent (now discontinued), which I believe would work well for a "husky" or chubby child. Yes I believe some of the newest seats are achieving higher weight limits, but Britax has been manufacturing higher weight limit seats for a long time and I am more inclined to believe they are safer than the other new to the market seats. My daughter and I BOTH love her Frontier and I LOVE that it can be used as a 5 point harness until 85 lbs!

I have also heard great things about Sunshine Kids seats, but I have no personal experience with them.

Check out the web sites and see for your self.

Britax Frontier - http://www.britaxusa.com/car-seats/frontier-85
Sunshine Kids - http://www.skjp.com/products/97556/Car_Seats

1 mom found this helpful
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C.K.

answers from Philadelphia on

We have the Britax that is a 5pt harness. My son loves it!

1 mom found this helpful
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J.C.

answers from Phoenix on

I don't know if they make a 5 point harness booster, but the Britax one we have is the only one I found that has an extra piece that goes between his legs and hooks to the lap belt. It is to prevent slipping down under the belt in an accident. we like it, and it also has the true side impact protection which most don't...good luck in your search.

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B.J.

answers from Kansas City on

Britax does make a booster with a 5 point harness, it's the Frontier. This is definitely the one we will be moving to after he grows out of his Marathon.

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M.S.

answers from Philadelphia on

I have the alpha omega car/booster seats for both of my boys. I bought it from Toys r Us and love it. It can hold either one of my kids til they are 100 lbs.

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K.L.

answers from Los Angeles on

Britax Regent! My kids love theirs, almost 5 and 7yrs old. They can sit with their legs crossed if they want. My 7 yr old is just now 50lbs and I am not comfortable with him in a backless booster like his friends. We have a high back booster for daddy's car. My kids chose their covers and love their seats. They are the most comfortable to them out of all the higher weight limit 5 pt harness seats. We have had them since my daughter was 2, she will be 5 in June.

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T.J.

answers from Seattle on

We have the britax frontier, they do make five point harness boosters! I wouldn't move him to a higher weight convertible because eventually you will still need a booster, so a five point harness booster will be the only seat you buy again, worth it! The frontier has really high harness and booster weight limits, I think they're 80 and 100! Five point harnesses are so safe, you're looking in the right direction. I had the britax marathon in three car accidents and my daughter was fine, so I bought their booster as well, I'm sold on their unparalled safety ratings, from others and my own personal experience.

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K.H.

answers from Washington DC on

I have an evenflo high back booster with 5 point harness , you can remove the 5 point harness when you are ready to use the seat belt instead , the model I have though does not have a removable back so does not become a regular booster with no back , I like it though and it was very reasonable at $100 from Babies R Us.

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K.J.

answers from Kansas City on

By definition, a booster seat does not have a 5-point harness system. A booster seat is meant to lift the kid up a bit so that the car's normal lap and shoulder belt fit him correctly.

In Kansas, I believe you need to keep the kids in a 5-point harness child safety seat until they're 40 pounds. You didn't mention how old he is, but 4 sounds just a bit young to be 40 pounds yet, though it shouldn't be much longer.

Some child safety seats won't take the child all the way up until they're ready for a booster. Either they're not rated all the way up to 40 pounds or they're too small size-wise. So, if you're stuck in the middle like this, you'll have to spring for another child safety seat instead of a booster. One that goes up to at least 40 pounds.

You might get a convertible seat, which starts out as a child safety seat (5-point harness) and can convert to a booster when the child is big enough.

There are lots of options out there. For a big selection in the store, try Babies R Us.

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M.M.

answers from Philadelphia on

I bought a Graco Nautilus 3-in-1 seat for my son shortly before his fourth birthday a few months ago since he had outgrown his previous car seat. It has a five-point harness for kids up to 65 pounds and can be converted to a booster with a seatbelt as your child gets bigger. I got mine through Amazon for $145. I had read a lot of good reviews about the safety of this product before purchasing. More importantly, my son loves this seat. It has a cup holder and compartments under the arm rests which my son particularly likes since he can stash his little toys and action figures in them. We did a long car trip (8 hours) to visit his great-grandmother and I had no complaints from him about being comfortable in the seat. I also find the seat pretty easy to get in and out of the car when I have to switch it to another vehicle.

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A.M.

answers from Pittsburgh on

The Graco Nautilius is terrific. It has a 5 point harness plus it can be used as a high-back booster and a regular booster should you want to use it like that. It is highly durable and very comfortable. My 5 year old daughter loves it and I will get one for my son when he is ready. Great seat!

J.M.

answers from Dallas on

We have the Britax Frontier that can be used with the 5 point harness until 80lbs then it converts into a traditional booster for children up to 100lbs. I really l like the carseat except that the straps seem to get twisted rather easily. My DS is big for his age and still fits in it at age 5.

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A.K.

answers from York on

I agree with the Graco Nautilus as a great choice. I have that for my son who is almost 6. We JUST moved to the high back booster from the 5-point harness (my daughter who is almost 9 is also still in a high-back booster also, but a Graco Turbo-Booster). The Nautilus goes from 5-point harness up to 65 lbs, to high-back booster, to no-back booster up to 100 lbs. My son loves this seat. It's comfortable, and it has 1 cup holder and storage space in each arm rest. It's also very reasonably priced as compared to the other seats that harness up to 65 lbs. I ordered mine on walmart.com and had it shipped to the store so I didn't have to pay shipping. It is $145 on their site, and that's about the lowest I could find.

http://www.walmart.com/ip/Graco-Nautilus-3in1-Car-Bravo/8...

B.W.

answers from Minneapolis on

There are a cuople really great 5pt harness booster seats on the market right now! The Evenflo Maestro will harness to 50lbs and becomes a booster for $70. The Evenflo Generations 65 will harness to 65lbs and becomes a booster for $99. The Graco Nautilus will harness to 65lbs and is alot taller than the previous two and makes a slightly better booster, and also becomes a no back booster, for $150. The Britax Frontier will harness to 85lbs and then becomes a great booster for $300.

You can also find hte Britax Regent on clearance online right now for $150 or so. It will harness to 8lbs and has the highest harness slot available. My almost 8yr old still has growing room in it! Great seat.

Good for you for knowing your child isn't quite ready for an adult belt only booster seat right now. He will really benefti from a couple more years in a harness! Any of hte ones listed above are GREAT seats for older kids, and you will for sure get your moneys worth out of them.

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R.W.

answers from Los Angeles on

I have a Graco nautilus 3-in-1 and I love it. The 5 oint harness is up to 60lbs and the booster is good up to 100lbs. It is about $100 but I think it is worth the price. You should google it and look in to.

C.W.

answers from Pittsburgh on

Hello,

I had an Eddie Bauer one for my daughter that i loved it sat up a little higher and had a harness she learned to use. We just switched her to a seat belt in it during summer last year and then finally had to retire the seat to a booster. I think we got it at Toys R Us. It has a cup holder and little cups around the bottom.

C.

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