Looking for a Safe 5-Point Harness Car Seat for a Child over 40 Lbs.

Updated on February 06, 2008
M.S. asks from Gurnee, IL
8 answers

Hi,
My 2 1/2 year old son is a little over three feet tall and weighs 43 lbs. He has outgrown his car seat. I am trying to find a safe 5-point harness car seat for a child his size. Any recommendations? I do not want to use a booster seat with the car seat belts. I have heard this may not be secure enough. Thanks for the help.

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So What Happened?

Thank you all for the great information! We went with the Britax Regent and it is wonderful. It is so nice to be able to get advice from other Moms on these topics. It saves a lot of time and frustration. Thanks again.

More Answers

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C.D.

answers from Chicago on

The following all harness past 40 lbs. It really depends how long you want him in a 5 point harness. The longest possible is the best, so I would go with the Britax Regent (we have that one). The Regent harnesses to 80 lbs. The other Britaxes are nice (Britax Boulevard, Marathon, Decathalon, etc) harness to 65 lbs, but most often kids outgrow it by height before weight. Most kids outgrow those seats around 45-47 lbs. So, you get more bang for your buck with the Regent. Britax is having a sale very soon (next week or two) and it's on line only, so make your decision fast and you can save some money. Check out www.car-seat.org if you want to know exactly when it is and if you want more reviews on which seat to get.

Your other options are- that haven't already been mentioned:
Recaro Como or Signo- harness to 70 lbs
Graco Nautilus- brand new, harnesses to 65 lbs. then converts to a booster- around $150- in some Walmart's now, more later this month
Apex 65
Coming out soon, and looks awesome- Compass True Fit (look at amazon.com for pics)

As with the Radian 65 or Radian 80, I bought one and had to return it because the straps are closer together than other seats and ended up digging into my son's neck. Many people have complained about that, and given your son seems a tad bit on the bigger side for his age, I would probably forgo that one. It isn't around in any stores here, so you have to buy it on line and pay shipping to return which stinks.

Good luck!

2 moms found this helpful
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A.S.

answers from Chicago on

There are really only a handful of seats that do that.

The Britax Marathon is great, but I think you are going to want something bigger seeing how he is 43 lbs at 2. It technically goes to 65 lbs, but the straps are not at a height that actually getting to 65 lbs is realistic (ie they will outgrow by height before weight). Britax also has a 5 pt harness seat that goes up to I believe 80 or 100 lbs...it is called the Regent. It is quite large, but I would think you will probably get the best use of out of that. http://www.toysrus.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2815321

Evenflo Triumph Deluxe goes up to 55 lbs...but that is only 12 pounds for you so I don't know if that would be worth it.

My son had a Triumph in one of our cars and when he outgrew it we bought this seat http://www.toysrus.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2452313
At 3 he just wasn't mature enough to ride in a booster seat and I wanted to keep him in a 5 pt harness as long as possible. I like it cause it has the 5 pt harness to 65 lbs and then it can also convert to a booster after that, and it is more budget friendly. The only thing is that you have to have a car with high seat backs or with a head rest because the entire back of the seat has to be against the seat of the car for it to be safe.

There is also the Radian 80 and Radian 65, but I have also heard that kids often outgrow this one by height before weight as well. http://www.elitecarseats.com/Sunshine-Kids-Radian-80.pro

Fisher price also has a new seat out that is almost identical to the Marathon if you were wanting something like that with a lower price tag. It is called the Safe voyage http://www.albeebaby.com/fiprsavodeco1.html

This website is a really really good place to go get info about carseats. Lots of active child passenger safety experts there and reviews of different seats. I ALWAYS go there to find the latest and greatest when I need to find a seat. http://www.car-safety.org/basics.html

2 moms found this helpful
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J.H.

answers from Chicago on

M.-

Go to www.tinyride.com I bought mine from them- Look for the Britax- in my opinion it is the best seat! I love it- I believe they offer free shipping- It is very heavy-

Good luck-
Jackie

2 moms found this helpful
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T.S.

answers from Chicago on

Check out Britax. I think their Marathon goes to 65 pounds and they are very highly rated for safety.

1 mom found this helpful
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C.W.

answers from Lafayette on

we have a Britax Regent. It's great!

1 mom found this helpful
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D.B.

answers from Chicago on

Britax! best and safest!

1 mom found this helpful
Smallavatar-fefd015f3e6a23a79637b7ec8e9ddaa6

C.U.

answers from Chicago on

I agree with you, my daughter just turned 3 and she weights 35lbs. I just bought her the Fisher price Safe voyage, got it on-line with free shipping for $129.99. It is made by the Britax folks. We should be recieving it tomorrow. I just couldn't see just using a seatbelt for her, she wouldn't stay put, and I just didnt feel good about it!
If you have any questions about it let me know. C.

1 mom found this helpful
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R.C.

answers from Chicago on

Lots of car seat makers now make regular 5 point harness car seats that go from 30-100 lbs. I actually have a spare almost unused Cosco car seat (mostly black and tan color) that I would be happy to sell you since we don't need it anymore. My mom asked me to buy a long-use car seat for her car but she has only driven my daughter twice in two years and doesn't want it in her car anymore. I don't really have a price in mind but if you are interested e-mail me at ____@____.com you want a new one, try Target, Babies R US or online.

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