My dd currently rides in a Cosco brand ff seat that has a 5 pt harness until 40 lbs and 43". Then you take out the 5 pt harness and use the belt positioning guides to buckle up with the car's shoulder and lap belt. What do I do while she is over 43" but under 40 lbs? Is is safe to keep her in the 5 pt until her weight catches up or should I go ahead and use the car's seat belts b/c her height exceeds the 5 pt harness limits? The user's manuel doesn't address the issue, it states "until 40 lbs AND 43 inches". I looked on the NHTSA website and as a general rule it said "until your child exceeds the height OR weight limits on the seat".
I am asking which is less safe? To keep her in the 5 pt harness beyond the hght limit or to put her in the seat belt below the wght limit? B/c this is the scenerio we find ourselves in and the user's manuel doesn't address an "inbetween" in regards to hght and wght.
She is 38 lbs and 43 1/2", so not a huge variance from the specs for the seat...what if she grows in hght a little more and her wght still lags behind?
She is mature enough to sit like she should in the car seat, no worries there.
This seat is in grandma's car and she rides in it 2-3 times a week.
WHat have you done with your kids?
I would buy a new care seat that will let her be 5 point harnessed up until 80 lbs and 57" tall. Britax Frontier is an amazing one.
get yourself to a fire station (police in some cities)! they have the training to answer the question and know local laws. it is NOT safe to have them in a five point that doesn't fit height wise - whether its her ears above the safe point on the head rest or the straps coming up and over her shoulders. if however, her height is all in her legs, she could be fine..... you really need a pro to look this over. also, neither of my kids could use the 5 point converted to a booster - they were so skinny that the seat belt didn't hit them until past the breastbone. so, you need to be ready for the pro to tell you to go buy something new...... good luck.
My son was that way....lean and tall. We knew he would so we purposely bought the car seat/booster that went to 80 lbs. I know its pricey but I would buy a new carseat. The height is important because if her head and neck are too high up they aren't protected and she could be seriously hurt in an accident. A lot of it has to do with age too, not maturity. In an accident her bones just aren't as strong as an adults and I personally feel that the harness is safer. Also, 2-3 times a week gives that car seat plenty of use.
Although the weight limits of harnessed seats are absolutes, the stated "Height limits" on a harnessed seat are actually more approximations than absolutes because kids of identical overall height will outgrow the same seat at different times depending on whether most of their height is in their torsos or legs. A forward facing harnessed seat is outgrown when the child's shoulders are above the top harnessed slot or the top of their ears are above the carseat shell - see http://www.car-safety.org/faq.html#Q58 (and with the Cosco/Eddie Bauer 3-in-1 car seats you have to read your manual closely because in many cases the top slot is not for use with the harness but only to set the car seat in booster mode)
And as a PP said, this seat does a poor job of positioning the seat belt in booster mode ( see: http://carseatblog.com/906/alpha-omega-elite-eddie-bauer-.... A better option that would allow your DD to remain in a 5-pt longer and have a seat that works better as a booster than the Alpha Omega is the Evenflo Maestro (about $80 retail) - see http://carseatblog.com/5923/evenflo-maestro-as-booster-re... .
Ideally, a child under 40 lbs. should remain in a 5 pt. harnessed seat, but if the Maestro is not in your budget range, you'd be better off with a high back booster like a Graco Turbo Booster (saw some at my local Costco for about $40) which positions the lap and shoulder belt well on most kids including kids who are just transitioning into a booster, than with using the Alpha Omega as a booster. Hope that helps!
Least safe is height.
Once her shoulders go over the slots, if you get into an accident (even a small one) the pressure from the straps below their shoulders causes their spine to snap. Meanwhile... their head over the line makes them very prone to traumatic brain injury. But if they've already been killed by their spine snapping that seems like the lesser of 2 evils.
I am SO glad you asked this question--I have twin 4-yr. olds, one of them weighs in at 40-41 lbs, the other at 36.2 lbs! Both are approx. 42" in height, but may be taller now. I think I will take my car by the fire station after work and ask them. Not only does this post help solve my dilemma, it also alleves my fears that my smaller kid may be malnourished! (I do feed her plenty, I promise)
Both of my children outgrow seats by height before weight and we get new seats. Does your user manual say the 5pt shoulder straps should be above their shoulders? or show where the ears should be in relation to the side protection? Because your child's height might be in the legs and then you're ok keeping your current seat.
Both of my kids are in Britax Frontier seats. Keeps them in 5 pt longer than any other seat. My daughter is 7 1/2 and because of her height, we just stopped using it as a 5 pt and now use the seat belt.
Your daughter sounds a lot like mine. My daughter is 38 lbs and 43 1/4". We also have Cosco 5 pt harness car seats in our cars with the same requirements. We are keeping her in the 5 pt harness until she reaches 40 lbs. I think the user's manual is very clear. It says "until 40 lbs AND 43 inches" which means that BOTH requirements need to be met. If it said 40 lbs OR 43 inches then it would be fine to switch her right now. There is a reason the manufacturer put 40 lbs in the user's manual instead of 38 lbs. 2 lbs is not that significant to an adult, but when you're a small child it is actually quite a bit. I know it's a pain to buckle the 5 pt harness every time but if that's what it takes to keep my daughter safe then that's what I will do. I know how frustrating it is though. I thought we would be able to switch to the booster a long time ago. Although my daughter has gotten taller, she has not gained a single pound since last November.
MY DD is the same way, she JUST hit 40 lbs mark and she is 6. I have her in a highback convertible booster and use the shoulder strap, or if her sister and her fight over seats she sometimes will use the regular car seat with a 5pt harness. They go more based off height so the straps are in the correct position to save her in the event there is an accident. For your DD I would think the shoulder strap would be just fine. Plus you pointed out she is mature enough to sit in the seat, so she will be fine.
she shouldn't be in the harness if she is taller than the max height it's no longer safe to use the harness. Cosco seats make poor belt positioning boosters so you might want to consider buying her a better booster if you are going to put her in one.
If her shoulders are above the top strap setting the harness will not help and can be harmful in accident. Take her and the seat to carseat technician your local police or fire dept usually has someone that can help you.
Edited: the recommended minimum for a booster is 4 and 40 lbs. Everyone has their opinions but if it were me I'd go buy a new seat like a graco nautilus for example.
If she exceeds the height or weight limit, it is time to move her to a different seat or the next stage of this one. It is not rated to safely protect when a child exceeds these measurements. Could she be safe? Possibly. Is there any reason to think she would be safe? No...if there were it would be rated for taller/heavier children.
