This may get long, but here it goes:
My 5 1/2 year old is in a Britax Frontier, 5 point harness seat (that can convert into a booster), it is LATCHed into my 2003 Durango. I am a huge fan of keeping kids harnessed as long as possible. The problem is, my son's weight is rapidly approaching the car's LATCH limit. So my choices are I can keep him harnessed but will have to use the seatbelt to connect the carseat to the car OR I can use the Frontier as a booster seat but attach it with the LATCH (when using as a seatbelt booster, it is safe to use latch past 48 pounds).
So, I am looking for opinions, I feel LATCH is safer than seatbelts and gives a tighter connection but I would like to keep him harnessed as long as possible. The you tube video that everyone has seen that promotes keeping them harnessed longer is about seatbelts failing. So is it better to have a seatbelt fail and the kid harnessed into a carseat that potentially could fly out of the car in an accident or have the seat latched in but only a seatbelt across the child, as the booster is latched in?
Thank you for taking the time to share your opinions!!! Hubby is kind of like " just do whatever you think is safer", I feel it's a big decision!
Thanks everyone for your opinions...I definitely prefer he stay harnessed as long as possible so I will go the seat belt installation route when the time comes. I just know so many people who had trouble getting tight seatbelt fits with Britax but will go to the police dept. or fire dept., to have them double check for me. I appreciate you taking the time to answer my question! He still has 2-3 pounds to go until he reaches the LATCH weight limit - that could be 3 months or a year, who knows!
I think most Certified Child Passenger Safety Techs will tell you that LATCH was intended to make child safety seat installations *easier* but a proper seat belt installation is just as safe as a proper LATCH installation. here's a link to the LATCH info on car-seat.org: http://www.car-safety.org/latch.html
First of all THANK YOU for keeping your son in a five point as long as possible. The Frontier is a good choice. We have one as well as two true fits and we also had two Britax Regents. There is a common misconception that using Latch is safer than a belt. It is not, it is just easier, in some cases. The SAFEST way to secure your seat is whatever route offers you the ability to get a good tight install. In my husbands car, the latch works horribly. The points just arent suited for a good install and a seat belt route is tighter and easier to use, in my car, there are no latch point because my car is too big ( excursion). The Britax Frontier offers two belt paths, long and short. I prefer the long belt path because you will always get a tighter, more solid install. I would NOT put him in booster mode until he has outgrown the five point harness in height, not the height the seat says, but where his actual shoulders and tops of his ears sit in the seat. Are you near Orange Park FL? I would be happy to help you. I would suggest going to a car seat check point, but in my years of experience, they dont have the experience with these longer lasting Britax seats and dont have a clue. They actually made a dad turn his 14 month old forward facing in a Marathon and then told me to get my 6 year old out of the Regent and into a backless booster. No thank you. There are videos that will help you use the long belt path route. It is complicated at first, but once you get it , you will love it.
I would follow the weight restrictions for the carseat and call Dodge and see what they suggest I know my Volvo had specific carseats they recommended for certain ages. My biggest dislike of a seatbelt is my eldest has several times undone hers without saying anything which is really dangerous so instructing the importance never to do this is really important, if you do choose to use the seatbelt to secure the carseat you can buy guards for the seatbelt latch to stop it accidentally being undone but its not advised for booster seats in case you need to undo it quickly in an accident to release the child. Goodluck - parenting is one big guilt trip at times when safety is concerned!
we have 2 Britax Frontier 85 and had no problems installing them using seatbelts.
Out of all the research I have done, I feel it is safer to keep the child harnessed rather than turning it into a booster seat. Everything I have read as well as the opinions of the police and fire department show that seat belts are just as safe as the LATCH system as long as they are installed properly. If you are unsure about the installation, you can take the manual and the seat to your local fire department or if you have a Babies R Us they often have car seat workshops where they will check the car seat for you. I would definitely stick with the harness as long as possible. It is the safest for your sweet boy!
Hi D.,
I agree, the latch system is safer than just a seatbelt. With that said, where do the straps hit your son at the shoulders? If below the shoulders at the top position, he needs a booster seat. When straps hit below the shoulders, they can break bones in an accident.
I also suggest you contact your local fire department. Many fire departments are certified to install/check child car safety seats.
Good Luck,
R. Magby
I hear most people say the latch is much safer, but I have not researched it per say. my car has it so I use it. good luck. xo
I use seatbelts to latch my kids in their seats and I get them REAL tight. I was never good at getting the LATCH system to work... I think the harness is better but thats my opinion. I would perfer my kids shoulders held and them not to fly forward. Not all seat belts fail and if you are truly worried about it contact the police department or fire station and ask what they suggest. Thats what I do when I have any questions about carseats. Also I took a carseat class just to get facts and I loved it maybe you can look into that? Good luck!
If it was me, I'd keep him harnessed even if you can't use LATCH anymore. I don't use LATCH in my car as it is not recommended in the middle seat. It is attached securely with the seat belt and we check monthly or so to make sure that the belt is still holding it tightly. If we notice any extra movement, we tighten it right up.
Remember, LATCH is relatively new technology, so it's not necessarily the best way to go.
I agree with a couple of the other moms, I would skip the LATCH in favor of a 5 point harness with a seat belt. I don't believe that LATCH is safer than *properly* installing a car seat with a seat belt, LATCH is simply a system to make installing seats the same in each car. I think that the safest thing is keeping your son harnessed as long as you can, that is what I would do with my son.
My 4 yr old is in a Frontier also and just reached the latch weight limit and i hated not using the latch system but figured if the seat belt were faulty, I'd still rather her harnessed in rather than flying out the windshield. Sorry for the graphics :)
Great job keeping him harnessed til 5!
If you think LATCH is safer... think of this. LATCH is only ok to use up to 40lbs (and in some vehicles 48lbs). The seatbelt is tested to withstand a crash with 380lbs. Now which do you think would be safer with a child that is too heavy for LATCH limits?
LATCH is NOT safer, it was invented to be easier for parents to install seats. There is no difference in safety between a properly LATCHED seat adn a properly belted seat.
Do not turn the seat into a booster, install it with the seatbelt, learn how to lock your seatbelt (READ YOUR VEHICLE MANUAL) and get a good install. If you cannot, find a CPST at www.safekids.org and an event in your area to help you install it properly adn show you how to do it. Also, always use the top tether of the car seat, regardless of weight. Top tether is necessary when using a larger seat like the Frontier.
For what its worth, I've never used LATCH to install. Britax LATCH clips are very nice and easy to use but hte seatbelt was easier for me and I preferred the install in every vehicle with seatbelt vs. LATCH. My 45lb 4.5yr old is in the Regent right now installed with the seatbelt and top tether.
Don't worry about the seatbelt failing, its not very common to happen, and if you use the top tether your seat wll still be in the car, and even if the seat IS ejected from seatbelt failure (again very uncommon), your child will be contained in the car seat and much safer than being thrown from a booster seat with nothing protecting him.
Again, learn how to install with hte seatbelt, and learn how to lock your seatbelts and get a tight install. If you need help, find a CPST in you area to help you.
I use Britax products also (love them) and currently have a Chaperon and a Boulevard. We will be moving up to the Frontier 85 soon though. It is possible to use both the belt and the LATCH? Like you, I trust the LATCH more than the belt, but there must be a weight limit for a reason... So, like I said, is using both a possibility as it is with other seats (like Boulevard)?
