Why do her shoulders keep changing?

Gsanmb · Mar 16, 2008

I know that's a weird title. I don't know how to explain it exactly. Dd2 (4.5 yrs old, 31 lbs. on a heavy day) has a Princess Radian. She is in the second-to-highest slots.

I never have her in anything thicker than a fleece jacket, and that in and of itself doesn't seem to be the deciding variable. Some days she's dead even with the harness slots, some days she's lower. I don't know whether I should change them to the highest slots -- but they will be way higher than her shoulders then. I try to get her to slide her rear all the way back in the seat, etc. and she's very very compliant. It's just a weird thing, keeps changing. No, I did not move the seat and the install is rock solid.

?

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mommy_quigg · Mar 16, 2008

I can't explain it either. DS seems to do that too. Sorry I'm not more helpful...

arly1983 · Mar 16, 2008

My J (in a radian as well) does it too. I can't figure it out.

Momof4Girls · Mar 16, 2008

Maybe this is why they allow you to use the RN until shoulders are 1" above the top slots?

Raechel

mcomommy · Mar 16, 2008

My dd does that in her Marathon too. I think I have moved them from the top to the second to the top and back a few times now because she is just right on the line.

houseofboys · Mar 16, 2008

My DS#2 has the same thing happen in the GN. I've removed the seat to re-harness to the next lower slots, but then he'll get in & his shoulders will be a bit too high again so I moved them up. Better too high than too low (MHO) - at least with the GN. I know you supposedly have more leeway with the Radian (although I don't know how comfortable I would be with that.) It must just be the way they sit - just a smidge differently moves their shoulders up/down?

mommy_quigg · Mar 16, 2008

You have leeway on the top slots only. They're reinforced differently. All the other slots must be at or above the child's shoulders.

Victorious4 · Mar 16, 2008

These pix are indoors -- have you checked with it installed? Usually, floor vs. car makes a huge difference all on its own.... Otherwise, as long as the slots are AT or above, you can leave it: if the slots are ever below, just switch up (the only reason I wouldn't is if the next slot is so high that the straps rub her cheeks/ears)

As for using the top slot when the shoulders are above, well, I'm just not convinced that the design is "different" enough to risk Spinal Compression unless there's absolutely no other possible safer solution :twocents: (I'd rather teach booster use, possibly with an EZOn item, than harness after the shoulders are above the slots)

Defrost · Mar 17, 2008

Remember, the harness needs to be AT or above the shoulders.

Also, it's so hard to tell from pictures sometimes, but is the top picture to show that she's level with the slots? It looks like she's still below them to me. Not as much below them as in the second picture, of course, but still below them. Is it just a trick of the camera angle?

For comparison, this is my dd at the top slots in a Scenera:

Having the carseat installed can make a huge difference in the harness.
My DS in an uninstalled Radian, slightly below the top slots:

And ten minutes later in an installed Radian, clearly over the top slots:

(Don't mind the funny faces - it's the only way he'll model for me LOL!)

mommy_quigg said:
You have leeway on the top slots only. They're reinforced differently. All the other slots must be at or above the child's shoulders.

Are they actually reinforced differently? I hadn't heard that.

mommy_quigg · Mar 17, 2008

That's what Russ said. Let me try to find the email.
ETA: Something's wrong with Hotmail, I'll try again in the morning.

Victorious4 · Mar 17, 2008

You might be interested in the thread these quotes came from....

papooses said:
I do have a hard time trusting Russ' words about 1.5" inches above slots now that I've learned he didn't know the purpose of chest clip + he designed the MightyTight @@

joolsplus3 said:
And spinal compression is simply a function of the shoulders being above the slots, regardless of how 'strong' a seat is purported to be... sounds like marketing to ME (don't get me wrong, I like the seat, but I also like truth, kwim? )

Just click the li'l blue >

Patriot201 · Mar 17, 2008

papooses said:
As for using the top slot when the shoulders are above, well, I'm just not convinced that the design is "different" enough to risk Spinal Compression unless there's absolutely no other possible safer solution :twocents: (I'd rather teach booster use, possibly with an EZOn item, than harness after the shoulders are above the slots)

:yeahthat:

I absolutely agree. I can't imagine how reinforcing a top slot can make a difference in the anatomy of the human body, but whatever. I wouldn't use the seat with the harness below my child's shoulders.

Gsanmb · Mar 17, 2008

I included the pictures only to show that she is still well below the second-to-highest slots uninstalled. When installed she's still at or below the second to highest slots, but sometimes *just* at the level, and sometimes nicely below.

<shrug> good to know I'm not the only one. I did try and raise the harness, but it rubbed against her ears and made her nutty. If I can't figure it out I may have to see if there's another good seat option for her because she really is such a good kid and doesn't complain -- so if she's kvetching it means she's VERY uncomfortable.

joolsplus3 · Mar 17, 2008

mommy_quigg said:
You have leeway on the top slots only. They're reinforced differently. All the other slots must be at or above the child's shoulders.

Sounds like another Russism.. he'll say anything to make us happy

joolsplus3 · Mar 17, 2008

LOL, she's light enough to rearface (and short enough, too

)

But seriously, I think it is just how upright kids sit or not... I wouldn't worry till her shoulders are consistently just barely creeping over those slots (I'm talking a millimeter, not an inch), then go ahead and move them up to the top

mommy_quigg · Mar 17, 2008

I've heard that the Radian can be used until the child's shoulders are 1" above the top harness slots. Is this true or should one discontinue use once the child's shoulders pass the top harness slot?

[RUSS – The child’s shoulders can be above the top harness position as long as the child’s ears are below the top of Radian’s seat back. We allow this because of Radian’s superior crash test performance results. See attached file]

I'm no longer convinced after reading that other thread.

Gsanmb · Mar 17, 2008

I took off the neck guards (is that what those things are called?) and it seemed to make things better. :scratcheshead::shrug-shoulders:

I dunno. The truth is she would LOVE to rearface again but I'm concerned that she's creeping over 33 lbs. with her clothes and shoes on (she has stride rite rubber soled mary janes and they are kinda clunky) or if it happens to be one of her "eating days" (seriously, when she decides to eat she can pack it away like my dh); I do not relish the thought of continually installing and uninstalling the radian to accommodate daily weight fluctuations.

Sigh. This is somewhat aggravating. She doesn't fit well, shoulder wise, in the GN. I don't know why. She doesn't like that seat at all (ds has one).

Why do her shoulders keep changing?

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