Please help me place my car seat in my car

[Unregistered]

I have an 04 Suzuki Aerio... It is equiped with latch system for the outboard positions. I would like to have my DD's seat installed in the center with the belt if I can however the middle seatbelt is a:

"Lap-shoulder belt" with buckle, a latch plate and a detechable connector

- so essentially it has a buckle on each side of the lap position (does this make sense- I hope so!

I am so confused- I am not sure if it is okay to use this type of seatbelt with my True Fit....

Also is it okay to put my True Fit in a more up right position for my DD while its rear facing- right now its at a 45 degree angle without the headrest..... soon she's going to be too tall not to use the headrest so I wonder if at that point if its okay to put her upright more so I can keep her RF?

THANK YOU soooo much for any help you might have.

[MustangMama]

It would help if you can tell us how old your DD is? :)

Infants with better neck control can RF at higher angles. As soon as you add the head rest I think it sounds like she will have enough head control to use a higher angle :)

[Maedze]

:yeahthat:

Also that seatbelt is perfectly safe to install car seats PROVIDED you can get an acceptable installation with it. Sometimes those belts are not the best for getting a really good shake-the-car installation.

[Unregistered]

DD is 7.5 mo (she was 6 weeks early so really about 6 mo gestationally- don't know it that matters too much)

Yeah I was wondering if the belt would be an issue- so, it it passes the shake the seat- its okay?

Thank you for your help- the local police dept is listed as a check point but when I called they were rather vague and gave the impression that if they did check my seat it might be 1/2 heartedly (UGH)

Perhaps I should look into doing it myself ;-)

Thank you!

[Unregistered]

You could also try your Local fire department. They too are supposed to be able to inspect Child restraint seats.

[Jeanum]

Not every police or fire station has certified child passenger safety technicians and it's important to be sure you're working with someone who is currently certified to check out your installation. You can use the Safe Kids seat check event and fitting station locator at http://www.safekidsweb.org/events/events.asp and/or the certified child passenger safety technician locator at https://ssl13.cyzap.net/dzapps/dbzap.bin/apps/assess/webmembers/tool?pToolCode=TAB9&pCategory1=TAB9_CERTSEARCH&Webid=SAFEKIDSCERTSQL to find a certified technician to assist you.

[Defrost]

Also, it is not necessary to be able to "shake the car" once the carseat is installed - Maedze probably only mentioned it because many parents feel it's safer that way, and are therefore unsatisfied with anything less.

However, the correct way to check a carseat install is to place ONE hand on the seat at the beltpath, and then give it a push-pull side-to-side - ONCE. Then, with the same single hand at the beltpath, give it a push-pull back-to-front - ONCE. As long as there is less than an inch of movement in either direction, it's an acceptable install. :thumbsup:

And has been already stated, you should find a certified tech, who should show YOU how to correctly install your seat (not simply install it for you.) :)