Carseat TROUBLE

rachelandtyke

Well-known member
Does the Radian XTSL go to 80 lbs? I think the Radian is the only convertible that goes that high? But it's not available at Target, so not the seat in question anyway. :)
 
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snowbird25ca

Moderator - CPST Instructor
The info that comes on the box and on the tags on the seat is kind of misleading and it's actually quite common for a parent to think that their alpha omega seat will harness to 80lbs. So please try not to worry - if this is what's happened you're certainly not the first to do it and I'm sure not the last. The marketing info just really needs to be made clearer. :(

If you look at the stickers on your seat, they will show the weight ranges for each mode of use. Your manual will also break it down under rear-facing (rf'ing,) forward-facing (ff'ing,) and booster modes and will list the height and weight ranges for each mode separately.

As for the looser harness, I have seen slack in the tummy area before and it really depends on the build of the child. It's possible to have so much space between the straps and one child's belly-button that you can fit an arm through, while another child in the same seat may have the straps snug against them. As a child grows and thins out it can also have an affect - as can adjustment of the crotch strap. So it's important to make sure that you're checking for tightness at the shoulders like Wendy's picture shows above. As long as the straps are snug on the hips and you can't pinch a fold at the collarbone, then they are tight enough even if there is a big gap between the straps and the belly button. :thumbsup:

Now that being said, harness tightening problems are unfortunately quite common on the 3 in 1 seats. If your son eats in the seat then I'd start by checking the adjuster to make sure that there's no food caught in there. If there is, anything soft bristled with just a touch of warm water can be used to clean the area - just don't soak the area or the adjuster strap.

The Alpha Omega seats have what is a "continuous loop" harness - this means that the harness is a continual piece of webbing that comes out from one shoulder, runs through the buckle, under the bum, back up through the other buckle and then up and out through the other shoulder.

Seats with a continuous harness can sometimes get the straps uneven - you would know this has happened if one shoulder is snug but the other shoulder is loose - if you always check for tightness on the same shoulder it's possible that this is what's happened gradually over time.

If one shoulder is tight and one isn't, then you'll need to reach down at the hips on the side that is already tight, and pull some harness from the other side. It's often easiest to even out the harness length before tightening by pulling the straps out straight in front of the seat and making sure that they are even before tightening kiddo in.

Last thing I'd check before calling dorel/cosco would be if the harness tightens/loosens when your child isn't in the seat - can it be pulled tighter than how it is right now? If the adjuster is functioning normally and it can be loosened and tightened, then it's more likely to be uneven straps or checking for tightness in the wrong place.

I apologize for the long-winded reply, but there are so many possible things that can cause harness trouble with the alpha omega's that I thought it best to give you a few different things to check at the same time. :thumbsup:
 

snowbird25ca

Moderator - CPST Instructor
No wendy,not any of those seats.


HERE IS THE SEAT!!!!

http://www.target.com/Safety-1St-All-Convertible-Seat/dp/B002XLB9E0/ref=sc_qi_detaillink

Idk why the book I got w/the seat says Alpha Omega.

Ah yes, that is the Alpha Omega seat, they're just calling it All-in-one without a brand name on it on the target website. If you look at the sticker on your seat that has all the model info on it you should find the alpha omega name on there somewhere - or it's possible that "All-in-one" is just another name they've given the seat. Cosco/dorel/safety 1st are the same company and they tend to market the same seat under different names. So that could be why you got an Alpha Omega manual - they didn't re-do the manual for this particular branding of the seat. :shrug-shoulders:

Looking at the description Target has for the seat, I bet a lot of people are thinking it goes to 80lbs in the harness. It's possible that your seat goes to 50lbs in the harness - you'll need to check your manual and the stickers on your seat to know which model you have - whether it's 40lbs in harness then max of 80 in booster mode, or whether it's 50lbs in harness and possibly 100lbs in booster mode.

All of the suggestions I gave above would apply for your seat, so give them a try and see if anything works.

Oh - you're welcome to register for the forum if you'd like. It usually takes a day or so for new accounts to be approved, but once you're approved you don't have to wait for your posts to be approved. Registration is free and pretty easy, and you won't get any unwanted emails or spam. :thumbsup:
 
U

Unregistered

Guest
Waiting for it to be approved is fine by me. Idk if I should sign up for anything else! I am so busy as it is LOL. With my toddler keeping me busy most of the time and trying to wrap up my two books,I pretty much got no me time left.


I am thinking of turning the seat around to forward facing because my sons legs are so long!

He's 31 inches tall!
 

SignCuer

New member
http://www.cpsafety.com/articles/RFAlbum.aspx

You can see pics there with kids over 12 months RF.. many RF to 3-4..

They find RF much more comfortable than FF... and they are not like us.. they can make their legs do anything! :D Plus they don't have restless/numb legs that kids have when they are FF.

I have a 4 yr old babysittee who has been FF since she was 1 and she is RF in my car and she finds it much more comfortable and she automatically knows what to do with her legs :love:

Plus it's much more safer to RF your son than FF at that age since his body especially his neck is still developing.

http://carseatblog.com/5168/why-rear-facing-is-better-your-rf-link-guide/

Here's a link why RF is much more safer. :thumbsup:

He will not be bothered with his legs like us adults will!:thumbsup: :whistle:
 

Jennifer mom to my 7

Well-known member
And here is a good illustration video as to Why rear facing is safer, even for a child as old as 4!

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sssIsceKd6U&feature=player_embedded"]YouTube - Rear facing vs forward facing position in the car[/ame]
 

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