How tight is your harness?

Mama2J

Member
Ok Justin has been complaining that I tighten his harness too much. I've always done it this way, and now I'm afraid I've done it too tight since he was a baby. The way he likes it I can fit 4 fingers under the straight part between the shoulders and buckle (not AT the shoulder, but by his chest/stomach area). Is this too loose? I try to loosen it as little as possible when he complains and explain that I want him to be safe. How do you figure out how tight it has to be, but not make it too tight?
 
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spokaneCPST

CPST Instructor
Ok Justin has been complaining that I tighten his harness too much. I've always done it this way, and now I'm afraid I've done it too tight since he was a baby. The way he likes it I can fit 4 fingers under the straight part between the shoulders and buckle (not AT the shoulder, but by his chest/stomach area). Is this too loose? I try to loosen it as little as possible when he complains and explain that I want him to be safe. How do you figure out how tight it has to be, but not make it too tight?

The harness should be tight enough that you cannot pinch any slack horizontally at the shoulder/collarbone area. It will look loose over the belly, but check up high. The "2 finger test" really is not recommended anymore, since everyone's fingers are different sizes.

Hope that helps!
Renee
 

snowbird25ca

Moderator - CPST Instructor
The harness should be tight enough that you cannot pinch any slack horizontally at the shoulder/collarbone area. It will look loose over the belly, but check up high. The "2 finger test" really is not recommended anymore, since everyone's fingers are different sizes.

Hope that helps!
Renee

:yeahthat: If you have difficulty with the pinch test, than use one finger under the harness at the collar bone. The harness should be snug and lay in a flat line with out pressing into the body or pushing him into an unnatural position.
 

natysr

New member
definately agree that you can't test it at the belly area. My so is sooo skinny in the waist that no matter how tight I get it, I could probably fit my whole hand in there just above the buckle.
 

CarSeatPoncho

New member
I've been doing the 2-finger test, but will change to the pinch test from now on.

Just my opinion, but 4 fingers sounds a little loose to me. My DS sometimes gets in a mood where anything at all is "TOOOOOOO TIGHT!", and I tap the adjust lever or do some other nothng thing, and he stops complaining.

I used to do it really really really tight, as in ONE FINGER, but then I moved to 2 to allow for some movement.

I've heard that "too tight" can actually cause serious injuries if the head is thrown forward and the body doesn't move a little with it. I am not sure, though.
 

snowbird25ca

Moderator - CPST Instructor
I've been doing the 2-finger test, but will change to the pinch test from now on.

Just my opinion, but 4 fingers sounds a little loose to me. My DS sometimes gets in a mood where anything at all is "TOOOOOOO TIGHT!", and I tap the adjust lever or do some other nothng thing, and he stops complaining.

I used to do it really really really tight, as in ONE FINGER, but then I moved to 2 to allow for some movement.

I've heard that "too tight" can actually cause serious injuries if the head is thrown forward and the body doesn't move a little with it. I am not sure, though.

Speaking for my own experiences, and what I've heard other techs say, we've never seen a harness that is over-tightened on a child. I'm not sure about "too tight" being able to cause injuries, but in all honesty - too tight just isn't going to happen... kiddo is going to scream if you get the harness so tight it's pressing into their skin.

In a rf'ing car seat, the risk for head and body like that really isn't there - that's the whole reason why infants and toddlers rear face and why it's safest to keep toddlers and preschoolers rf'ing to the limits of their seat.

In a ff'ing car seat, the head is going to come forward like that regardless, and I'm not sure that the shoulders being able to come slightly forward would really be a good thing - the thing you're accomplishing by having the harness properly tightened and the chest clip in the proper position is preventing your child from being ejected. Kids shoulders are very flexible, and with a harness that was slightly too loose, they could go straight between the straps and be partially ejected. That is the very real concern.

Most likely 2 fingers isn't loose enough to cause that problem unless you have a too low chest clip, harness strap wrong height or else really big fingers. Differing sizes of fingers are the reason why the pinch test is recommended now though, so switching to that will make sure the harness is tight enough. :thumbsup:
 

tarynsmum

Senior Community Member
definately agree that you can't test it at the belly area. My so is sooo skinny in the waist that no matter how tight I get it, I could probably fit my whole hand in there just above the buckle.

