Why Practice "Extended Harnessing"?
Far too many children are moved in to booster seats or adult belts (with no booster) far before they are mature enough to. Maturity means behaviour wise (can they sit still for the whole journey, do they misbehave and put the shoulder belt behind their backs?) and physically i.e. height and weight.
Top 3 reasons kids go in to a booster (when they really shouldn't):
Their younger sibling needs their harnessed car seat
Their peers are in booster seats
Need to replace their old seat due to age of seat/returning a loan seat and need a cheap replacement
Please don't "demote" your child to a booster seat for any of the reasons above (or for ANY reason for that matter) when they still fit perfectly well in a their harnessed seat. Think about buying or renting another seat with harness until they are physically ready for a booster seat or adult belt. Don’t use what other restraints your child's peers are using (if any) as an indication that they should move in to a booster. Unfortunately, not all parents make an informed decision before moving their child on to the next "stage."
"Every step in car seat "advancement" is actually a step down in your child's protection" - CPSafety.com
It's best to keep a child harnessed for as long as possible for optimal protection as the harness gives more upper torso support as well as spreading the crash forces evenly over the torso. Belts and harnesses spread the crash forces over the areas that are being touched. The more "points" there are in a restraint system (i.e. 3 points for a lap/sash belt, 5 for a 5-point harness) the more the forces can be spread out, instead of just concentrating on only a few parts of the body. However, a child who is over 4, within the weight and height requirements of a booster seat (with the adult belt correctly fitted in all ways),is behaved (sits well for the whole ride), is certainly still well protected and appropriately restrained.
Outgrowing the carseat
Your child has outgrown their child seat if:
* Their eyes are above (if even marginally) the top back SHELL of the seat (not the cushion at the top, if it has a spongy cover, the actual plastic shell)
* They are 18kg or over or
* They've outgrown the harness, slot wise (see: FAQ )
If your child has met any of the criteria above, then some suggestions might be:
* Find another car seat e.g. convertible booster . Convertible boosters still use inbuilt harnesses up until 18kg but typically have taller backs and higher harness slots then normal child seats, accommodating your child for longer. Newer designs of convertible boosters may also allow for the use of an installed child harness (bought separately) right up to 26kg (see below for product suggestions).
* Buy a booster seat whether plastic or polystyrene and use in conjunction with a child harness for more upper torso support. You may also want to look for seats with anti-submarine devices that prevent the child from slipping under the belt (see below for product suggestions).
If you have a Safe-n-Sound, HiPod, Babylove, GoSafe, Mother's Choice or Babywise (not infant seat) child restraints. The Britax bulletin about car seats is worth a read.
PLEASE NOTE:
Plastic full boosters without tethers (as present in New Zealand) - Can not use child harnesses that tether to the vehicle because they are not crash tested with them. Using them would effectively be subjecting a child to being a “crash test dummy”. Why? because the child can get squashed between the heavy weight of the plastic booster and the harness trying to hold them back.
Full boosters with tethers - May not use these additional child harnesses unless they have a Versa-Tether™ Catch. These catches look like an extra strap at the end of the tether with a metal (and often rectangular) piece for the child harness to clip on to. Seats that can not use child harnesses include (but are by no means limited to) the HiPod Barcelona, the original Safe-n-Sound Maxi Rider (now discontinued and replaced with the MaxiPlus), Evenflo Generation, Nania Nuevo, Evenflo Chase, Evenflo Bolero and the Evenflo Apollo. After the inbuilt harnesses are outgrown, these seats may only use the adult lap/sash belts to secure the child in to the seat/car.
Full boosters without tethers - Please contact the manufacturer of your restraint (full booster) to ask whether or not it can be used in conjunction with a child harness. Unfortunately I cannot answer this question for you, you need to ask the manufacturer.
Half/Backless booster seats and polystyrene boosters - Can use child harnesses up until either the weight limit of the child harness, or the weight limit of the half/backless/polystyrene booster seat (which ever comes first).
Whenever unsure, please contact the manufacturer (not the product importer/distributor) of your harness and/or booster seat to ask if the two can be used together.
Using a Child Harness
The use of a child harness is most commonly suggested to fill the "gap" between the child outgrowing their forward-facing child seat (whether it be a convertible car seat, forward-facing car seat or convertible booster seat) until the time they are big and responsible enough to sit in a booster seat with just an adult three point belt.
Child harnesses are also recommended for vehicles where there is no choice but to utilise the lap belt when there are more children then there are three point belts present.
