Oh, help! Broken seatbelt and long drive

christineka

New member

• Sep 28, 2011

• #1

I pulled out the seats from the back row yesterday. I just went out and had my dd2 model sitting in the belt in the back. We found out that the middle buckle will not buckle! I do have latch, but it isn't center. It's off to the side, so I won't be fitting a car seat there and it would be difficult to buckle the seat belt. Should I try making someone sit there and buckle the seatbelt? Put my 8 yo up front in the radian? Put my 11 yo up front in a backless booster? We have a long drive to make this afternoon and then again in the evening.

I have pictures of my 10 yo in the seatbelt in the back. You can tell me if you think she could sit there and maybe buckle behind a latched car seat? Let me get them.

I think the lap belt's a bit high, don't you think? My 11 yo fits the same.

The latch hook is behind her shorts.

 

hrice

New member

• Sep 28, 2011

• #2

The lap belt is a bit high IMO. Can she use a backless there?

What vehicle? Are all your kids going? Any other passengers?

 

momto3girls

Senior Community Member

• Sep 28, 2011

• #3

The seat belt looks low enough to me. It's touching her thighs and across her hips, not on the tummy. Are her knees bending at the edge? It's hard to tell in the pic.

When you install the car seat with latch, it might poke in her back. I'd try it though. I'd rather not see any kid up front.

ETA: From your other thread it looked like the other side belt fit was better (1st pic).

 

monstah

New member

• Sep 28, 2011

• #4

I think the seat belt looks fine. I'd put in the car seat and then check the fit.

Sent from my Nexus One using Car-Seat.Org

 

christineka

New member

• Sep 28, 2011

• #5

It will be me and all my 6 kids. I do have the rstv, so I can make a kid ride in that. I'm going to go out, latch in the true fit and then the radian and see if a kid can even buckle with a latched in car seat. (Of course, ds1 is too heavy for latch.)

 

Pixels

New member

• Sep 28, 2011

• #6

If the LATCH hook is behind her shorts now, you need to put a RFing seat in the center for shoulder space.

 

christineka

New member

• Sep 28, 2011

• #7

I put in the true fit and it seems to work. Dd1 was the available model. I'm thinking rstv for her.

Now, do I put ds1 on the other side, next to 6 year old so they can fight? Or in dd1's spot, next to 4 yo so ds2 can kick ds1? (6 yo will be in the true fit.)

 

Pixels

New member

• Sep 28, 2011

• #8

Is her head still supported by the headrest? Or was she pushed too far to the side?

 

christineka

New member

• Sep 28, 2011

• #9

Pixels said:

Is her head still supported by the headrest? Or was she pushed too far to the side?

Click to expand...

I will have to go back out and investigate that. I thought she was the same size as dd2.

ETA- It's mostly behind her head when pulled up. I'm guessing that's not okay. Ds1, however is still short enough that he can ride in the rstv with his head below the top of the seat. I better go have him sit there to make sure his head is fully supported.

I can also go try the radian there. It would be for dd3, so ds1 would still end up in the rstv because it is more restrictive than a booster.

 

christineka

New member

• Sep 28, 2011

• #10

Ds1 is okay, but whined at the idea of needing to ride in the rstv. He's fine with it, but he thinks getting in and buckled is a race, which cannot be won with the rstv. I tried the radian and it won't work with latch and a neighboring headrest. I set the marathon in place and it appears to give the most room. I didn't actually latch it because I don't know how to change the latch to ffing. I've always used latch for rfing and seatbelt for ffing to get around my lack of knowledge. I remembered reading about putting one latch strap the the other to change their sides, but I don't know how you get the straps under the seat portion. I don't think they fit. Anyone have a britax latch-switching tutorial. Pictures would be great.

 

christineka

New member

• Sep 28, 2011

• #11

Okay, I watched the latch changing video and have the ma latch in. I can even fit the literider next to it- easily! Issue is that the headrest situation is worse because it's higher up. The shouderbelt fits worse. (I don't think it matters too much.) and the lap belt is way out on dd's thighs. Is that right? I think I'll just make one of the older girls ride there in the rstv and put ds in the radian next to ds2, since now that I think about it, the radian is incompatible with the third row, passenger's side seatbelt. Maybe I should turn ds2 ffing just until we get a new buckle.

 

safeinthecar

Moderator - CPS Technician

• Sep 28, 2011

• #12

Did you make sure that you were hooking into the correct receptor?

Can you use a toothpick or nail file to poke around in the buckle and see if something is in the slot?

 

NannyMom

Well-known member

• Sep 28, 2011

• #13

Why don't you put DS2 RF in the Radian in that center spot, and DD1 there w/o a seat. I really think both girls look good there boosterless (as long as DD2's knees bend well). The RF RN will give DD1 the most room.

 

christineka

New member

• Sep 28, 2011

• #14

After our long (and terrible) drive, I went out with the knife, stuck it in, took it out, buckled the seatbelt and... it worked. I don't know what was up before. I'm glad it works. I found out my 4 yo is a pain in the butt in the car no matter which way he faces. I also ascertained that 6 yo has 1/4 of an inch in torso before she's out of the marathon. I need to come up with a better next arrangement of car seats.