:yeahthat: especially when I use the belly pad
 

skaterbabs

Well-known member
I've heard that "too tight" can actually cause serious injuries if the head is thrown forward and the body doesn't move a little with it. I am not sure, though.

I've never seen a too-tight harness on any child but my own. You want to stop before extremities turn blue ;) but really, the pinch test is best. You do NOT want to allow "wiggle room".
 

Victorious4

Senior Community Member
I always had Leila's harness tight enough that I couldn't even fit one of my little fingers in there -- but at the last seatcheck I attended before my class ... the tech tightened it even more ;)
 

southpawboston

New member
I've never seen a too-tight harness on any child but my own. You want to stop before extremities turn blue ;) but really, the pinch test is best. You do NOT want to allow "wiggle room".

you should see our DD2 in her scenera... she gets red marks on her skin (UNDER her clothing) from the harness. she doesn't complain, and if we make it less tight than that, it just "feels" too loose to us, even if it passes the pinch test.
 

Mama2J

Member
Thanks all! I'll try the pinch test. I think it is probably tight enough, but as SBP said it usually doesn't feel tight enough, so I tighten it more. Usually because the last time he was in the seat, I loosened it for him then it feels too loose the next time.

I want him good and tight, but I don't want him to feel so uncomfortable that he hates being in a harness. He gets upset now when I go to pull the harness adjuster thinking I will make it too tight. :eek:

I wish there was a seat check I could go to so a tech could check that for me. Our county police dept has them once a month (there is one today), but they are always in the afternoon, and I'm at work. :thumbsdown:
 

amy919

New member
you should see our DD2 in her scenera... she gets red marks on her skin (UNDER her clothing) from the harness. she doesn't complain, and if we make it less tight than that, it just "feels" too loose to us, even if it passes the pinch test.

Same here. Kaylie actually wants it digging into her skin! I ask her all the time if it's too tight and her answer is always that it's not tight enough. And trust me, it is! She actually tries to lean forward to make sure she stays nice and tight, silly girl.

Teagan has started copying Kaylie. She's never complained, either. As soon as I buckle her in, she tries to fling herself out of the seat, laughs and says "OK". This started about a month or so ago and it cracks me up:D!

Amy
 

Jordynsmama

New member
I don't do mine incredibly super tight. Probably you can get 2 fingers thru....and dd complains about that even...
 

safeinthecar

Moderator - CPS Technician
From a safety perspective, there is no such thing as too tight. From a kids perspective, there deffinitely is. If you flip open the harness adjuster and the harness just kinda springs out looser, you had the harness so tight it was compressing the kid. That is really not needed. I have to be careful to check for too tightness since I tend to do this. Especially with the Radian, since I don't use a chest clip.

Personally, I don't like to use the word "tight" when referring to the harness. The word has negative connotations. I use snug, or secure instead.

I tell kids that when mommy or daddy buckles them up, the straps should feel like a big hug.

I tell moms that the child's harness needs to be as snug as the band of their bra.

I tell dad's that they are going to have to ask their wives to explain that one to them. (One dad proceeded to chase mom around the car in an effort to find out).

If dad is the only one at the check, I tell them to picture the baby hanging up-side-down and secure the harness so that there is no way for baby to fall out.

Kimberly
 

murphydog77

Admin - CPST Instructor
Staff member
Just a few weeks ago at a check, grandma was complaining because gds was climbing out of his seat. When I said his harness was too loose and it needed to be tightened, I had to explain it several ways to get her to understand that it needed to be tight to be safe and to keep her gds in the seat! She just wasn't getting it. So, I said it needed to be as snug as a bra strap. She got an attitude and said, "Well, I *don't* wear a bra because I don't like that tight feeling!" I knew I just was never going to get through. Sure enough, she hadn't worn a bra in quite some time ;). Fortunately her dh was there and said "We're going to tighten the straps to keep him safe!" and that was that.

At least the boy was still rf at 18 mo. and 25 lbs.

My kids are always tight. I usually can barely fit a finger under the harness at the shoulder.
 

mommyto4kiddos

Senior Community Member
Did the finger thing use to be at the shoulder, or along the harness? I'm just wondering cause when i do my kids TIGHT, I could still fit a few fingers in the front, maybe because of the hugs.
 

Mama2J

Member
Tried the pinch test, and I couldn't pinch any horizontally. It would have to be really loose to do that wouldn't it? Anyway I probably did have him too tight before.
 

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