seatbelt vs 5 pt harness

[sharon71]

My 5 yr old dd is riding in a Britax frontier 85 and right now using the harness,my problem is that ion days that I drop her off at school I need to be quick in the car line and she needs to get out asap,right now I have to turn around in my seat to unbuckle her,but with just the seltbelt she could unbuckle herself and get out.

so whjat would you do?

keep in mind if we go to the selt belt option it will be permanent.

if it helps any she is 48 lbs and 47 in tall.

[KempsMama]

It wouldn't hurt to see if she's ready to try the booster mode, but I think you should be prepared to switch back if she's not mature enough for it. 

[Aliy]

hmmm..... i wouldn't change her our of a booster.

I uderstand the stress of needing to hurry but you need to ask yourself is it worth the risk for being able to have her undo her own seat belt

[KempsMama]

Originally Posted by Aliy 

hmmm..... i wouldn't change her our of a booster.

I uderstand the stress of needing to hurry but you need to ask yourself is it worth the risk for being able to have her undo her own seat belt

Right, but at 5 yo she should be able to understand  that she needs to stay buckled.  Hence the maturity factor.

[DahliaRW]

Originally Posted by KempsMama 

Originally Posted by Aliy 

hmmm..... i wouldn't change her our of a booster.

I uderstand the stress of needing to hurry but you need to ask yourself is it worth the risk for being able to have her undo her own seat belt

Right, but at 5 yo she should be able to understand  that she needs to stay buckled.  Hence the maturity factor.

I agree.  A 5yo that knows when it is  or isn't ok to unbuckle the seatbelt (and follows the rules), and who sits properly in the booster, is perfectly safe.
 

[MJB]

I have a 5yo in a carseat and do the carpool line at kindergarten with him; he can undo his own harness and has been able to since 3. Have you tried teaching her how to unbuckle the harness?

I don't think there's anything wrong with using a booster at 5 but if you want to keep her in a harness, that might work. I have enough trouble getting my 8yo to sit still in his booster (he's constantly leaning forward to play with the baby, who's in front of him) and don't even want to bother with the little guy yet. 

[dbsam]

Originally Posted by MJB 

I have a 5yo in a carseat and do the carpool line at kindergarten with him; he can undo his own harness and has been able to since 3. Have you tried teaching her how to unbuckle the harness?

 

 

I have two six year olds in 5pt harnesses and they undo their own - I believe they started undoing their own buckles just after turning five when they started Kindy.  Prior to our turn to exit the car, they unbuckle and put on their coats. 

We have more of an issue with carline pickup because at age five they sometimes had difficulty buckling themselves so I would pull away from the line, get out, and buckle them.  Now, they do it themselves but often I need to pull over to give them extra time to take off their coats and buckle properly.

[sharon71]

she knows how to unbuckle it and has for a few years,the problem is the buckle sticks and is hard to undo I have to use 2 hands to undo it myself.

She knows not to unbuckle her seat belt until told she can.she'll even fuss at me ,DH and her sisters if they don't buckle up before the car moves.

[The4OfUs]

At her age, height, and weight, I'd try her in the belt positioning mode (it's the same booster just used as belt positioning instead of a harness, right?)   My 4-1/2 yo (46 pound, 44 inch) can sit in a high back belt positioning booster safely and correctly for trips around town when she's in DH's car, but on longer trips (which we make in my car), she still needs to be harnessed becasue she starts squirming.  We put our son in a high back belt positioning booster at 5 and he has done just fine - he'll be 7 in 2 weeks and he knows that he has to sit properly in the seat, no leaning, slouching, etc. - we've never had a problem with him.  Kids are ready for it at different ages; I'd give it a shot and see how she does.