Baby hates 5 point harnesses - can i adapt buggy

[Cherry85]

Just wondered why baby car seats have a 3 point harness but buggies / swings / high chairs etc have a 5 point? You would think 5 point more secure therfore safer in a car etc.

The reason I am asking is our 4 month old hates getting strapped in with a passion. Peaceful sleepy transitions to buggy or swing become a screaming session. I was wondering if a 3 point is safe enough for the car seat could I unhook the side straps on both the buggy and swing and just keep the two straps from shoulder to groin just to make it easier. He would still be restrained and unable to fall out?

It’s only infant car seats that have a 3 point harness, toddler seats always have a 5 point harness ime. Not sure why though, possibly a positioning/anti escape thing as toddlers are wigglier than infants

Almost anything I’ve had with a 5 point harness wont clasp without the waist straps. Although we have had one buggy that would and we did often use that one without the waist strap with no problems.
I would just make sure they’re plenty loose.

Also I’m not sure from your op if that’s what you meant but just in case, it’s unfortunately really not recommended to let them sleep in a swing. It puts them at risk of positional asphyxiation as they’re reclined rather than lying flat.

@Zigazagbox no sorry was more meaning the buggy for naps but in general no matter how chilled he is in my arms, he will kick off when putting his arms through a harness where as the car seat he is better with the straps kist coming down. Much better being put down or in playpen with no harness.

You can switch the reins to use as a harness in the buggy. There should be D ring anchor points. Or it maybe that the harness needs adjusting and is pulling down on his shoulders.

Sorry, I’m going to describe this terribly but if the shoulder straps and the waist straps unclip from each other have you tried putting him in while they’re unclipped from each other and then you just need to lay them over him and clip them together rather than pulling his arm through?

I have a mountain buggy and although it's a 5 point harness, the shoulder straps and waist straps all clip in separately so he might not mind as he wouldn't need to put his arms through anything, or you could leave the waist straps undone.

The reason that a 3 point harness is allowed in a car is because the seat is rear facing, so any substantial force on the seat is likely to be a head on crash, and the job of the harness is to prevent baby ramping up the shell of the seat. They're also fairly sort of moulded/snug at the sides so the baby shouldn't be able to wriggle out sideways by their hips.

That said, the harnesses in other products tend not to be safety critical like the harness in a car seat, so you could try modifying them and see how it works. I wouldn't leave him unattended though because any harness carries a risk of strangulation esp if too loose or modified in some way. If the baby wriggled out but was caught by their neck it could be really dangerous. Also, there are some quite rare but significant scenarios where the harness could be important such as if the buggy tipped over.

The swing we had was just a sort of "pants" shaped harness, it didn't have shoulder straps at all. I ended up detaching shoulder straps on most of our buggies as well so they were like this, as it seemed more comfortable for a child who could sit up well and if they were asleep, the recline stopped them from falling sideways without the support of the shoulder straps. You just need to then be aware/careful if you're navigating any kind of slope or carrying up steps, that they aren't in a full harness and could potentially fall out.

I also wonder whether you could simply place him into the buggy etc without doing up the straps if he tends to fall asleep quickly, and then put the harness on once he's in a deeper sleep? That way you could get the full safety intention of the harness without disturbing him and wouldn't need to worry about strangulation risks.