Am I the Only One That Keeps My 5 Year Old in a 5Point Harness Carseat?

Nope, you're not alone! Our daughter is 6 and is in the Britax Frontier 85 Combo Booster Car seat (5 pt. harness). This particular 5 pt. harness goes up to 85 lbs. (We have it set up as a car seat, not the booster right now.) I'd ask your friends not to refer to it as a "baby seat" in front of your son if they are doing so.

8 moms found this helpful

No, you aren't the only one. If he still fits in then put him in it. They are safer. My 8 year old dtr still fits in hers (she's small for her age) and we still have her in it. Do what you feel is the safest. I wouldn't want to be in an accident and think, if only I still had her in that seat......

7 moms found this helpful

I put my kids in booster seats as soon as they were big enough. The reason is they are easier to move back and forth in cars.

Personally if my younger kids had friends that were still in a five point and we were planning an event where I would drive I would have told my children they cannot invite so and so because I am not dealing with a car seat. Blast me if you want but just as it is your choice to keep your child in one it is everyone else's choice not to deal with it.

I just put this out there so you are aware how other people feel since you already have plenty of posts of people who use the five point.

7 moms found this helpful

Definitely have my 5-yr old in a 5-pt harness. Fortunately he has not noticed that his friends primarily use boosters. And when he does I will simply reiterate that it is the safest seat for him. We have the Graco Nautilus and the 5-pt system goes to 65 lbs (assuming he doesn't exceed the height restrictions).

Go to http://www.kyledavidmiller.org/ and watch the video. You'll probably cry but it will reinforce why your son should be in a tethered car seat with a 5-pt harness. I watched it last year and it sealed the deal for me!

6 moms found this helpful

My 7 and a half year old is in a five point harness! As long as possible!! Mine is a booster, so I could switch to a belt anytime, but why not do it as long as possible? Make sure her seat is NOT a baby seat and still fits her, but don't be bullied by others who are trying to save money or trying to mature kids sooner than is necessary. And if someone says that, especially in front of her, say "it is not a baby seat, it is the safest position for a child to ride until she is tall enough to be in an adult seat." Maybe you should say, "Don't you love your shild enough to put them in the safest seat possible?" Grrrr.

5 moms found this helpful

My DD just turned 6 a couple weeks ago. She is still in her 5pt. harness.
I agree w/ LeeLee. Request your friend not refer to it as a baby seat.
It's terribly inappropriate for her to be doing so. >:(

5 moms found this helpful

My super tall and big (50 inches and 65 lbs) almost SEVEN year old is in the five point harness in the Britax Frontier booster! Good for you as long as he still fits in it! Safety first, do they make fun of you if you won't drive after a drink too? =(

5 moms found this helpful

nope, my son is still in his. they need to check the height and weight requirements before they make the change. they are a lot stricter than they used to be.

4 moms found this helpful

Our 5 year old is still in a 5 pt. harness and our 8 year old just moved to a booster seat this summer.

4 moms found this helpful

My 5 year old is and will stay in 5 point harness for as long as possible..... We just ordered him the Britax Frontier which has a super high weight and height limit.

I agree with you that most people are puttng their kids in
boosters too soon. All the
research is readily available to prove that 5 point harness
(and rear facing as long as possible) is safest. I know so many intelligent people that are just stickmg their kids in boosters!!!! It drives me crazy! Why wouldn't you do the safest thing for your child???

Updated

My 5 year old is and will stay in 5 point harness for as long as possible..... We just ordered him the Britax Frontier which has a super high weight and height limit.

I agree with you that most people are puttng their kids in
boosters too soon. All the
research is readily available to prove that 5 point harness
(and rear facing as long as possible) is safest. I know so many intelligent people that are just stickmg their kids in boosters!!!! It drives me crazy! Why wouldn't you do the safest thing for your child???

4 moms found this helpful

Absolutely the safest choice! I tell my child that a five point harness is is what pilots wear in the cockpit of planes. Nothing babyish about being safe.

Do not be swayed. All five year olds I know are in five point harnesses.

Make sure he knows how to do it himself so he feels independent.

Dont give in and ask your friends in private to please respect your need to keep your child safe. Britax Frontier goes up to 85 lbs -- few 5 year olds weigh that much!

4 moms found this helpful

My daughter is 5 and weighs enough for a booster, but she's still in the 5-pt harness. Ours goes up to 65 pounds. When my youngest is big enough to turn forward facing (probably over next summer sometimes) then I'll switch my oldest to a booster to free up the harness seat for the youngest.

