Non-slip mats, ok?

Non-slip mats, ok?

I have read on here about using non-slip mats underneath car seats. Is that truly all right? I have Prince Lionheart seat protectors (they aren't very thick, but they are rubberish- like a floormat) that I put underneath all my car seats and boosters. My installations are so tight that there was no movement at the belt path at all by the techs who checked them, but I added the seat protectors a few weeks ago, then re-installed the car seats.

The car seats seem absolutely as solid as they were prior to that addition, but have I done something wrong? I'm reading that they won't hold in an impact, but if the seatbelt is tight....

I'm confused. I'll take the things out if I'm putting my kids at risk, but I really feel that they help with slippage while I'm installing the seats.

And also- what about bracing an infant convertible seat against the front seat- good or bad move? I've never done it, but I am reading that it *may* be a good idea.....

Thanks again- what a great resource this is!

Jessica

To clarify-

Non-slip mesh and thin rubber mats should be just fine, as long as the carseat is installed as tightly as it would be without the mat. The mat should be neither thick, nor compressible, particularly under a front-facing carseat. As you said, the mat not only serves to protect the vehicle seats, but can also help the carseat from slipping during installation.

The only real problem arises when someone has a loose carseat, and assumes it is because the seat is sliding on slick seating surfaces (when in reality the problem is a poor installation). One solution often used in these cases is a no-slip mat. This can give a false sense of security if the installation is otherwise still loose, and the seat is only held from slipping by the no-slip mat. If the carseat is not being held securely by the seatbelts (or LATCH), then the addition of a no-slip mat will not keep it from moving in a crash. This does not sound like it is the case in your situation.

Bracing a rear-facing converible seat against the vehicle seat in front of it may improve safety in a frontal crash. Some claim that it can reduce or prevent the downward rotation of the rear-facing seat in a frontal crash. It is also probably better to be in contact with the seat to start, rather than possibly hitting it during the crash. Others argue that bracing may have no effect, since both the carseat and vehicle seat move forward in a similar fashion during a crash. Even so, bracing should never be a disadvantage, unless the instructions of your carseat say otherwise. The Century SmartMove, for example, must be free to rotate backward.

I hope that helps! Please ask if you need any further clarification.

Darren

Thanks...and one more....

Thanks so much for the information!

Can I throw one more question out there?

We went ahead and bought the Britax Roundabout- it'll be here in a few days (less on the web w/delivery than in the store reatil around here), but I am searching for sites on my car to hook the Versa-tether, and I need a little help.

I drive a 2002 Chevy Venture. I want to position the seat in the second row captain's chair behind the driver's seat. I see a point where the seat belt is bolted into the floor, but I also see a long, unencumbered metal bar directly under the driver's seat. It is an an actual part of the seat framework. It's about 12-14 inches long, and stretched from side to side of the seat.

I got under the car seat with a flashlight (my hubby now thinks I've lost my mind), and used the power controls to move the seat back and forth- this part is not a moving part. To clarify, obviously the whole seat moves along on the rails, but this bar, although it moves with the seat when the seat moves, is not a mechanized or moving part. Would this be a safe place to tether? It's a clear shot from where the car seat will be, and I wouldn't even need the connector. The only issue is that this bar is not bolted to the floor, although it is clearly a sturdy part of the seat, and the seat is attached to the floor.

Clear as mud, right? I saw some picture links on here to an Odyssey with front tether points, but I couldn't quite tell if this bar was one of them or not.

Thanks for any input you could offer, and I relaly appreciate the reassurance on the seat protectors. I really do like them, and I am glad to know I don't have to give them up! And I think I will brace the car seat against my seat. I drive with my seat so far back anyways, what's a little bit further? ;-0

Jessica

Some ideas for a rear-facing tether...

Generally, you can use any non-moving, structural part under the seat in front that is not at risk of being cut or torn by seat movement. These links may clarify things a bit better, since their photos are worth a thousand of my words:

www.childseat.com/tips/con_step4.htm

www.angelfire.com/wa3/isa...herrf.html

The seatbelt anchor is usually a good spot. Your other spot might be OK, but it's hard to say when I can't see it in person. Please let us know if the links above don't help, and I will try to be more specific.

Darren

Thanks again- we've found the spot

Thanks for the links- and the help. We borrowed the neighbor's RA to figure out how it would go in the car with the tether (I'm a planner), and we are going to feed it underneath the car seat, to the anchor on the captain's chair, and then brace it against the front seat. The sites you sent me to had great pictures of how to do this, so it made me feel at ease with it.

The seatbelt anchor from the driver's seat was a very, very awkward fit, and our seatbelt stalk (02 Venture) seems to face the opposite direction as the ones we saw in the photos, so we are going with the Swedish installation under the seat. It made the seat rock solid, although I have to say, with just the seatbelt alone, I could very, very little movement.

And as a bonus- we taught our neighbors how to use the tether- they weren't using it- they thought it was only for forward facing..... ;-)

Now we are just waiting for ours to get here!

Thanks again!

Jessica

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