Help me with my dilemma please!

lovemybabybug

New member
Warning, there's a novel before I get to the point.

I am a nanny/ sitter for two different families.

First family has a 21 month old who rides FF in mom's car. She has been in my car twice and she was RF. mom didn't say anything.

Second family has a 5 year old ( backless booster in mom's car) and a 9 year old ( seatbelt only in mom's car, doesn't 5-step). I would love to put the boy back in a harness in my car, but I don't watch them often enough to justify that, plus 3-across wouldn't work, so I got him a Turbo and put the girl in the backless).

I have baby #1 everyday for 8 hours a day, and then the other older kids 2 to 3 nights a week anywhere between 1 to 5 hours a night. I have 20 minutes to spare between jobs.

My DD rides in a MR which is usually installed in the center ( lap belt only) and I leave the Turbo in the car and put the backless in as needed on the outboard positions.

Now, baby #1's mom is signing both her and my DD for some kiddie classes, which means I will be driving her weekly. Other car seat available is a Scenera, and it doesn't puzzle with the MR. So when I have to drive her I have to take Turbo out, move MR outboard, install Scenera. Then on the same day, take Scenera out, move MR back in center to put boosters in, and do it all over again the next day. I did that little stunt in a parking lot last night when I left baby #1's house and drove to get the other two. No fun! Plus my seatbelts have lightweight locking plates, but the car is old and they don't lock. I have to use locking clips eveytime I put the seats outboard. My car is a 99 Pontiac Sunfire.


I will be watching baby #1 till end of January when mom has another baby, then won't have her till maternity leave is up, which is may, then I have her till end of school year. Not sure yet if I will be nannying for her next september when school starts again.


Soooooooooooooooo, I know the Radian is supposed to puzzle well with the MR. Would it be worth finding an older Radian here in the swap, that has a couple of year's left on it, so I could keep one seat at all times in the center, and just install and uninstall ONE seat when I need it, instead of having to move MR outboard, install the Scenera, then take both out and re-install MR in center all in one day, several times a week?

I so wish I had a van!!!:D

phewww, sorry if I am too complicated!
 
ADS

momtoo3

Well-known member
Could you leave your dd outboard? Then get a RSTV for the middle seat for the 5 yr old, as long as he has enough head support and there is a tether anchor, and just switch the Scenera and nbb out as needed?
 

Brianna

New member
I had a 99 Cavalier which is identical to the Sunfire (my brother still has his) and I had a Tribute, MyRide and HBTB, here are 2 of the pics I snapped.
2011-05-30_14-23-54_320.jpg

2011-05-30_14-23-45_518.jpg

The Tribute puzzled perfectly with the MR while they were both FF and when the MR was RF and the Tribute was FF. I would expect they would also puzzle beautifully both RF.

I installed the MyRide center, unbuckled and left the latchplate on the lap belt alone. Then I installed the Tribute (no LC needed) and set the MR into place and buckled it- easy peasy :) Just an option if you want something almost guaranteed to work.

You may not need to use your LC either- if your lap/shoulder latchplates aren't locking like they're supposed to, try flipping the buckle over so it's upside down, that should stop the slipping.

HTH!
 

Aurezalia

Well-known member
Honestly? I'm not sure if your car is wide enough for it, but YOUR situation is the niche that the Graco smartseat was PERFECTLY made for! :)
You could install the base just once, then have it RF'ing for the first baby. When you have the older kids, you can just pop the seat off, and put it back on FF'ing for the 5 year, and adjust the no-rethread harness. Voila, seat for the 5 year old without having to uninstall/reinstall!
 

lovemybabybug

New member
I have no top tethers and won't be retrofitting. The car is old and I hope by the time DD is FF we have another car.

Plus, the RSTV is not something I would like to get. It's more money than what I would like to spend. The kid who would use is with me sometimes 2 hours a week, so not cost effective at all.

Same goes for the Smart seat, too much money. I can't afford that. Plus it wouldn't fit at all, as I still need one of the convertibles to be in the middle because of the lap belt only. And after the other baby is born, I doubt I will ever get out over the house with all 3 kids, so I only need a temporary solution to get me through January without pulling my hair out!

