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narb126
05-09-2001, 04:32 PM
Unless I'm missing something, the 4th Edition does not discuss overhead bar vs. five-point harness. I need to buy a new car seat for my 9 1/2-month old, since she is too tall for her infant seat (boy, is the book right on that issue). I'd appreciate any feedback on this issue.

alandenisefields
05-09-2001, 08:43 PM
Hi there. Thanks for reading our book, BABY BARGAINS!

Actually, we do discuss that on pages 294-297 of the 4th edition!

best wishes,
Alan & Denise Fields, Authors
BABY BARGAINS

allele
06-10-2001, 11:06 AM
The difference between an overhead shield and a 5-point harness is this: On the 5-point harness,the belt path goes around the shoulders, between the legs, and around the sides of the legs to give 5 points of resistance in the event of a crash. The overhead shield is a 3-point harness with a 5-point restraint. Basically what that means is that the harness goes around the shoulders and between the legs to make the three points of resistance, but in the event of a crash, the force is going to push your child against the belts and their hips will hit the overhead shield, making the other two points of the restraint. It's hard to explain in an e-mail how that type of carseat works, but i hope it helps!

allele CPS senior checker

aunt83me02
06-10-2001, 11:55 AM
Check out SafetyBeltSafe U.S.A.'s website at
http://www.carseat.org/ look under the category, the "best carseat." They have a very thorough overview of the different types of harnesses and seats. I have copied and pasted a paragraph from their website. I don't mean to 'scare' you into a 5-point, but this article states some concerns about the tray/shield harness.

Safety experts have concerns about safety seats with shields. According to Kathleen Weber, University of Michigan, Child Passenger Protection Research Program, tray-shields usually are not covered with energy-absorbing padding to protect the head if it hits the shield. This contact is more likely with a shorter child and a loose harness. In a test series with a 12-month-sized dummy, peak head acceleration was 35% higher for tray shield restraints than for 5-point harnesses. At least one child (19 lbs.) is known to have received a fatal head injury from contact with a tray shield.

tjjbeo
06-11-2001, 02:38 AM
buy a 5 pt. It's all I have ever bought(6 total)and they seem much more safe than the car seats with the shield. I have friends who have the shield type and their children seem to always be getting their arms out of the belts and have alot of slack in the belts in genral. hope this helps a little.