Why do 5 pt harness boosters make for not so good backless boosters later on?

[Tinkerbell313]

I apologize if the title is a stupid question...I look to this board for information.

Background: I am currently researching for a new car seat for DS who is 43 inches and 48 pounds. He is on the bigger side and always has been. This is going to be a back up seat...to replace the Britax Wizard that is about to expire. I am going to move the 2 year old Britax Marathon over to my car (which he is in about 95% of the time).

I am looking for a new seat but my head is spinning with all of the information. Basically, I want a booster in which he can sleep comfortably (or as comfortable as he can). DD has a graco turbobooster and
she is so uncomfortable when she sleeps (basically, she looks like she has suffered a gun shot wound to the back as she is slumped over!!). This is a secondary seat that will not be used much...but will hopefully be the last seat we buy (when the marathon expires, I will move him into this seat permenately).

I have read comments here that when you switch a 5 point harness booster to a back less booster...the seat isn't very good (if I am phrasing it right and am I understadning the comments right). Why is that?

Should I just go with the Parkway?

Thank you.

[Joolsplus2]

Because younger kids who are just coming out of harnessed seats often sit better (and sleep better), in good, supportive highbacks. Highbacks also do a great job at substantially reducing head injury risk in side impacts. I wouldn't use a backless for everyday use until a kid is too tall for a highback, personally, and then only if there are good tall head restraints behind their heads (a bench seat with no headrests will always require a highback booster).
My kids like highbacks so much that they've sat happily in them in my van till ages 10 and 12 now...it gives them a place to rest their heads and better head protection than my older van provides :). We have some backless seats but don't use them for everyday use, just friend's houses or dad's car (that has curtain airbags for head protection). (Well, they don't even need boosters in cars now, but from age 5-10 they use backless boosters in carpools or friends' cars...)

[o_mom]

Most combination seats (those that harness and then become a booster) are not very good at the booster part, highback or backless. Many position the lapbelt dangerously high on the soft abdomen and not down on the strong hip bones. Given his size, you really only have a couple choices in combination seats. The Britax Frontier, Graco Nautilus and Safety 1st Apex are the only ones that harness beyond 40-50 lbs. Of those, the Frontier makes a great booster later, the Nautilus and Apex are hit or miss as boosters.

The Frontier harnesses to 80 lbs and makes great booster later. It can be hard to install, but there is a new version, the Frontier85 that is supposed to have updates to help that. There should be more details on the Frontier85 in a couple weeks, but I don't know how soon it would ship. In the meantime you may find a good deal on the older one, which is still a good seat, just has a pretty steep learning curve for installing.

The Nautilus is less expensive at $140-180. It can be a good booster on some kids in some cars and awful in others. It does tend to have head slump issues for sleeping kids and can be kind of narrow and tight for a larger child.

The Apex I would only suggest if money is a huge issue. It requires a vehicle seatback or headrest behind it at all times and the quality of the covers, etc. can be spotty.

You son is just three, right? He is too young to go into a belt positioning booster, so one of the combination seats would allow you to keep him harnessed 2-3 more years and then move to a booster when he has had more time to develop. :)

[Joolsplus2]

Oh, oops, yeah, for a 3 year old, a harnessed seat is really the only safe choice. I think O-mom did a better job answering for your current situation (backless boosters are just those without backs, like a phone book with arms, that's why I answered the way I did about head protection in highback boosters. Highback boosters (without the harness) are still not safe for 3 year olds (statistically, though they may be labeled for use with little kids, the head injury risk is just so much higher for them, as you see when he slumps out of it when asleep, there's no head protection and he's at higher risk for ejection entirely).

[Tinkerbell313]

Thank you very much!!! Both, answered my questions although when I reread my questions they weren't clear.

Yes, DS is 3.5 years. I realize he's too young for a backless booster. And he's also on the young side for a traditional highback...which is why I was looking at the 5 point harnessed boosters. He will be in the Marathon for at least 4 more years...or until he outgrows it. So this seat will be a back up...I am talking emergency backup...if I can't get to child care to pick him up...and someone else needs to pick him up (which has happened once since he has been born)

I knew that Britax was coming out with an updated Frontier...we could get the older version at our Babies R Us with the trade in event going on...but I am now thinking maybe I will just wait for the new version...since installation could be an issue with the older models and when this turns intohis full time seat...we would be moving it from car to car.

[arivecchi]

I would get him a Frontier as his primary seat and use the Marathon as back-up. DS1 is super comfy in his Frontier. :)

[GraceH]

So this seat will be a back up...I am talking emergency backup...if I can't get to child care to pick him up...and someone else needs to pick him up (which has happened once since he has been born)

Because of the more difficult install, I don't know that a Frontier would be good for last minute use... I would lean Nautilus for ease of installation (side note: how is the Maestro install? I have yet to play with one IRL, but I was considering its grandparent-useage backup potential over here...)

[o_mom]

I would get him a Frontier as his primary seat and use the Marathon as back-up. DS1 is super comfy in his Frontier. :)

This is a great plan. You get the MA ease of install for the backup seat, but can use the Frontier for a long time. Once the MA is outgrown you can see if he is mature enough for a booster as the backup seat.


Because of the more difficult install, I don't know that a Frontier would be good for last minute use... I would lean Nautilus for ease of installation (side note: how is the Maestro install? I have yet to play with one IRL, but I was considering its grandparent-useage backup potential over here...)

Agreed, the current Frontier is not something I would want to move often, especially given he is over the limit for LATCH installs in almost every vehicle. If this will be the backup, I would do the Nautilus, but if you can make this the primary the MA as a backup is great.

The Maestro looks to be very easy to install. (OP: I didnt' suggest that one because it only has a 50 lb harness limit which probably isn't enough for your guy).

[spunkybaby]

(Well, they don't even need boosters in cars now, but from age 5-10 they use backless boosters in carpools or friends' cars...)

So is it okay for DD1 (almost 6) to use backless boosters when riding in friends' cars? She has HBBs (old Parkway, Turbo Booster, and Recaro Young Sport) in our cars, but when she goes with her friend from school, she sometimes rides in an LBB (this is when the friend's mom picks DD1 directly from K, so I'm not there to give her the HBB).

Just trying to assauge my mommy guilt...

[Joolsplus2]

Yeah, don't feel bad, just make sure she knows how she's supposed to sit properly, even if she wants to lean over to see something her friend is looking at. Remind her of that one a lot (I've seen my kids, it's just natural for them to make sure the belt is always on them right, compared to their friends who lean all over the place in a scary way because their moms don't even realize it's dangerous so don't say anything...)