It is Much Safer for children to remain in 5 pt harness car seats as long as possible! A 5 pt offers better protection than a booster, especially for younger children!
In the event of a crash, a 5 pt harness spreads the crash forces over the strongest area of the body, and there are 5 points of impact instead of just 3 like with a seatbelt w/booster.
The Way a booster works is by raising the child up a few inches to where the lap belt sits low across the child's thighs rather than across their stomach (They can get serious, even fatal internal injuries from the belt when it sits on that soft tissue across the stomach!)
Also, a booster helps position the shoulder belt correctly across the shoulder and not next to the neck. Young children are often too immature to sit correctly in a booster or to have a proper fit od the seatbelt with the booster.
It is important that a child be AT LEAST 4 years and 40 lbs before moving to a booster, but even longer in the harness is better! When moving a child to a booster, it is important to make sure they have a proper fit of the belt, and that they are mature enough to sit that way the entire trip and wont fidget, put the shoulder belt behind their head or under their arm, wont lean side to side, doesn't fall asleep often in the car, etc.
The good news is, Many car seat brands are now realizing the need for higher weight Harness car seats, and there are several options now, in all price ranges!
I will list the names of all the current High Weight Harness car seats, and their prices.
* Graco Nautilus $149 Goes to 65 lbs in Harness, Turns into booster to 100 lbs!
* Cosco/Safety 1st Apex 65- $130. 65 lbs in Harness, Turns into booster.
* Evenflo Triumph Advance- $130-$150. 50 lbs in Harness, and is also a convertible seat, can Rear Face to 35 lbs!
* Compass/Safety 1st True Fit- $179 Convertible that can go to 65 lbs in harness
* Sunshine Kids Radian 65/80 - $199/$279 Both are convertibles with the same top slot height, but one goes to 65 lbs, the other 80.
*Britax Marathon/Boulevard/Decathalon - $249-$289 All are convertibles that can go to 65 lbs!
* Britax Regent- $269. This is the biggest 5 pt seat on the market today. Can go to 80 lbs! Forward facing only.
*Recaro Como/Signo- $249-$289. Both are convertibles, can go to 70 lbs!
I want to also provide some links that might be helpful!
http://www.carseatsite.com/ff.htm
http://www.kyledavidmiller.org/pages/4211/Car_Seat_Safety:_5-point_Harness_is_Safest.htm
http://www.freewebs.com/sacredjourneys/albumharnessed.htm
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=azgBhZfcqaQ&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y2LFo8vVi04&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V2kO8AxKbrM&feature=related
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