AOE recline issues

[mommycat]

Hi

I tried searching but I am out of time to dig. I tried installing my AOE in a 2007 Civic driver's outboard. I have removed the base, I'm using LATCH and have a 3-noodle pyramid underneath. I got an angle of 22 degrees. What are the tricks to getting it in to a bigger recline?? I tried a few times but get the same result every time. What am I doing wrong?!

Here are some pics of what I have right now.

[thepeach80]

Can you get an o.k. install w/ the base on? I would have to look at the manual, but I'm pretty sure you can use the base and noodles. If you can't get it in w/ the base, get bigger noodles? I also try to make sure I'm pushing on the seat area of the carseat as opposed to pushing where the feet go, this gives a little more recline.

[Mama!]

We had that seat.

when you are pushing down to tighten it, push down hard where the baby's butt goes, and if you can get behind it (literally standing behind the seat with the seat resting on your pelvic bones) see if you can angle it down that way. I was able to get a decent recline with 3 noodles, no base and latch that way.

[KristiD761]

I would have it on the base and try or get large rolled towel...like a beach towel..instead; sometimes to get that angle good for a young baby that will work better.

[mommycat]

Ok, thanks.

I will try to push more towards the back, first.

I've tried it with the base but have never had it fit well in any of our vehicles except in the truck (Silverado, and only tried FF). It looks really weird in the Civic because the seats are so contoured that barely any of the base is actually resting on the seat. I guess a towel might fill in some of the gap. Because of the contours in the seat back, the whole seat sort of sits away from the seat crease. It looked funny and I have had little use for the base so far, so I didn't try that option too hard. I wish it wasn't raining today so I could fiddle with it more easily.

The baby is 7 months old but he is cruising already, so he is not in need of a very large angle, he's got great head control. But I do need it to be more reclined than 22 degrees!!!

[snowbird25ca]

I'd start by taping the noodles together if they're not taped together already, and then shoving the noodles in tighter towards the seat bite. Then the front edge of the seat should be resting right on the noodles. Right now it looks like the noodles are supporting more in the midpoint of the base rather than right at the front (foot,) area.

Also pushing down and back when tightening the belt will really help. If you have room to get in behind the seat and use your tummy/hips to push the seat in while you use one hand to pull the LATCH belt and the other to press the seat down in the bum area should help a lot.

[mommycat]

I'm beat. The weather turned nice so I went out to try, just without the base for now because I had to take a break to watch the kids again. I pushed from behind the seat and tried to push it down etc but I just used a protractor to check my printout and I gained maybe 2 degrees, so still all wrong. I do have the noodles taped together but the seat has a hole that seems to swallow them up - can I use 4 noodles or is that too much?

I want to go try with the base but my childcare is spotty (husband has his own agenda for today, grr) and I'm not sure I can get the seat out now.... hah. Must go battle the LATCH loose.

[mommycat]

OK, what the heck? I tried with the base and 3 pool noodles and still managed to get about the same angle, I think. Here's what it looks like. I guess I will try again another day and re-install the SS1 in that car for tomorrow. :(

[mommycat]

oops full view

The first one above was to show that there is a ditch of sorts right at the back of the seat that just eats up the whole bottom noodle. and then there is a hump right at the seat crease and the LATCH bars are above that.

Also, is the base ok being off the seat so much? it seems like it only contacts the noodles and then just at the back, and the whole middle is floating.

[mommy_quigg]

Oh wow. Have you tried in the middle? Would it work there? I can't quite tell if it's the same in the middle or not.

[mommycat]

I haven't tried the middle. The middle is a (from what I can tell, typical Civic) bump. It is also a very narrow seating position, and I frankly don't think the seat would fit next to the LATCHed Radian (FF). Although I haven't tried the fit that way with the base on the AOE. I shudder to think of trying to move over the Radian as that would require use of seatbelt, I think, and it's all snug and tight the way it is. I even had that one put in at a seat check. I am including a picture of the space between the two seats now, below.

