Infant harness slot being too tall?

champatlife

New member
ANyone ever had issues with a baby born to term being too short for the lowest setting on an infant car seat?

I was looking at our backup snugRide 22 slots, and they looked so high! I did a quick measure and they were at 9.5", so I decided to go measure our Radian and they were 7.5"

My husband assured me if by chance our little one is too short he'll go out on an emergency car seat run... I was just a little shocked!
 
ADS

carseatcoach

Carseat Crankypants
Yes, some of the Gracos (maybe others, I'm not picking on Graco, but they are the ones I've seen the most) do not fit even some average-size, full-term newborns.

P.S. I would not expect a newborn to fit in a seat with 9.5" slots.
 

champatlife

New member
Thanks. I knew it looked crazy high. I've never been a fan of graco (it just always looked cheaply made compared to others- but that's just personal opinion), but when I found it for 34 dollars with the portable travel system I decided not to pass it up.

I guess I will make sure we have the car with the radian installed just in case.
 

DahliaRW

New member
Strangely, the higher weight snugrides (currently the snugride35, but the previous models of the SR32 and SS1) all have lower slots than the Snugride22.
 

Mae

Well-known member
Yep; it's quite common.

With Graco, the Safe Seat 1's lowest slots are lower than the Snug Ride 22's lowest slots. I'm not sure how exactly the Snug Ride 32/35 compares to the Snug Ride 22 and Safe Seat 1, but I know that the lowest slots are the shortest of the three. Did that all make sense? lol

SnugRide 22 on the left, Safe Seat 1 on the right. Sorry, I don't have a picture of the Snug Ride 32/35. :(
ccdb8ad6.jpg
a15f9691.jpg
 

joolsplus3

Admin - CPS Technician
I've been getting a solid 8" on the SR22 and SR35 floor models recently. Might have a lot to do with cover thickness, because I don't think the molds for the shells have changed (the cheaper the seat, the thinner the cover, the 'taller' the lowest slots seem).
 

Mae

Well-known member
I've been getting a solid 8" on the SR22 and SR35 floor models recently. Might have a lot to do with cover thickness, because I don't think the molds for the shells have changed (the cheaper the seat, the thinner the cover, the 'taller' the lowest slots seem).

Yes, I took a peek at the Measurements and Data Spreadsheets and it said that there were various different measurements. They seemed to range quite a bit, depending on pattern (and perhaps measuring style). According to the spreadsheet...

Safe Seat 1 - 8"
Snug Ride 22 - 7.5-8.25"
Snug Ride 32 - 7"
Snug Ride 35 - 6.7-7.5"
 

ketchupqueen

CPST and ketchup snob
Staff member
They really do vary. A TON. Depending on age of the seat, shell color, etc. It's crazy.

The Radian's bottom slots are not 7.5 by a long shot though. ;) They are 8.5 for sure, on every one I've measured (with the comfort foam in-- old models were 9.)
 

champatlife

New member
I looked at a data spread sheet someone posted on another forum, but... this is my pictures of ours. Horrible pictures (my husband was taking the pictures for me while I held the tape measure. Going from the crease of the seats where back and buttocks meet.

003-1.jpg


005-2.jpg


(probably should have removed the head support so you can see it better.
 

champatlife

New member
by the way when I was reading the graco manual, it even mentioned using a car seat mat protector to protect the vehicles seats. I found that odd.

and it mentioned, "an adult should ride in the rear seat to watch the child" (okay I have no problem agreeing when the child is newborn) "if the driver is the only adult present, a child may need to ride in the front seat. BUT ONLY if there is no passenger side airbag and all other vehicle seat and seatbelt requirements are met"

I can't say I've ever read that in a car seat manual before?

and how accurate do you think the level indicators really are? Mine looks really upright, but it's in the blue with no other color showing.
 

ketchupqueen

CPST and ketchup snob
Staff member
Did you stick a pencil or ruler or something in the slots to make sure that the slots in the cover actually lined up with the slots in the shell? Because that Radian pic looks like they might not be, and also I'm seeing at least 8", probably more. Remember that a baby in the seat will compress the bottom padding down slightly, too, so you need to press down a bit to get an accurate measurement. :)
 

champatlife

New member
How old is this manual?

Manual is stamped with 2007* ( car seat manufactured Feb 2010)

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Ketchup, I dug down to make sure the cover and slots were even. I however didn't compress the bottom of the seat, but I measured the SnugRide22 the same way (but it's fabric was thinner)

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We have a few more weeks before the baby gets here so I'm contemplating ordering one more convertible. I just can't decide between the True Fit and the MyRide. From you guys experience which one has lower slots? (and which one would you pick? I want it to be able to RF next to the Radian.
 

featherhead

Well-known member
We have a few more weeks before the baby gets here so I'm contemplating ordering one more convertible. I just can't decide between the True Fit and the MyRide. From you guys experience which one has lower slots? (and which one would you pick haha?

I would personally go with the MyRide, cause I find the straps on the True Fit are slightly wide at the shoulders for some newborns. I'm not sure on the numbers, but they both have nice low slots, that should fit the majority of newborns.
 

pj2rc

New member
by the way when I was reading the graco manual, it even mentioned using a car seat mat protector to protect the vehicles seats. I found that odd.

I just bought a HBB turbobooster for a backup hauling other kids since they are on clearance at Target -- that manual also recommended putting a mat under the booster to protect the seat. I really found it strange also.
 

ketchupqueen

CPST and ketchup snob
Staff member
Several brands now allow or recommend a thin towel or mat under the seat. The key word being thin...
 

joolsplus3

Admin - CPS Technician
I think Evenflo and Graco have always recommended using thin towels, a blanket, or a seat mat. But like KQ says, it should be thin. As techs, it's easier to issue a blanket 'no mat' warning than it is to go into all the shades of gray, and some different brands don't allow anything, so it's a safe recommendation to make. Once you tell a parent a mat is ok, they jump right for the best marketed, most expensive ones, which are usually so thick they hinder a safe install... http://carseatblog.com/?p=3275

And thinking about da rules (black, white, shades of gray, and WHY certain ones are the way they are)... I'd be fine putting a newborn in a seat with their shoulders a bit below the bottom slots as long as the harness gets tight. They don't weigh enough to overrotate the seat and ramp out, and lap straps are holding them down, too. 'At or below' is a nice rule of thumb, but doesn't make sense for the tiniest of infants, especially since most are 'at' the slots by very next time they get in the car to go to their one week ped appts.
 

pj2rc

New member
Argh --- I always thought it was "never, never". Even before I really did any research, I just had a gut feeling it was putting something between my baby and the car that could cause a problem. Well, all of our vehicle seats are already ruined from the car seats at this point -- so no point in putting anything in now!
 

ketchupqueen

CPST and ketchup snob
Staff member
I usually recommend the commercially available mats because, as jools says, most parents grab for the thickest one that interferes quite a bit with install. I usually recommend a recieving blanket or thin towel in one layer if the parents MUST have something, and always show how to check for tightness with and without it to determine whether it's masking a poor install.
 

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