No tether anchor w/ 5 pt harness?

[mija y mijo]

DS is currently in a Graco Nautilus.  We just bought a Toyota Highlander and I was hoping to be able to install his car seat in the 3rd row, but it doesn't have any LATCH or TA back there.  Huge bummer!  I could try and see if I can get a tight install with the seatbelt, but without the TA would that be safe?  Or would you keep him in the 2nd row where the seat is currently installed with LATCH and TA?

[mama2soren]

A good installation with a seatbelt is just as safe as a good installation with LATCH.  However, tethering the seat does offer more protection (though tethering is not required with the Nautilus).  What year is your Highlander?  In some makes/models/years of cars it is possible to have TA retrofitted.  In the meantime, I would personally choose to have it installed in the second row (LATCH or tether, whatever gives you the most solid installation) with the tether.

[Maedze]

To clarify some terminology:  it is equally safe to install a seat with either seatbelt or LOWER ANCHORS (not LATCH, LATCH is the whole system).  

It is NOT equally safe to forgo a tether anchor.  No forward facing harnessed seat should be used without a top tether anchor; it greatly increases the risk of significant head and neck injuries in an impact. 

There will not be any Highlanders on the road (I do not believe, although I have occasionally been wrong ;-) )  that will allow you to 'retrofit' top tether anchors, as I believe they were all made after September 2000, and thus came with a standard tether anchor package.  

Your Nautilus needs to be moved to any one of the second row seats, all of which have a top tether anchor.

How old, tall and heavy is your child? 

[mija y mijo]

nak...

i thought this would be the case...  i heard the pilot has more options for car seat installations in the 3rd row, but we wanted a hybrid.  it's a 2008.  ds is almost 5 yo and about 36-37 lbs.  i haven't measured his height in a while...   it sounds like the safest place for him is the second row, so we'll keep him there and dd will just have to crawl through car seats to get back to the 3rd row.  :)

thank you for your input!

[mija y mijo]

i forgot to ask...

so would it even be possible to get TA installed for the 3rd row?  or because it has TA in the 2nd row, they wouldn't do it?  thanks!

[Maedze]

With a few rare and quirky exceptions, vehicles made after September 2000 (when the presence of tether anchors became mandatory in passenger vehicles), cannot have additional anchors installed.   Tether anchor retrofits are generally only for older vehicles that did not have any installed in the factory.  

Originally Posted by mija y mijo 

i forgot to ask...

so would it even be possible to get TA installed for the 3rd row?  or because it has TA in the 2nd row, they wouldn't do it?  thanks!

[Maedze]

Sounds like the best option :)    Hold old is your daughter?  Is she using a restraint?   Don't forgot that anyone sitting back there needs to have the head rest raised to at least the tops of her ears. 

Originally Posted by mija y mijo 

nak...

i thought this would be the case...  i heard the pilot has more options for car seat installations in the 3rd row, but we wanted a hybrid.  it's a 2008.  ds is almost 5 yo and about 36-37 lbs.  i haven't measured his height in a while...   it sounds like the safest place for him is the second row, so we'll keep him there and dd will just have to crawl through car seats to get back to the 3rd row.  :)

thank you for your input!

[mija y mijo]

she is 10. no restraint, but i will make sure the head rests are up.  thanks!  :)

[Maedze]

Glad I could help 

Also, unless your daughter is very tall for her age (something like 75% of 10 year olds still need boosters), there's a chance she still need a backless booster in the third row.   Is she at least 4'9"?   Does she pass the 5-step test? 

1.  Lap belt low on the hips, never touching the belly.

2.  Shoulder belt crossing the chest firmly, not touching the throat or coming off the edge of the shoulder

3.  Bum back in the bight of the vehicle seat, not slouched forward

4.  Knees bend beyond the end of the vehicle seat and feet flat on the floor (my guess is this is fine in the third row of a Highlander)

5.  Ability to maintain this position upright for 100% of every vehicle trip, even when asleep, without turning around, bending over, or slouching

If any of the 5 are not met 100% of the time, a booster is still needed.  

[mija y mijo]

she's 5 ft tall...  very tall for her age!  she's been wanting to ride in the front seat now.  she weighs about 77-78 lbs.  do you know if she's big enough to ride safely in the front seat now?

[Maedze]

I was five feet tall at 10!  And 5'6" by 12.  I'm 30 now, and 5'7", so I promise you it can slow down. LOL.

That being said, no, she's not old enough to ride in the front seat.  It's really a matter of age as well as belt fit (which I'm sure is fine or close to it given her height).   The younger a child is, the more likely he is to suffer serious injuries in  front seat crash, and this is true across the board regardless of size.  It's about body proportions, bone maturity, etc.   

The absolute youngest a child should be before front seat riding is 13.  In fact, if you flip down your visor, you'll see the warning there, that children 12 and under belong in the back seat.   And even after that, a study published in 2007 showed that kids from 13-15 years, compared with 16 and up, were disproportionately more likely to suffer serious or fatal injuries in a crash, if they were in the front seat.   

My suggestion would be to keep her in the back seat until at the very least 13, and thereafter, I would consider keeping her in the back seat until you're getting closer to the time that you'll be teaching her how to drive.  
 

Originally Posted by mija y mijo 

she's 5 ft tall...  very tall for her age!  she's been wanting to ride in the front seat now.  she weighs about 77-78 lbs.  do you know if she's big enough to ride safely in the front seat now?