DD is 26 months, rear facing in a Boulevard 70 with at 2" of hard shell over her head. She's also on the light side at 27-28 pounds. The seat's installed on the driver's side with seatbelt since I feel like I get a tighter install than with LATCH, and it is tethered. I'm growing increasingly frustrated with having to wrestle her into her seat. My car has a sharply slanted C-pillar and the Boulevard's height plus the deeper shell and the headwings make it a challenge to get her into the seat RFing. She has to be fully cooperative for it to work and while usually she is, we've had a number of instances where it's gone less than smoothly (typically it's going stiff as a board and screaming in a parking lot because she doesn't want to leave her friends at daycare).
Being an independent-minded 2 year old (I hear they tend to be like that ) she said a few weeks ago that she wanted to climb into her seat herself. I didn't think she could do it, but she could and she was very happy to get into her seat like a big girl. Since then I've let her climb in several times with me standing there to make sure she doesn't fall. I do the buckles and off we go - it's great. Several times we've avoided a scene in the parking lot when I ask her if she'd like to climb in by herself.
1) The issue is that when she climbs up she's bracing herself and pulling on the Boulevard itself for leverage, including the headwings/head rest. A few times she actually stood in the seat before turning around and sitting. Am I risking her damaging the seat or loosening the install over time by letting her climb in on her own? I check for belt path movement and it seems fine but the Boulevard's not a cheap seat and I'd rather not break it.
2) As we head towards winter, I'm growing concerned about wet or muddy feet on the vehicle seat back. Last winter we had very little snow and I carried her to/from the car, but she's just too big now. Can we use one of those kick mats on the back of that seat while she's RFing? I'd prefer that to a towel that will absorb water.
3) DVD players that strap to a headrest - OK or not? My husband suggested we just put my old iPhone into a kids' case and upload some videos to it and let her hold it, but I feel it would become a projectile in the event of a crash. Would a DVD player be a better choice or is it just a heavier potential projectile?
Being an independent-minded 2 year old (I hear they tend to be like that ) she said a few weeks ago that she wanted to climb into her seat herself. I didn't think she could do it, but she could and she was very happy to get into her seat like a big girl. Since then I've let her climb in several times with me standing there to make sure she doesn't fall. I do the buckles and off we go - it's great. Several times we've avoided a scene in the parking lot when I ask her if she'd like to climb in by herself.
1) The issue is that when she climbs up she's bracing herself and pulling on the Boulevard itself for leverage, including the headwings/head rest. A few times she actually stood in the seat before turning around and sitting. Am I risking her damaging the seat or loosening the install over time by letting her climb in on her own? I check for belt path movement and it seems fine but the Boulevard's not a cheap seat and I'd rather not break it.
2) As we head towards winter, I'm growing concerned about wet or muddy feet on the vehicle seat back. Last winter we had very little snow and I carried her to/from the car, but she's just too big now. Can we use one of those kick mats on the back of that seat while she's RFing? I'd prefer that to a towel that will absorb water.
3) DVD players that strap to a headrest - OK or not? My husband suggested we just put my old iPhone into a kids' case and upload some videos to it and let her hold it, but I feel it would become a projectile in the event of a crash. Would a DVD player be a better choice or is it just a heavier potential projectile?