But I think it's kind of like keeping them forward facing until age 2. Some people will and some won't....it's all about what you're comfortable with.

4 moms found this helpful

Every parent is different. My son's torso wouldnt fit in his 5 point harness anymore so we had to get him in a booster seat. But its the one that has the back and the bottom attached and whe he gets older he can sit in just the bottom half. Your friend should be supportive. Not all parents parent alike!

4 moms found this helpful

No way...THEY are missing something! My daughter is 5, and will remain in a 5 point harness for as long as humanly possible! Our seat can accomodate her up to 65 lbs in the harness. Each step you take in the car seat ladder is one step to a less safe riding experience. In the event of a crash, a 5 point harness used with a seat secured by latch is the safest thing you can do for your child. Let them laugh...you are doing the right thing!

4 moms found this helpful

I plan on keeping my 5 year old in a 5 point harness until he can no longer fit. Our seats go up to 85 pounds with the 5 point harness and then convert into a booster up to 100 pounds. The booster seats make me very nervous. I was driving with a friend of mine and her daughter in a booster and she kept moving the seat belt under her arm. If we had gotten into an accident she would not have been secured at all. I also used to work with someone. "His family was in a car accident with two kids in the car. The younger one was in a car seat with a 5 point harness and the older one was in a booster seat. Nothing happened to the younger one and the older child sustained two spinal cord injuries and is now in a wheel chair. My co-worker said he sustained the injuries because he was not in a 5 point harness. This happened before I even had my kids and this very sad story has always stayed in my mind. My husband thinks I am ridiculous with the 5 point harness but I say my kids will still be using them on their driving tests if I have it my way. (okay, I admit, a little too overprotective)

4 moms found this helpful

Mine is 4.5 years old and will stay in his "baby seat" until he HAS to get out.

A friend of mine had her son in a "baby seat" when he was five and it SAVED his life. They were hit from behind by a kid doing 55 in a 35 and it was REALLY BAD. He had scars on his face but he would have been killed if he was in a booster seat. Lesser of the two evils in my book.

4 moms found this helpful

Depends on the height and weight of your kid. Plain and simple. Follow the guidlines and don't listen to anyone else :).

3 moms found this helpful

Safety 1st!!! People don't realize it's not about their driving abilities but everybody else out there texting and checking emails on their phones while driving.

3 moms found this helpful

My son will be five in December, and he's still in a 5 point harness - and he will be until he's too big for it! I get a lot of pressure from my mom friends and even my parents (they have two other grandkids the exact same age, and they've been in boosters for a year), because it's so much easier to deal with the booster. But my son is a wiggle worm and he's just not ready to sit up straight and tall - and that's the only way the regular seat belt would protect him.

3 moms found this helpful

My kids are uncommonly tall with long torsos, around age 5 my oldest wouldnt fit those anymore.The top came out behind the shoulder blades!..(i suspect my rather tall 3 year old will be the same way)....i wish they put them in backseats with the seat belts already there.

3 moms found this helpful

Oh my gosh...thanks so much for posting this!!! I was going to post something quite similar. My son's seat (5 yrs) is rated up to 65 pounds so I intend to keep him in the seat for quite a while longer. One of his little kindergarten friends said something about him still being in a carseat. I just explained that his seat made him as safe as possible and Mommy loved him so much to want him to stay safe in the car!

3 moms found this helpful

My youngest, who will be 6 in January, is also in a 5-point harness. He only weighs about 34 lbs so he's too small for a booster. I'll keep him in a 5-point harness at least until 40 lbs. My seat actually goes up to 65 lbs but by that time he'd be about 10 and that's a little too old for a "baby" seat LOL. Because of his age, I'll probably move him to a booster soon after he hits the 40 lb mark (which seriously might not be until he's closer to age 7). Most of his friends have been in boosters since they were 4.

3 moms found this helpful

No, you aren't missing something... they are...

My son is almost 6, and a tall, 55 lb. boy, and he's still comfortably in his 5 point harness, and he has no desire to go to a booster... in fact, he said to me that he's a little nervous about sitting in a booster because it doesn't 'buckle him in'...

Of course, 5 pt. harnesses are safer than the booster seats. And of course, they are preferable, thus the influx of higher and higher weight ranges on the 5 point harness seats.

I won't move my son to a booster seat until he outgrows the limits of his current 5 point harness, and his seat is rated to 65 lbs, so we have a couple years yet...

3 moms found this helpful

It really depends on the size of the child. My daughter was in a 5 point when she was 5. Until she started kindergarten and I was dropping her off at school, I didnt want to hold up the huge line behind line me to strap and unstrap my kid. And I would have been the only one doing that for sure. So, we switched to a booster because she was of height and weight.