For tomorrow, since I ran out of time to keep fighting this, I am taking the SS1 base out of the truck and sticking that in there. It fits fine. I was just hoping to not have to keep switching it around since I have the AOE sitting around. Once daddy gets a job closer to home I will permanently have the Civic back and will put the carrier in there for good, and fit the AOE into the truck( which *seems* like it should be a breeze, though this opinion has no basis in experience...)

[mommycat]

My latest try, I think it is better. Is it ok for the noodles to stack this way? They are taped together (duct tape on one side then I ran out and used that glossy brown plastic tape, whatever that's called, on the other side). I didn't think until I was looking at the pictures that maybe I am putting too much faith in them staying in that configuration? Or is it safe to say that if the rear one is squashed that much and the seat is not budging they are held down by the base well enough? I think it's a safe bet they are more squashed directly under the seat than the ends look.

[CDNTech]

The noodles look okay to me.

If you want it further reclined, you need to take the base off... then you need to start with the flat part of the seat (on the bottom) closer to the seat bight.

When people are trying to achieve a more upright install, we tell them to pull the seat away from the seat bight an inch or so... this will give them space up front to push down where babies legs go and achieve a more upright install because the front of the seat (where babies legs go) is not smushed up against the vehicle seat back.

So, if you do the opposite (start with the seat closer to the vehicle seat bight) and position the seat at a 45 degree angle *before* you use the seatbelt OR LATCH (whichever you're installing with), then you can push where babies bum goes when tightening and *keep* that 45 degree angle.

It also helps to run the tail end of the LATCH belt (or extra shoulder portion of the seatbelt if you are using seatbelt) through the RFing belt path. Pull the cover back slightly and pull the excess webbing through the RFing belt path. Then when tightening, push down where babies bum goes and pull the webbing (to tighten) straight towards the back of the seat (where babies head goes)... this will also help encourage the seat to keep that 45 degree angle.

From all of the pictures, it looks like your whole angle issue stems from starting with the seat too far away from the seat bight. Hope that helps. :o

[mommycat]

Thanks! I may fight with it more at some point, that was a good description. My protractor tells me I have 34 degrees, so I think I will believe that and go with it for today. I don't think he needs a large recline but we will see if he naps on the drive.

[Misty-Bug]

I used to have that seat but I found Cooper outgrew it height wise before weight wise. Just a heads up on that.
The pool noodles in the later pics look better. I would also take the base off. Here is a pic of it installed in my 1996 Ford Taurus. This was a good install. Just giving you a reference......Hope I am not confussing you. I would get bigger pool noodles to be honest.
http://i44.photobucket.com/albums/f12/Misty-bug/carseats/P6150217.jpg

[mommycat]

Thanks. I did know about the seat getting outgrown fast, in fact I panicked about it last year when I somehow, despite checking twice, got the settings wrong, somehow, and thought my older son had outgrown it already... :whistle: (Measure thrice, buy less?) At the time I was all stressed out and then bought him all new seats I didn't yet need... Oops.

I posted this in the Estimating RF recline angles thread, but thought it would be good to add here, what I did to make it work this time at around 34 degrees:
As far as what I did: I turned the pool noodles a different way, which may have helped, but the big thing was just making sure I had the level lines level when I started and then just shoving like crazy on the seat back with my belly from behind the seat while I tightened it down, then keeping it down while I tightened it more with my knees in where baby's bum would be. I think I was putting too much pressure on the foot area before trying to get it tighter, this time I made sure to push only in the bum area while I also pushed down on the back with one hand. (And I think I was bracing on the door frame to tighten it towards the back of the car as well as down, because I seem to have a bruise on my bra strap - although that could also be from wearing the baby around town in the Hip Hammock. :p )

And I saw those pool noodles at WalMart when I got my smooth ones but thought that maybe the ridges weren't a good idea because they would leave gaps into which material could compress... guess I was just overthinking it. :o

[Defrost]

Just giving you a reference......Hope I am not confussing you. I would get bigger pool noodles to be honest.


Misty, in the picture you posted above, it appears that the carseat isn't actually resting on the pool noodles? It looks like that front "foot" on the carseat is behind the noodles, and the noodles are just pushed into the gap?