Techs...what are the most common mistakes you see?

Victorious4 · Jan 18, 2007

Rolled towels are only for the necessary 45 degree incline that infants must have to prevent blocking off the airway -- having any fabric between the carseat base & vehicle seat cushion increases the risk that the carseat merely appears secure, when in reality it could slip too much in a crash....

skaterbabs · Jan 18, 2007

What Tiffany said. it can give the illusion of a secure installation. Also, noodles and roleld towels for adjusting incline are crash tested "fixes" - the seat mats are not.

southpawboston · Jan 18, 2007

papooses said:
Rolled towels are only for the necessary 45 degree incline that infants must have to prevent blocking off the airway -- having any fabric between the carseat base & vehicle seat cushion increases the risk that the carseat merely appears secure, when in reality it could slip too much in a crash....

i'm a little confused... what's to say that the smooth base of the carseat can't slip against the car's own upholstery in a crash... some cars have slippery leather, some cars have grippy fabric... big difference right there. and i thought it was the LATCH belt's or seatbelt's job to keep the carseat from moving too far in a crash, not the friction between the vehicle cushion and the carseat base.

Dillipop · Jan 18, 2007

A thin towel under your seat is fine. It's when you get into the thick mats that can compress that you run into the problem. I have had towels under my son's seat in my mom's car for years to protect against dirt and crumbs. It is pretty thin. I have also used thin towels in my car and had it oked by a tech before ds1 was born and we had to protect the seat from the muddy dog.

LuvBug · Jan 18, 2007

I think she was saying that often times those mats/liners give the illusion to the installer that the seat is installed secure because it doesnt slip... but in reality it isnt secured properly and in a crash it would move more than it should.

southpawboston · Jan 18, 2007

Dillipop said:
A thin towel under your seat is fine. It's when you get into the thick mats that can compress that you run into the problem. I have had towels under my son's seat in my mom's car for years to protect against dirt and crumbs. It is pretty thin. I have also used thin towels in my car and had it oked by a tech before ds1 was born and we had to protect the seat from the muddy dog.

yeah, i was referring to a thin beach towel. that's why i was confused... it had passed a seatcheck event but then i became concerned reading this thread.

joolsplus3 · Jan 19, 2007

southpawboston said:
yeah, i was referring to a thin beach towel. that's why i was confused... it had passed a seatcheck event but then i became concerned reading this thread.

The Evenflo manuals typically recommend using a towel under your seat for upholstery protection.

southpawboston · Jan 19, 2007

papooses said:
Rolled towels are only for the necessary 45 degree incline that infants must have to prevent blocking off the airway -- having any fabric between the carseat base & vehicle seat cushion increases the risk that the carseat merely appears secure, when in reality it could slip too much in a crash....

i guess the words any fabric had me thrown off. i guess i have to start interpreting responses less as "black and white" and more as shades of gray.

dvmvail · Jan 19, 2007

Ok, murphydog, I'm a little afraid to ask, but what the heck do you mean about incorrect "usage of rope" in relation to car seat installation --- I'm dying to know.

flipper68 · Jan 19, 2007

djma said:
I hope you don't mind me butting in, but I have a question...

Why no coats? I try to get my son's harness as tight as I can when he has a jacket on. It it just that there might still be some slack?

(& seat protectors)

Compression, compression, compression.

Anything that adds bulk between your child/harness/CR back or between the CR/vehicle seat increases the space that the CR and/or child will move.

Considering the CR WILL have up to 28" (tethered) /32" (un tethered) of forward movement in a crash, do you want to do anything that will increase that distance?

Lena · Jan 19, 2007

Why can't you put the seat belt through over top of LATCH?
When my son was younger a tech put it over top when we told her about the problem of my son getting ahold of the seat belt and wrapping it around his neck.

bensmom · Jan 19, 2007

Lena said:
Why can't you put the seat belt through over top of LATCH? .

Because the manufacturer has not said that you can. It either has been tested and failed, or it has not been tested. Either way, I would not use my child as the "crash test dummy" to find out.

Lena said:
When my son was younger a tech put it over top when we told her about the problem of my son getting ahold of the seat belt and wrapping it around his neck.

Was he forward facing or rear-facing? Either way, when I install seats with LATCH, if I am at all concerned with the child playing with the safety belt, I buckle the safety belt first and lock it (pull the shoulder portion all the way out and then let it retract). Then I install the seat with LATCH over this. The safety belt is not used at all in the installation, but I have moved it out of the way of the child.

Lena · Jan 19, 2007

He was forward facing at the time.

LuvBug · Jan 19, 2007

One vehicle's instructions say to put the seatbelt through the beltpath if you are using latch but not to lock it. It is so they dont play with it.
I forget what all was said in the thread, but I wonder if putting it through so they dont play with it(and get tangled) would be ok for any car as long as it wasnt locked?

Techs...what are the most common mistakes you see?

Victorious4

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skaterbabs

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southpawboston

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Dillipop

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LuvBug

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southpawboston

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joolsplus3

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southpawboston

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dvmvail

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flipper68

Senior Community Member

Lena

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bensmom

Admin - CPS Technician

Lena

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LuvBug

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