Does a 2.5 yr old rf need a 45 degree angle?

[mykidsmylife]

Just curious. The manual says so and I notice some seats on here are not 45 degrees. What is the reasoning for that??

[crunchierthanthou]

No, infants need to be at 45 degrees. Their airways can be blocked when their heads slump forward. Toddlers can be reclined between 30 and 45 degrees. It's actually safer for the older children to be more upright because more of the crash force is distributed into the seat. My ds is also more comfortable that way.

[mykidsmylife]

She wanted to know id it bad to keep it at 45 degrees. She cant get it to be anything but that itn her car. If she trieds to get ist 35 degrees it isnt in there tight so the only other way it will stay is straight up.

Thanks

[murphydog77]

No, but there are tricks to try to get it more upright. One is to pull the car seat away from the crack in the back seat about an inch before tightening the seat belt or LATCH.

What car seat is it and which vehicle?

[mykidsmylife]

2007 Mazda 5

[mykidsmylife]

Also she is scared about not going by the book which says 45 degree angle, so she wants to know if the marathon was crash tested at a 30 degree angle.

Any links???

[SamPacey&Joshua]

Older babies who can support themselves well can be more upright and are actually safer that way, as it allows the carseat to absorb even more of the crash forces. So yes, it absolutely is safe. A 45 degree angle is only needed for newborns and small babies who can't support themselves well...their heads can fall forward, cutting off their airway. That's not an issue with an older baby/child.

All she needs to do is pull the base of the carseat a few inches away from the vehicle seat crease and install it. It'll be REALLY upright and look totally wrong when she's done. Then she just has to attach the rear-facing tether and pull it tight...and that'll give it just the right amount of recline for her little one!

My boys are almost 33 months (almost 2 years, 9 months) and almost 17 months old and their seats are closer to about 30-35 degrees. They are a little more upright in my car than in my partners' and they have no problems either way.

[joolsplus3]

http://www.carseat.org/Technical/tech_update.htm#angleRF

"As the child grows, becomes heavier to restrain, and can hold his head erect, the angle should be decreased, making the restraint more upright, to provide better crash protection. For a sleeping baby, this angle should be at least 30° from vertical. In addition to improved comfort, keeping the back of the baby's head in contact with the CR provides better protection in a crash"

[Defrost]

Center row or rear row?

If it's the center row, I'm curious about what she's using to RF tether - I was looking in my '07 Mazda 5 the other day and it looked like RF tether options were slim. Seemed like I could remove a bit of plastic if I needed to, but none of my kids are RF anymore so I didn't bother.

[mykidsmylife]

She wants to know if it was crashed tested at the 30-35% angle. She is ovely cautios

[murphydog77]

Probably :shrug-shoulders:. Britax doesn't specify at which angles they test car seats. If she's that nervous about the rear-facing angle, have her meet with a child passenger safety tech who is experienced with Britax seats (such as a senior checker or an instructor).

[mykidsmylife]

She has the seat tethered to a metal rod that is botled to the floor, under her front driver seat. She had to move a plastic piece to get to it.

[snowbird25ca]

The FMVSS 213 and CMVSS 213 standard for a rf'ing car seat requires that it not rotate beyond 70* downwards from vertical in a crash.

45* is the required angle for most newborns, but isn't required for older kids. Many seats now are coming with indicators, and the indicators provide a range of acceptable angles. I'm not sure about US standards, but when I was reading CMVSS standards, it stated nothing about the installation angle of the car seat prior to the crash test. Younger babies who need the 45* angle are lighter, so less weight to contribute to downward rotation. Older kids have more weight to contribute to downward rotation, but should already be starting at a more upright angle, it's quite likely that manufacturers factor this in when crash testing seats.

Just for fun, try installing an infant seat with a few different levels of recline and see the wide variation that allows the indicator to stay in the allowed area. The range is quite a bit on the snugrides and ss1 anyways. The embrace I did at a check also was able to be reclined one more notch and still in the green (seat was for a newborn, and the angle visually didn't look enough for a newborn. Sure enough, extending the foot one more reclined the seat enough, but indicator was still in the green.)

[joolsplus3]

She wants to know if it was crashed tested at the 30-35% angle. She is ovely cautios

Um...tell her yes...?

I guess the carseat.org information had no effect on her?

She should call Britax? 1-888-4BRITAX

[mykidsmylife]

LOL J... I kinda have the same attitude. I was like a board full of techs said to do it this way.
She just said the manual doest say it and I trust a manual b/c that is how it was tested.

I did pull up a marathon manual that said 30-45 degrees but said nothing about needing to be 30-35 for an older baby. Basically she plans on keeping her 2.5 yr old and her 10 month old at a 45 degree angle b/c the manual says so.

I even showed her pictures of Seth seat at an angle not 45. I am not sure the excact angle his is.

I tried. I dont even know why she asked if she wasnt going to listen.


Thanks anyways for the help

[joolsplus3]

Eh, no worries. 35 degrees is like 99.999% safe for that kid, 45 degress is like 99.998% safe.

:D

[mykidsmylife]

I understand why she asked. I mean she does want what is best for her kids. I dont blame her for asking though.
I guess she weighed her dd and she was over 33 lbs anyways so she has to put her ff anyways.
Thanks for the advice though