Car Seats

Hi there!

My DD will be 4 in about 3 weeks, and she is currently in a Graco Nautilus with the 5 point harness.  I want to keep her in the 5 point restraint as long as possible.  I had heard that when she is 4, I need to use the seat belt option and I don't think I am comfortable with that yet.  Is there an age/weight cut off for the 5 point?  She is 39 pounds and 42" tall.  The 5 point fits her well so I don't see a reason to stop using it unless there is a safety concern I don't know about?

Thanks!

Jen

no, you can 5 point harness until she outgrows the harness.

I wonder if what you are seeing is the seat belt has to be used as opposed to the LATCH.  I don't know what the latch limits are on a Nautilus and you also have to watch the limits of LATCH in your vehicle.  Most vehicles only LATCH to 40 pounds, some are higher (Subaru goes to 60).  Mine doesn't list it at all, unfortunately.

The information about being 4 is not correct. The MINIMUM age that is recommended for a booster seat is 4 years old and 40lbs, but this is the bare minimum. Of course, some of the older car seats only had a 40lb limit so that might be one reason this misinformation is so common.

You can use the Nautilus until she outgrows the harness - either by reaching 65lbs (unlikely) or when her shoulders go above the top harness height (likely). The harness must be AT or ABOVE her shoulder. She should have quite a bit of growing room.

Here some information about why the 5pt harness is safer - so the science that goes with your gut/mother's intuition... http://www.kyledavidmiller.org/pages/4211/Car_Seat_Safety:_5-point_Harness_is_Safest.htm