Wherever possible, it is recommended to use a child harness in conjunction with a booster seat that has an anti-submarine clip to nullify the possibility of the lap belt riding up on to the abdomen of the child. It is absolutely vital that you make sure the child harness is fitted correctly according to the manufacturers instructions. It is also critical to make sure that the lap belt lies low on the hips/high on the thighs to lessen the risk of severe abdominal injuries which can be sustained if the child harness is tightened too much and rides up on to the abdomen of the child.
Product suggestions
Currently (as of May 2007) there are no child restraints available in New Zealand nor Australia that hold higher weights above 18kg (40lbs). For this reason, children are often moved in to booster seats. If you are using a booster seat and the adult belt used in conjunction with the booster seat is not appropriately restraining your child, please consider the option of an additional child safety harness that tethers to your vehicle. This harness still uses either a lap belt, or a lap/sash belt converted in to a lap belt with a locking clip. Make sure you read the instructions thoroughly and use and position the harness correctly. NEVER OVER-TIGHTEN THE HARNESS!
The following are suggestions for products you can use in conjunction with a child harness:
Option #1: Safe-n-Sound Maxi Rider II - Convertible booster.
Option #2: Safe-n-Sound Explorer - Convertible booster.
Option#3: Safe-n-Sound MaxiPlus - Convertible booster.
Option #1, #2 and #3 are "Convertible Boosters". These can be used from 8 - 18 kg with their inbuilt harnesses. After 18kg they can be used in conjunction with a Safe-n-Sound Protecta Harness. This enables you to have your child harnessed up until they 26kg (the maximum weight limit of the booster seat), or they reach its height limitations (whichever comes first). The Safe-n-Sound Protecta Harness is fitted through the shoulder slots in the Maxi Rider II, Explorer and MaxiPlus. These convertible boosters also have anti-submarine clips. PLEASE NOTE: These seats must not be used with any other form of child harness except the Safe-n-Sound Protecta Harness.
You may not find the 'Protecta Harness' in stores (in fact others might not have even heard of them) however if you specifically request your local baby store (i.e. Baby Factory, Kiwi Baby) ring Britax Childcare Ltd Head Office and have one sent in, they should be able to do this for you.
See:
http://www.childrestraintsafety.com/Safe-n-Sound-Maxi-Rider2.html
http://www.childrestraintsafety.com/Safe-n-Sound-Explorer.html
http://www.childrestraintsafety.com/Safe-n-Sound-Maxi-Rider-Plus.html
Option #4: Secure Infa Vario - Booster seat - This seat has a Versa-Tether™ Catch and can be used in conjunction with either the original Safe-n-Sound Child Harness or the Safe-n-Sound Protecta Harness. See: http://www.childrestraintsafety.com/Infa-Vario.html
Option #5: Secure Cindy II - Booster seat - This seat has a Versa-Tether™ Catch and can be used in conjunction with either the original Safe-n-Sound Child Harness or the Safe-n-Sound Protecta Harness. See: http://www.childrestraintsafety.com/Secure-Cindy-2.html
Option #6: Safe-n-Sound Hi-liner (must be Safe-n-Sound brand, not Britax UK) - Booster seat - This seat has a Versa-Tether™ Catch and must only be used in conjunction with the Safe-n-Sound Protecta Harness.
Option #7: Safe-n-Sound Pegasus - Booster seat - This booster seat has an anti-submarine clip between the legs and can be used in conjunction with either the original Safe-n-Sound Child Harness or the Safe-n-Sound Protecta Harness. See: http://www.childrestraintsafety.com/Safe-n-Sound-Pegasus.html
Option #8: Any polystyrene booster can be used in conjunction with either the original Safe-n-Sound Child Harness or the Safe-n-Sound Protecta Harness.
Option #9: Any half/backless booster can be used in conjunction with either the original Safe-n-Sound Child Harness or the Safe-n-Sound Protecta Harness.
Option #10: If the child weighs too much for a booster seat you can use the child harness on its own. However this is providing that:
* the child is within the weight requirements of the child harness
* they can sit all the way back against the cars seat
* the lap portion of the belt rests high on the thighs or low on the hips
* their knees can comfortably bend over the cars seat and they
* don't slouch while in this position.
For information on assembling the Protecta Child Harness in to the Maxi Rider II Convertible Booster, please go to the Child Restraint Safety webpage - link provided at the bottom of this page.
Source: Child Restraint Safety. Available online at: http://www.childrestraintsafety.com/extended-harnessing.html
Last Updated: April 2007
Photograph below copyright to Cherie Henderson
