Car Seats and Extended Harnessing

Don't rush to a booster seat too soon

By Cara Miller

Not long ago the majority of car seats only harnessed children to 40 pounds and had very low top harness slots (THS). This often meant that younger children had to switch to a booster seat once they had outgrown the harness by height, even though they were not yet mature enough for a booster. The law in all Canadian provinces now states that a child must remain in a five-point harnessed car seat until they reach 40 pounds, but this is just a minimum standard. It doesn't mean that you need to rush your child into a booster seat, especially now that many seats in Canada harness up to 65 pounds and have much higher top harness slots. Always read your manual to find out what the height and weight limits are for your particular car seat. If your child is not big enough physically or does not have the maturity to sit in a booster seat, you will need to find a new seat that harnesses past 40 pounds and has higher top harness slots.

How do I know if my child has outgrown their forward-facing harnessed seat?

• The child weighs more than the seat's upper weight limit.
• The top of the child's ears are above the top of the seat.
• The top of the shoulders are above the top harness slots.
• Some believe that when a child is too tall for a harnessed seat, they need move to a booster seat.  If the child is not yet 40 pounds, a seat with higher top harness slots should be used.(see the Car Seat Safety Message Board for a list of seats with higher THS that convert to boosters)

Which children should be harnessed past 40 pounds?

• If your child is under age 4 and a half
• If your child still falls asleep in the vehicle
• If your child does not fit properly in their booster seat (ie. the lap belt rides up to their waist or the shoulder belt cuts into their neck or slips off their shoulders). See photos below

 

• If your child slouches, squirms, leans or plays with the seat belt
• If your vehicle is not equipped with shoulder belts
• If your child is not able to understand the importance of wearing a seatbelt properly, all the time

In countries like Sweden children are actually placed in a rear-facing position until closer to age five as many of their seats rear-face to 55 pounds. Rear-facing has proven to be five-times safer than forward-facing. After a child in Sweden has outgrown their seat they then move to a high-back booster seat with side impact protection. By this age/weight most children are mature enough to stay seated properly and injury statistics in Sweden prove this. Once your child is getting closer to out growing their harnessed seat it is always a good idea to booster train them before moving them to a booster full-time. This can be a great incentive for kids to sit properly all of the time.

Always follow the manufacturers guidelines for your car seat. This includes using the top tether in forward-facing car seats  –  this is often overlooked by parents and it's the law in Canada that all forward-facing seats must be tethered to an approved anchor in the vehicle. If your vehicle does not have one, check with your local dealer about installing one. Do not attempt to install an anchor on your own.

Always remember a "step up" in child restraint is a "step down" in safety.