carseat in van

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C

Caviller

Guest
Yes.

Any position in back is safe, provided the carseat fits well in that position. For older children in belt positioning boosters or seatbelts, you must also have adequate head restraints and a lap/shoulder seatbelt.

Center seats are the first choice because they are farther from a possible side impact. Still, many times carseats can not be installed there, and in some vehicles (like minivans) there is no center position.

We have our two children in the captain's chairs, one behind the driver, the other behind the passenger seat.
 
L

Laurac

Guest
car seat rear facing in captains chair

I have a 2001 Chevy Venture and cannot for the life of me get my car seat to fit correctly rear facing! Any recommendations for a desperate mom? My 8 month old can barely fit in the infant carrier with a jacket on and she doesn't weigh enough to go front facing..
 
C

Caviller

Guest
It may simply be incompatible-

The best way to make sure your baby is safe is to see a certified technician in person for a free inspection. They can also teach you how to properly install the seat yourself and answer any other questions you may have.

Please visit the "Free Carseat Inspection" link under the top banner to find a tech in your area.

Darren
 
U

UlrikeDG

Guest
The captain's chair behind the driver in the Venture is hard

The captain's chair behind the driver in the Venture is hard to fit. (My friend is a technician, and *she* has trouble with her 2001 Venture.) She recommends using the other captian's chair. The seatbelts are set up differently, and that seat is much easier to use for a carseat installation.

Of course, seeing a certified child passenger safety technician for assistance is always a good idea, too. <img src=http://www.ezboard.com/images/emoticons/wink.gif ALT=";)">
 
J

Jessica

Guest
Ventures

I have the 2002 Venture, and not every car seat went into the captain's chair position behind the driver. I am using a Britax RA there now, and it fits really well, however, there were a few we tried in there that just were not good matches at all. One brand looked no bigger than the RA, but we couldn't get in there.

If you haven't purchased a car seat yet- I'd go to a store and ask to have them let you actually put it in the car. I know some stores have car seat benches now to try the seats out on, but if it's not configuration of your car, it doesn't do any good.

I hope that helps a little....The Venture is terrific, it just takes a little work to find the right seat for that position.

Jessica
 
S

safeinthecar

Guest
Re: carseat in van

As to the size of your baby and the infant carrier, you are right not to want to put her forward facing yet. Babies are safest rear facing and should stay that way as long as possible. Bare minimum turn around time is one year and twenty lbs. That is the age when the consequences seem to go from serious(broken neck) to moderate(severe whiplash). The older a baby is when forward facing the better chance of her escaping a crash uninjured. You say she barely fits with a jacket on.How about without the jacket? If the jacket is bulky enough to change the way she fits in the seat it is probably to bulky to be safe for car travel. Try this test to see. Put her in the seat with her jacket on and make the straps snug(you should not be able to pinch the strap lenth wise) Then take her out of the seat without loosening them, take her jacket off and buckle her back into the seat(without adjusting straps) if the straps are loose now then the jacket is too bulky. In a crash any thick material, like a jacket or a thick insert, will compress and leave a gap in the harness with could allow the baby so slide out. If you need to keep baby warm and she kicks off blankets try putting her jacket on her backwards(arms through the sleeves) after she is safely buckled up.or choose a warm thin jacket (the polar fleece ones work great .

Rule of thumb is noting thicker than a sweatshirt between the carseat and the baby. Lots of luck.

Kim McDaniel
CPSTech CA
 

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