Is there a 5 point harness car seat for a 18.5kg 2.5 year old?

[mcmurgy]

My son just turned 2 and a half and I weighed him last night. He is 18.5kg and now too heavy for his current 5 point harness car seat. I do have another car seat I could use but it would be using the 3 point seat belt instead of a 5 point harness. I did a bit of research and I think legally he has to be in a 5 point harness until he is 3.

I know there are a couple of rear facing car seats that will do up till 25kg but at a meter tall, his legs just won't fit rear facing. I did find one forward facing car seat but at a £600 price tag, that's a scary prospect for 6 months use!

Any help would be greatly appreciated

The rear facing car seats are designed for children up to six years old, so his legs will fit. Children are often more comfortable with their legs crossed or bent upwards than dangling, anyway - look at how they sit on chairs. In any case, an extended rear facing seat (some of them do FF as well) is your only option unless you want to spend £500 on a special needs seat.

Legally he has to be in a 5 point harness until 15kg, the law on under 3s is that they need to be in an "appropriate child restraint" - a booster counts as a restraint if he's in the weight limit for it. But of course they are designed for older children, do you think he could be trusted to leave the button alone for example and not wriggle/slouch under the seatbelt?

I have a basic Kiddicare one - 5 point harness that can be taken out when no longer needed, and the whole thing looks like a high back booster. Look up their 9 months - 11 years range. Very cheap which may, of course, be seen as a bad thing.

Thanks BertieBotts, not sure he would cope with the normal seat belt just yet. He would most likely wriggle out of the crossover part, leaving him with just a lap belt. I'll have another look at rear facing seats and try them out.

NighLark, thanks for that. I'll have a look but most combination seats only 5 point harness until 18kgs and then you need to use the standard seat belt.

Look at the photos of legs on www.rearfacing.co.uk :)

You're right about the combination seats. The harness is only approved up to 18kg in most.

Rear facing kids just cross their legs or dangle them down the sides of the seat. Some seats sit far back leaving a sort of footwell between them and the seat itself.

They look really comfy : )

We are concerned that our son won't like being in a rear facing seat after being front facing for so long but his safety is more important and we are in charge...despite what my son thinks ha ha!!

I quite like the look of the britax two way elite which gives the option of front or rear facing with 5 point harness up till 25kgs. Only available in 3 shops in the UK and none of them are anywhere near me for trying it out before we buy. The nice (and helpful) lady from Britax informs me that it is imported from Scandinavia.

I feel slightly better knowing there are options out there, thank you very much for your advice : )

A lot of people on here have the TWE. If you're happy to post an approximate location, someone may offer a try out?

Would the ones with an impact cushion (like the Kiddy seats) work? There is a Kiddy one which can be with an impact cushion to start and then convert to a high backed booster.

www.mothercare.com/Britax-Dualfix-Combination-Car-Seat---Black-Thunder/860442,default,pd.html

I have this, its from birth to 4 years

That seat is only til 18kg as well Hygiene.

I have a Kiddy seat and the impact cushion is also only up to 18kg, then it is the adult seat belt.

Ahhh i didnt notice that

Just looked at the age of the child and knew the seat went up to 4 years

The ages they give for seats are just approximate, so some 2 and 3 year olds will be too heavy for an "up to 4 years" seat - I think 18kg is around 75th centile for a just 4 year old.

DS is very tall (125 cm now at 5.9) and sturdy, always has been and went into a high back booster at 2.9/18.5 kg for the same reasons as you are describing OP. He was surprisingly good about leaving the belt buckle alone.

Britax two way elite is harnessed up to 25 kg.

We use the TWE as well, huge 4 year old still fits comfortably, though he is now trustworthy to be in a high backed booster. Great seat.

Dd2 and ds2 have the britax two way elite, they wee £220 each so yes, quite expensive but should last a while as dd is 18.8 kg at 4.5 yrs and ds is 12.5kg. Dd 2 is tall and has long legs but is very comfy in it.

We have a TWE. DD was 18 kg a couple of months ago and she is still in the 5 point harness, though we also use it RF. She seems fine in it.

My daughter is five & over a metre tall in an Axkid Minikid, which is rear facing, seat belt fitted to 25kgs.

She has lots of room left to grow in the seat. She loves it & is very comfy.

Thanks very much for all the great advice. We are probably going to go for the TWE with the hope that our son takes to rear facing again but with the fall back of forward facing with the 5 point harness if he doesn't.

On my hunt for advice I came across this website. www.goodeggcarsafety.com/blog/ They have an ask the expert service and they replied to me within 24 hrs.

My question was similar to my original post and this was the response

Now your child has outgrown the group 1 harness limit of 18kg, you are indeed left with two options. Either move him to a group 2,3 high back booster car seat or purchase a group 1,2 rear facing car seat that will allow you to use a harness up to 25kg.

If you wish to continue to use a harness, the group 1,2 rear facing option will allow you to do this. The seat will be seat belt fitted, not ISOfix, as ISOfix has a limit of 18kg. The Britax Two Way Elite is one option, and that gives you the choice of using it forward or rear facing. That seat is available exclusively from the In Car Safety Centre in Milton Keynes. Their number is: 01908 220909.

Depending on compatibility with your vehicle, a group 1,2 rear facing car seat will give you more to choose from – if you would like to supply your vehicle make, model and year I may be able to recommend some seats for you to research

Really helpful and made me realise we shouldn't be using the isofx base anymore! I'll email back and see what options she can find.

Thanks again

If you get him rear facing, I recommend getting a mirror that straps to the rear middle seat headrest, that way you can see him in you rear view mirror.