loosening and tightening straps each time

Unregistered · May 26, 2007

I am new to this sight and have been reading threw many of the posts and have found lots of great information. One of the things I saw mentioned was loosening the carseats straps to buckle kids in and then re tightening them. I never knew people did this. So my question is if this is necessary and a safer way of buckling your kid in or do some just find it easier. Thanks to everyone for posting so much helpfull information. One last question my DD is still rear-facing so would this make it more difficult to do? Thanks

DD~3 years old rear-facing in a marathon

gwenvet · May 26, 2007

We do it every time just so that we don't have to squeeze his arms into small straps so that they're tight enough. With the Marathon, it's really easy to loosten. When tightening it you kind of have to pull and release, pull and release to tighten it enough. It's only safer in the sense that every time you have the right fit for the clothes they are in (i.e. winter jacket vs. shortsleeves would need different ammounts of harness).

AdventureMom · May 26, 2007

Hi and welcome! I do not loosen and tighten the straps each time. I leave them how I want them - not sure how others do it. After buckling my son in, I check to make sure it's still as snug as I want it. But unless he had on a sweater or something, then I don't usually have a need to adjust the harness...

jn__ · May 26, 2007

I don't, because I don't trust anyone else to make them as tight as they need to be. Plus they really shouldn't be adjusted looser - if their clothes can't fit in them then take the jacket off, etc.

Chameleon · May 26, 2007

I don't either. Unless they have eaten a lot and their bellies are really big, lol, it happens, then I loosen them a bit, but usually I never touch them.

broken4u05 · May 26, 2007

I dont touch them unless the boys are sleeping than i do so i do not have to like pull and wake them up. But because the boys are just a little different in size if they swich seats i sometimes have to change the harness so i always just pull on the harness when i get them in.

Bryana'sMomma · May 26, 2007

I don't touch our straps unless we're changing season's and the winter coats come out or they need to be. My dd will be 6years old in August in a Marathon and she buckles herself in everytime. I'm big on teaching independance and responsibility. I supervise and make sure it's all correctly done and double check but she climbs on in and does it herself. Our straps never need to be adjusted unless she's wearing a jacket or something.

elle7715 · May 26, 2007

I don't for my daughter, she's old enough to cooperate (usually) and helps me put her arms through. But I do loosen them everytime for my 3 month old in the infant seat. It's just easier to geta squirmy baby in that way. Plus he seems to have grown everytime I put him in!

joolsplus3 · May 26, 2007

I always do... I find it annoying to buckle (leg pinching) if we haven't loosened before we try to buckle up, and I always give a little tug to tighten them up after they are buckled. I think of it like shoes...sure, you can cram your feet into your tennies and never untie them, but might as well make it easier on yourself by untying them for an easy removal, and retying them for a proper fit every time. But apparantly I'm off in left field...I don't know how you guys do it without adjusting the straps

UlrikeDG · May 26, 2007

My old Roundabout was extremely easy to tighten, so I loosened and tightened the straps every time. I have one of the first Marathons which is a real PITB to tighten. I rarely loosen the straps on that seat.

Victorious4 · May 26, 2007

I usually don't unless necessary -- it was easier to buckle/unbuckle baby into the SS1 by loosening & tightening each time, though ... & it's easier to buckle kiddo into the Apex by loosening/retightening each time because the crotch buckle is so low ... it's also easier for my kid to buckle herself into the Husky/Regent if I loosen it for her (then tighten it up when she's done) -- I rarely ever needed to loosen/tighten with the Wizard/Boulevard or CarGo or Recaro Young Sport, etc.

Simplysomething · May 26, 2007

Bryana'sMomma said:
I don't touch our straps unless we're changing season's and the winter coats come out or they need to be.

A reminder for everyone, bulky winter clothing should not be worn while buckled into the seat.

As for the OP, I don't tighten and loosen everytime, but I do have to do it on occasion, for reasons that others have mentioned. Sleeping Ds...ds suddenly seeming...bigger, smaller..whatever. lol. My ds2 is still rear-facing in his FPSVD, and I've had no issues adjusting the harness rear-facing. I've had no issues adjusting it in the scenera rf'ing either.

I HAVE had some issues adjusting the sceneras harness ff'ing.

skaterbabs · May 26, 2007

We don't ever loosen to get her out.

jen_nah · May 26, 2007

I used to never loosen them.

Now both my girls can buckle & unbuckle themselves (only when I tell them to unbuckle-trust me they ask if it's okay to unbuckle). So, They loosen themselves to make unbuckling easier. They then buckle themselves up but I double check them & tighten them up.

jen_nah · May 26, 2007

UlrikeDG said:
I have one of the first Marathons which is a real PITB to tighten. I rarely loosen the straps on that seat.

We too have one of the first MA's and I agree it can be a bit more tricker to tighten but over time it has gotten better or we have just gotten used to it. Probably we have gotten used to it.

UlrikeDG · May 26, 2007

I've found that it's much worse when used rear facing &/or when it's cold out. While it's doable in the summer & front facing, it's still not nearly as nice as my original Roundabout, which is the standard by which I judge all seats.

MsFacetious · May 26, 2007

I don't loosen 99% of the time.

If they've eaten a lot sometimes I will loosen it a little. Or if they are really cranky, I won't cram them in I will loosen it. I prefer to just leave it though. They don't usually switch seats but when they do I adjust it.

And they don't wear any clothes in the seat that I would have to loosen the straps for so that's not an issue.

And, lol... I never untie my tennis shoes either.

I am so picky about it that I just leave them and put them on tied... lmao

joolsplus3 · May 26, 2007

jen_nah said:
I used to never loosen them.

Now both my girls can buckle & unbuckle themselves (only when I tell them to unbuckle-trust me they ask if it's okay to unbuckle). So, They loosen themselves to make unbuckling easier. They then buckle themselves up but I double check them & tighten them up.

LOL, my MA used to make a horrific shrieky squeak when DD would tighten herself up, and she'd say, mama, don't drive till you hear my seat squeak!!!

broken4u05 · May 26, 2007

Also i never change the harness on the radian because it is too hard to tighten it with my godson in it.
and i never untie my shoes. Takes too long to tie them up. And most the time i am running out the door

shirada · May 26, 2007

I guess I am the odd woman out too, because what JoolsPlus 3 said goes for us too. I do hate to loosen and tighten the straps every time, but there really is no other way to do it without making it an even more tedious process.

loosening and tightening straps each time

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