The Tribute would be a great choice if it fit, it's a cheap seat, so and I could keep it as my spare ( the scenera is baby #1's travel seat). I gotta check the weight limit on it though. The kiddo is a giant, she is 20 months in 3 T clothes and weighs over 30 lbs. She could use the MR when in my car, but then I would have to change the strps everytime DD rides in it, because they are on different slots. She is just about to move up to the forth slots, my DD is still on the second.
 

Brianna

New member
The Tribute RFs to 35 pounds. Have you tried her in the MR without moving the straps? It's okay for them to be low as long as they're not falling off- trial and error I guess.
 

lovemybabybug

New member
You may not need to use your LC either- if your lap/shoulder latchplates aren't locking like they're supposed to, try flipping the buckle over so it's upside down, that should stop the slipping.

HTH!

I did try that, but if I pull on the seat hard, it will still slip.
 

lovemybabybug

New member
The Tribute RFs to 35 pounds. Have you tried her in the MR without moving the straps? It's okay for them to be low as long as they're not falling off- trial and error I guess.

Hmmm, no. Some tech told me here once that is doesn't matter how below the shoulders it is, but if the next slot up is still bellow, you shouldn't skip one. I will try doing that though.
 

Brianna

New member
I did try that, but if I pull on the seat hard, it will still slip.
I'm not sure how hard you're supposed to pull on the belt to test the latchplate. Hopefully a tech can answer that

Hmmm, no. Some tech told me here once that is doesn't matter how below the shoulders it is, but if the next slot up is still bellow, you shouldn't skip one. I will try doing that though.

Ideally you have it on the first slot below the child's shoulders, but as long as they stay in place it would be okay.
 

Brianna

New member
Another thought- does the 9 year old have head support in a booster? I'm not fond of those raised seatbacks, they made it hard to for me to let people ride in my back seat.
 

lovemybabybug

New member
Another thought- does the 9 year old have head support in a booster? I'm not fond of those raised seatbacks, they made it hard to for me to let people ride in my back seat.

yes, that was the first thing I checked. The top of her ears are a good inch and a half bellow the seatback. I would let her ride in a seatbelt only. The lapbelt fit is good, her legs bend at the knees and she can sit properly MOST of the time, but the belt cuts right through her neck even with that seat adjuster clip that's attached to the seat in the car. Ideally she would have much better fit in a high back, but the mother won't buy her one and I am not buying a second. If I stop babysitting them, I have no use for the booster. Plus it was a battle to get her to use the lbb and to get the boy back into the high back. When I told the mom they had to ride in different seats in my car she told me ( in front of the kids) they didn't have to if they didn't want to. Worst mistake ever. They used that against me for the longest time, so I just told them we weren't gonna leave the house. Eventually the boy decided he liked the booster enough to get in the car :rolleyes:
 

Car-Seat.Org Facebook Group

Forum statistics

Threads
219,656
Messages
2,196,896
Members
13,530
Latest member
onehitko860

You must read your carseat and vehicle owner’s manual and understand any relevant state laws. These are the rules you must follow to restrain your children safely. All opinions at Car-Seat.Org are those of the individual author for informational purposes only, and do not necessarily reflect any policy or position of Carseat Media LLC. Car-Seat.Org makes no representations as to accuracy, completeness, currentness, suitability, or validity of any information on this site and will not be liable for any errors, omissions, or delays in this information or any losses, injuries, or damages arising from its display or use. All information is provided on an as-is basis. If you are unsure about information provided to you, please visit a local certified technician. Before posting or using our website you must read and agree to our TERMS.

Graco is a Proud Sponsor of Car-Seat.Org! Britax is a Proud Sponsor of Car-Seat.Org! Nuna Baby is a Proud Sponsor of Car-Seat.Org!

Please  Support Car-Seat.Org  with your purchases of infant, convertible, combination and boosters seats from our premier sponsors above.
Shop travel systems, strollers and baby gear from Britax, Chicco, Clek, Combi, Evenflo, First Years, Graco, Maxi-Cosi, Nuna, Safety 1st, Diono & more! ©2001-2022 Carseat Media LLC

Top