Installed my Regent - Questions???

[Lexi & Maddy's Mommy]

We got our Regent last Friday FINALLY. They aren't lying when they say it is the king of all car seats - that thing is HUGE!!!!!!!

I have a 2005 Dodge Grand Caravan w/ captains chairs. I installed the Regent using the short belt path and tether. I thought I had read somewhere that different vehicles have different weight limits on the LATCH but I cant find anything in my owner's manual about that so that's why I didn't use latch (DD weighs 41 lbs). Does anyone know about a LATCH limit in a 2005 Caravan?

So far we love the carseat, but have a question. When you buckle the part down by their crotch, does it click? Neither side clicked at first like on all of the other car seats we have had, but now one side clicks and the other doesn't.

Also - it seems like the install is pretty tight, but I keep checking it and sometimes it seems like the top part moves a tiny bit. I read in the owners manual of my van that you can turn the latch plate over to keep it tight - is this ok to do?

Thanks in advance!:thumbsup:

[Lexi & Maddy's Mommy]

Testing to see if my siggy works now

[Mama!]

One click is how all Britax seats used to be. They are slowly transitioning to 2 click buckles.

Did you top tether it?

[Defrost]

Yes, you can flip the latchplate over if it doesn't stay locked. Good for you for checking your manual! :thumbsup:

[Jeanum]

Dodge has a LATCH weight limit of 48 lbs. (this is the child's weight) at which point it would be necessary to use the vehicle seatbelt to install the carseat. Here's a list of LATCH weight limits by vehicle manufacturer from the LATCH manual for reference:

http://www.saferidenews.com/pdfs/pg_126_max_wt_07.pdf

Please note the LATCH manual also recommends to continue to use the top tether beyond any stated LATCH limit in the vehicle in tandem with a seatbelt installation. This recommendation is due to the safety benefit of top tethering - the top tether serves to reduce head excursion in a crash. Also, the vehicle seatbelt will bear the brunt of any crash forces, while the top tether is considered a secondary point of attachment. More details about the LATCH manual's recommendation to use the top tether can be viewed at: http://www.saferidenews.com/html/LATCH_P49.htm

You don't have to make a new post just to test out changes to your siggy. Your siggy can be viewed in any of the posts you've already made, and when you make any changes to your signature, those changes will show in all your previous posts, too. :)

[Mom to a few]

Also - it seems like the install is pretty tight, but I keep checking it and sometimes it seems like the top part moves a tiny bit. I read in the owners manual of my van that you can turn the latch plate over to keep it tight - is this ok to do?

Thanks in advance!:thumbsup:

When checking for movement, it's important to only check at the belt path. I have a Regent installed in my husband's car (with LATCH and top tether), and when I check at the belt path it will not budge at all. If I place my hand on the top of the seat though, and try to push it sideways, I can get a tiny bit of movement. But really, the correct place to check for movement is at the belt path. You could also try with LATCH and see if that's any easier for you. Good luck!

[Lexi & Maddy's Mommy]

THanks Ladies!

Jeanum - I don't know what I am doing wrong with my siggy but I made one and it doesn't show up :( It is so different on all message boards so I must not be doing it right.

Mom to a Few - Thank You - it will not budge at the belt path, so I think I have it done right.

[Lexi & Maddy's Mommy]

Ok - so now my siggy showed up but it is not in my previous posts - who knows!

[Defrost]

Your girls are beautiful! :)

I'm not too familiar with getting siggies to work, either, but I think there are guidelines about the size of the pic and the size of the file, so maybe that's the problem?

[Jeanum]

I see the adorable siggy photo in your last two posts but not in your first ones in this thread now. The forum software was just updated/upgraded this past weekend, so maybe it just works differently now for all of us. :) It's probably not you. :) I'm also going to link you to an Admin Welcome announcement which has a blurb about signature size guidelines for you, because cute as the siggy is, it's over the size limits of 240 pixels tall by 640 pixels wide. :) http://www.car-seat.org/announcement.php?f=5 You can resize your siggy photo to make it smaller to fit within the size guidelines. I think you can right click on the photo after you resize it, and select "properties" to see its size in pixels to determine if it's small enough for the guidelines.

[Lexi & Maddy's Mommy]

Sorry - I'll have to resize it.

[my2kidsSafe]

i have a 2006 town and country very similar vehicles, and we have our regent installed with latch. Just wanted to let you know it is very easy to latch in our van. Since your dd is only 41 lbs you can uses latch for 7 more lbs.

[Kearstenn]

I have a quick question about the latch limit link that was posted. The link also states Tether Max. w/ Safety Belt for Honda is 40lbs. I just installed my Regent today and I did go ahead and tether...ds is 38lbs. Shouldn't I always use the tether? Or do I undo at 40lbs?

Thanks so much!

[Mom to a few]

Yes, you should continue to use the top tether: Top tether over 40 lbs (http://www.saferidenews.com/html/LATCH_P49.htm)

[Lexi & Maddy's Mommy]

Yeah, I believe you HAVE to use the tether with the Regent at all times don't you?

[Mom to a few]

Top tether is always recommended, but with the Regent it is required for children over 50 lbs.