3 moms found this helpful

In my state they have to be in a 5 pt until they turn 5.

My 5 yr old boy doesn't fit in it anymore. He's very tall and just a big solid kid. My almost 5 little girl is still tiny and fits perfectly. Iwill keep her in it for as long as she is still able to fit comfortably.

3 moms found this helpful

My daughter who turns 5 next week is still in her Britax 5 pt. She weights 38 lbs and is 42" tall.

However, she is in a highback booster/shoulder strap for my husbands truck. The carseat we had in there was only up to 40 lbs. A Britax wouldn't fit.

3 moms found this helpful

well my 4 yr old is in a convertible car seat/ booster he is crazy tall and weighs 45lbs and we harness him up. I tried him with just the seatbelt and he unbuckled while driving!! I had pull over ASAP and harness him up again. He will be 4.5 in a month or so and it will be awhile before I try the seatbelt again! So it sounds just fine to me:D

3 moms found this helpful

I had my older kids in their 5 pt harness until they did not fit. They are tall for their age so 39 lbs at 42 inches was around age 3. I think they moved to the seat only booster at around 6 or 7 because their heads were above the back of the seats. My 3 yr old is in a Graco Nautilus, with 5 pt and will stay there until it does not fit, then we will continue to use the high back until she outgrows it. I agree though that a lot of people do not use the seats. We have a family on the next block taht has their 4 yr old sitting in the reagular seat with the seat belt--no booster what so ever.

3 moms found this helpful

My five year old still fits in it just fine, he's a little on the short side. He can comfortably sit in it for at least another year and a half. It feels safer to me to keep it that way.

3 moms found this helpful

my 6.5 year old is still in a 5 pt harness and will be for a few more years at least. At least in my car...

3 moms found this helpful

I plan on having my children in 5 pt harnesses till 80 lbs. And there are car-seats out there for that. Britax & Sunshine Kids offer some good ones. They are expensive, but not as expensive as the hospital bills and lifelong regret I would have if something happened. For those of you whom are skeptical, do a YouTube search for it - you'll change your mind.

:)

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My son moved to a booster at 2 1/2 because of his height. The shoulder straps at the highest point on the carseat were below his shoulders so he graduated to a booster and a 3 point seat belt. If your son's harness is at or above his shoulders then it is ok to keep him in it. If the harness is below his shoulders, it isn't safe.

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My son is way to big for a 5 point, at about 68 pounds and only 5 there's no way he would fit comfortably

1 mom found this helpful

My husband got one of those kinda. It looks like a car seat but just straps in with the seat belt. My daughter is three, a big three though. I am not a fan of it, and she hates it, but if we get into a wreck she isn't going anywhere. And that's the point isn't it?

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If my DD still fits at 5, she will be in a harness. She's not even 35 lbs yet so she's not FF. While some of her friends are, it's the choice I'm most comfortable with.

I think that as the seats take higher and higher weights and this becomes more "norm" you will hear fewer comments. Some seats now go 70 or more lbs with a harness configuration.

Friend and I both have Britax (hers are a different model) and we figured out that it's tight in their car with 2 carseats and 3 adults. So, no, not easy necessarily but my DD goes so few places without me or without me dropping her off that I feel we can work around any seat issues for a long time. I might do more driving, but we'll figure it out.

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I seriously don't know anyone who didn't put their kids in boosters as soon as they were tall enough but you are the one who chooses what happens with your child.

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Are you sure those are your son's measurements? I don't mean to be rude it's just that my son is 3 1/2 and 40 inches as well. He is not super tall either. He is also 37 lbs, which is th 50th percentile. If those indeed are his measurements as you say then keep him in the 5-point as he is the size of an average 4 year old. As long as he is willing to stay in there, it is much safer.

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My daugther is 4 years old and only 30lbs. I still have her in a 5-point harness seat even though some boosters say 30lbs is the min. We don't feel comfortable transferring her to the booster yet. And unless she gains 10lbs in less than a year, she too will be in a 5-point harness in kindergarten. By 40lbs, she will be a bit older and I might feel more comfortable putting her in the booster. But if you feel safer using the seat you're using, then don't feel weird or bad about it. The time will come when you feel safe putting him in another seat. For now, do what you want for your child and try to ignore others' opinions. I'm learning that the hard way myself :)

1 mom found this helpful

I kept my daughter in one till she no longer fit. At 9, she's in a booster seat still. Most of my friends wonder why since she doesn't need to be. Better safe than sorry.