I tell ya, the second kiddo is so much harder!

At least in this house, anyway. Ian is RF in a older (2000) RA, and twice now when we have stopped the car his harness has been loose--really loose. Since it has the push button and no velcro, I can't hear him loosening it, and my 4 yr. old (who is big into tattling) hasn't mentioned actually seeing him loosen the harness with his hands. Could he actually be kicking the push button hard enough to loosen the harness? Or has anyone else had a sudden problem with a harness loosening like that with movement of the child. I will say this--if Ian could find a way to loosen it and get out, he would--he loathes the car seat and always has. Now of course, I am terrified that he is getting that thing loose. I have a MA that I use for Elliot in DH's car, and I could put him in that--do you think that the adjuster on that is that much more difficult for a kid to operate?
Of course, I never had any issues with Elliot and car seats, so this one is a new one for me.
One other thing. For whatever reason, he is still on the first slots. I check them everyday, and the second ones are still above his shoulders by about 1". That means that the straps are way below his shoulders--and he is 33" tall(and I know that goes against the standing height on that seat). Do you think that might be a contributing factor? Most of this is rambling--I won't be turning him FF yet, and I know the RA is about to expire, but I'd like to *squeeze* all of the use I can out of it. Elliot's other seat is a Husky, and I really hate dragging that one between cars.....
TIA for any ideas.!

What is Ian using in your dh's car? Do they ride in that car often? I would think that if dh's car is occasional use, then switch Ian's seats and call Britax in the meantime to see what they say about the harness adjuster. I had a RA Advantage for my ds and that was the same push button adjuster and that puppy sticks!!!! Ask Melliema, she has it now

Anyway, I think fwiw, it'd be worth a call to Britax to see what they say about it. Maybe they'll offer you some $$ off on a new seat since you have a year's use left in it...? Anything's worth a shot.

Thanks--I may do that. Ian is using the RA exclusively--I just move his seat around

since he never goes anywhere with DH without me(diapers, ya know ) . I only have the RA, the MA and the Husky for 2 kids. Of course, I have the itch to buy a new seat, but I won't--more likely I'll try Ian in the MA and suck it up and move the Husky when Elliot and DH go out. I may give Britax a call if I can find an uninterrupted stretch of time with no kids.....ROFL!

Hey Beth:

I have a son who was born a month after yours, so relatively the same age. He loathes his car seat too, and has since he was in his infant carrier. He is now RF in a MA, but still no such happiness exists.

What are some of your tricks for keeping him content? I'd love to bounce ideas off of you.

Prayer?! LOL-I really haven't found much if anything...

If he has toys/and or books(soft ones) he usually drops them and then he really gets mad. He has a pacifier (and we are SLOWLY weaning from that) but it really all boils down to that he hates to be confined. Even as a tiny infant he didn't enjoy being swaddled---although he loves the sling. Probably has to do with confinment and lack of human touch. If he didn't pinch his brother I'd put them beside each other, but that is more pain than it's worth. So for now I try to tune out the incessant whining and shrieking and pray that someday he'll get over it. Do you have anything that works?

Honestly, I owe Kindermusik a large debt of gratitude! When Leila was about that age I signed us up for their weekly music class - it was a drive & expiensive, but worth it for the fact that we got small hand held music instruments & CD's with the songs from class ... everytiem we got in the car I'd play the CD's & soon (in about a couple weeks) she started to really enjoy car rides! I think it was the whole combination of her eble to rely on the same music each time & also that the music reminded her of fun times in class with other happy babies & parents

Check This

I had an older RA. The tab would "stick" which means pulling on the shoulder straps or the child leaning forward could cause them to loosen--the lever no longer always clamped securely down on the adjuster strap (something I think is very likely given the RA's age and use). Put Ian in the seat and adjust the straps like you normally would. Then tug on the straps to make sure they don't loosen. In fact, I would try this several times with Ian in the seat since the lever clamped down fine sometimes and not other times when I first noticed this problem. If the straps loosen when you check them, you'll need to contact Britax and get the seat fixed.

Hope this information was helpful.

That is exactly it!

I tried this today, and that is what is happening. The straps start to loosen when they are tugged on. I think then after that happens--then he is able to lean forward enough to REALLY loosen them. Figures. SO do you think it's worth it to contact Britax on this, given the age of the seat? Or should I just chalk it up to a good run and use my MA? (Which is what I'm going to start using today, obviously. Thanks so much--I really was starting to think I had lost my mind!

For what their seats cost, I'd call and complain...