Got my tether anchor retrofit done...

Brigala

CPST Instructor
It took, literally, months to get through the Toyota & SBS program to have an anchor retrofitted in my '93 Pickup.
But now that my 3 year old is too big to RF in that vehicle (radians won't install in it), it was worth the hassle. I feel a lot better about her FF with a tethered seat.
I hate having her FF but she loves riding with Daddy and the only RF seat that would work for her in that vehicle now would have been a Foonf.

I think we *might* make it to 4 rf in the main vehicles, but this was about her 5th or 6th FF ride. :crying:
 

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cookie123

New member
She's super cute! I'm surprised you could get something installed because how would you work between the seat and the back of the vehicle. Oh, probably they take the seat out. Duh.
 

Brigala

CPST Instructor
The seat folds forward and scoots back and forth. Installing the anchor was no problem. There is a pre-drilled anchor point there for that purpose already, so it was just a matter of folding the seat forward and screwing it in to the proper torque tightness (or whatever the term is, I don't know; the dealership installed it).

Actually installing the car seat with the top tether, however, is another story. You have to fold the seat forward, attach the tether, estimate how tight it needs to be, put the seat back into place, install the car seat, check, and start over if the tether is too loose. I tried tightening it after the seat was installed but it was a no-go. Couldn't tighten it even a smidge with the vehicle seat in place. :(

For now, I'll be doing all the installation of that seat. When the weather is warmer and we have some more time, I'll teach my hubby to do it. The Versatether may or may not work better, but it's harder to install the Frontier due to the funky seat belts (long, rigid buckle stocks, which is why she can't use the Radian in this vehicle) so I think we'll stick with this seat in this car.
 

Brigala

CPST Instructor
She is so cute! You did great keeping her RFing that long! :)

Thanks! I need to hear that. I really wanted to RF longer. But age 3 full time and age 4 part time isn't bad, and I have to remind myself of that.

This seat actually installs quite well rear-facing in the pickup (there are no airbags at all). But she hit 40 lbs for the first time right when she hit her 3rd birthday, and has pretty consistently stayed over 40 since then, and that's just that. When she can't use her Radian, she has to ride FF. She's hovering about 41 lbs now (3y5m) and she has a fair amount of growing room left in the Radian in terms of height (she's about 40.5" tall and has maybe 3" of head space left, so 1.5" or so of head space). So I think she'll be OK RF most of the time until she turns 4. She doesn't know that the Radians *can* forward face, and for now I think I'd like to keep it that way. ;)
 
Thanks! I need to hear that. I really wanted to RF longer. But age 3 full time and age 4 part time isn't bad, and I have to remind myself of that.

Isn't bad? I think getting to 3 full-time is absolutely awesome. It takes a lot of commitment, and you should be really proud!

P.s She is sooo cute. I love her outfit!
 

Brigala

CPST Instructor
Aww, thanks. :) I think she's adorable, myself, but I know I'm biased. She is getting to the point where she wants to pick out her own outfits. And they always have to include a "tutu." And the first thing she does whenever she talks to anybody when she's out and around, whether it's her baby nephew, or the baker, or the clerk at the store, is point out her tutu and say "See my tutu? It's cheetah" (or "it's green" or "it's purple" or whatever the case may be that day). Some outfits, like today's, are really cute. Some are just embarrassing. I try to tell myself that it's OK, anybody who even notices will understand. Except she looks like she's 5, not 3. She's SO big.

Now, if only I can get her to stop chewing on her lips so that chapped area goes away... *sigh*
 

momtoo3

Well-known member
Now, if only I can get her to stop chewing on her lips so that chapped area goes away... *sigh*

Off topic of the thread but.....
Ds2 licks his lips and gets chapped like that. Coating him in Vaseline a couple times a day really helps.

When he was younger and it drove me nuts I would give him a pack of m&ms in the morning and make him give me one every time I caught him licking. Then I let him eat whatever he had left after dinner. It worked really well for a long time and broke the habit but he started again a couple of years ago. He is too old to bribe for those things so I make him stop what he is doing to get Vaseline.
 

Lenae

Active member
She's so cute! Sassy insists on wearing either a dress or a tutu, too.

DH's pickup is an '03 F350 and the TA are directly behind the seat, no fabric loops to thread through. So I have to install seats the same way, lean the seat forward, guess where the tether is tight enough but not too tight, set the seat upright, and hope for the best. I got the tether to the perfect tightness and drew a line in silver sharpie on the tether strap, that way I knew where it should be if I needed to uninstall and reinstall.
 

Brigala

CPST Instructor
I got the tether to the perfect tightness and drew a line in silver sharpie on the tether strap, that way I knew where it should be if I needed to uninstall and reinstall.

Awesome idea!! I will do that!

Coconut oil works great to heal her skin, but it doesn't do anything to deter her from sucking it off and making it bad again.

I don't think the M&M trick will work for her. She loves sharing and doesn't really have the concept of "subtraction" (if I give you some I won't have as many) down yet. All she would do is scream all day that she wants her M&Ms. :(
 

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