Can You Answer My Car Seat Satety Questions?

My son (4 1/2) has been in a Graco Nautilus since he outgrew his convertable seat at 3yo. I love it. He happily sits in a 5 point harness and hasn't shown any signs of wanting something else. It has a cup holder and a big boy look to it. I think I paid like $140 for it at Walmart.

HTH
T.

Straps needing to be above the shoulders has to do with how the force of impact in an accident will keep her properly secured in her seat. When they are under her shoulder it could potentially pull her shoulders which could be cause injury. Having them above (but not to far) will keep her where she needs to be, so long as the straps are tighted against her body as to where you can only fit one finger behind them and the chest clip is placed at about the armpit level.

There are a lot of seats out there now that harness to 65lbs, but one thing to keep in mind as this was the problem that I ran into, the strap hight would never accomodate a 65lb child. I tested all of the seats that went to 65lbs before comminting to the Britax and my son, who is 4 about 34lbs and 36in tall was just shy of his shoulders hitting the placing for the strap. In his Britax Marathon he still has 2 slots to grow into! There was no point in even buying another harness seat because it was the same as the up to 40lb harness seat we already own.

I know that Britax is really expensive... but they are worth every penny. I just bought a Marathon and am still kicking myself for not doing so sooner. You just have to keep your eye out for a really good deal. I got our $279.99 seat for like $159! I will never buy Graco or anyother American common brand again as they just can't even come close to the quality and ease of use as a Britax offers! Like another post said.... stay away for Evenflo they are really no good.

Diapers.com is running there Britax on sale 20% off. And if you enter referral code FRID5486 you get an ADDITIONAL 15% off! Plus free shipping. We received our stuff in 24 hours!

With safety, go with the best. Britax Frontier 85 will 5 point harness till 85 pounds and then be a booster till 100 pounds. With both discounts the seat should run you about $190. Walmart is the cheapest place we found the Natilus but it was still $150. Britax seats are good for 9 years. All other seats expire after 6. For what you get, you are better off spending the little extra money.

When a child is rear facing the harness should be at or below the shoulders, this prevents the child from riding up the seat in a crash. When a child is forward facing, the harness should be at or above the shoulders. This holds the child against the seat in a crash. If the harness is below the shoulders in a forward facing child, the child is at huge risk for spinal compression, which is very dangerous, and deadly.

A forward facing car seat is outgrown when one of three things happens; the child goes over the forward facing weight limit, the tips of the ears are level with the seat back, or the shoulders go over the top harness slot.

Ther eare quite a few affordable seats on the market right now that will harness your daughter for quite some time.

Evenflo Maestro is $80 and will harness to 50lbs and has a taller top harness slot, my 5yr old still fits in the harness! It also becomes a really good booster seat after the harness is outgrown.

Evenflo Generations65 is $99 and will harness to 65lbs. It doesn't make a very good booster, but its a reasonable option that will harness your daughter until she's the appropriate age and weight for a simple booster seat.

Graco Nautilus is $150 and will harness to 65lbs, and will harness the longest because of height out of the three seats listed here. It also becomes a booster to 100lbs, and a no back booster as well. This is a GREAt seat, very comfy for kids ,easy to install and use.

Keep her in a harness if she is under age 5, but if her shoulders are over that top harness slot of her current seat, you must stop using it now and get her a new seat. the Evenflo Generations is at Babies R Us, the Maestro and Nautilus are at Target or Wal Mart.

I to couldn't buy Britax new, but I was determined to put my son in one. I wet on eBay and othe bidding sites and found a marathon for $170 brand new. So I know it can be done. Shop around if you really want Britax.
I also woulnt suggest Evenflow. I used to work at banshee r us an Evenflow along with all the cheap American brands (except Graco) are cheaply made and he plastic feels like a mcdonalds toy melted sown and snapped into a car seat. But that's my two cents. I also opologosed if my post seems weird . I'm typing in my iPod and it has been doing weird things.

try to picture her body thrown forward in a crash... if the straps are above her shoulders, they will hold her shoulders/body back, but if the straps are below, then that could create slack if her body was thrown.

Graco Nautilus is great--harness up to 65 lbs and booster to 100 lbs

We bought the Alpha Omega Elite Convertible Carseat that goes up to...100LBS. That's right 100 Lbs. We bought it at Sams Club; had for a few months now. It only cost us $75.00. Wonderful carseat; with the 5 point harness system, arm rests, cup holder etc. Check out it. Maybe you can purchase it at your local Sams club or Cosco.

try the graco my ride 65 - its about 120-140.00. rear facing to 40 lbs and forward to 65 i think. we have it and i love it. my dd is almost 2 and very tall and she is still riding backwards. it is a 5 point harness also.

I've never heard that- I always heard that the straps had to be at or below the shoulders, if they are above the shoulders, it's unsafe.

Someone already gave you the safety/physics info on the straps, but as a recommendation - the graco nautilus is an afforable car seat with high harness slots that should keep her harnessed until a good booster age (5-6) and then it becomes a high back booster and then a low back booster.

Go to:
www.seatcheck.org
and find a free inspection site near you. They will tell you exactly what you need. Fast. Free. Priceless peace of mind.
You don't have to guess. Don't hop on the hype brand bandwagon--get the facts. This is too important to guess at. Good luck!

If you cannot afford a britax have you looked at the graco nautilus? We have one and the manual states that you can use the 5 point harness to 52 inches or 65lbs. then it goes to a booster and then backless booster. We love it :) My 3 yr old is close to the height of your daughter and he has plenty of room left in it.
Edit: one of our many previous seats was the alpha omega we wanted to rearface unti lthe max on the seat but he out grew it so we borrowed a seat from someone else. We took it back out again when we were ready to turn him around at almost 3 to forward face and he was too tall for the harness and I was not putting him in the booster and by the way the make horrible boosters so we got the nautilus.

Graco!!!!!!!!, Love it!!! 5 point harness and up to 65 pounds. Converts to booster or back booster for up to 100 pounds!! Love it!!!! My daughter has the same as most of her friends. It is pink and she calls it her "BIG Girl seat!"

Britax just changed their seats and have the 2009 models on sale! Check albeebaby.com or look for new in box with free shipping on eBay. We have a britax marathon and have been in a really bad car accident, so I trust their safety! Our oldest is in the britax frontier, 5 point harness to 85lbs.

Take a look at the graco nautilus. It harnesses up to 65lbs and then goes to a seat belt high back booster, then a backless booster. Check your local Target to see if it's on sale this week. Ours has them on sale for 140 right now. I know 3 people that have them for their kids and love them. I had a Britax maraton for my son and I probably would have gotten the nautilus if they would have been out when I needed a front facer for him.

Good luck
S.