1 yr old twins in my van in crappy seats/ WWYD? Advice please

there is a new family in our unit. They are living in a hotel off base with no vehicle. I swore NO ONE would go through what we went through so I have been helping them out. Driving them around etc....
Well the boys just turned 1 and they are about 35lbs so rf is out. But their carseats are the crappy Cosco Highback. The straps are all tiwsted ( I un-twisted them and they were twisted when they put the boys in). The harness is so loose they were not even on the shoulders and the chest clip was at their bellies. I told her my concern and made her fix it but they were all twisted and messed up in no time. So I dont feel safe allowing them in those carseats in my van.
So I was thinking of these options. I have 2 built in carseats. They are 34-36" tall so the seat will be big but it is safer then what they are in AND I have to put them in it as she doesnt know how to use the seat.
Or I have the Apex I can adjust for the smaller boy and put the bigger one in a built-in. I prefer both in the built-ins b/c then I know they will be in there correctly..

So WWYD? I refuse to not help. They have a tiny frideg that can hold a half-gallon milk and they have nothing else so I cant not help.

It would probably be best for the family if you fixed the straps and helped them learn how to use their seats correctly, so the boys can be safe in all vehicles.

chickabiddy said:

It would probably be best for the family if you fixed the straps and helped them learn how to use their seats correctly, so the boys can be safe in all vehicles.

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I tried that as I said, but they just didn't care and they wouldnt let me strap them in their seats. but this lady also smokes and may be preggo and sees nothing wrong with it. She also says that she use to let her kids ride on her lap in the car and puts the belt around them and her and thinks it is safe.

thanks very much. I wish they would just listen. But we wont go places often....

You're going to have an incredibly difficult time getting those seats used correctly - they're similar to what we had when my older boys were little, and they were a huge PITA.

As long as they otherwise meet the weight requirements for the built-ins, I'd be perfectly comfortable using those.

Good for you for helping them out! :thumbsup:

I agree, if they meet height/weight requirements of your built in seats, I would use them. It doesn't solve all their problems, but keeps them safe while in your car. If the smaller one fits in the Apex, that's a great option as well.

I agree, use the built in seats if they fit. That way you can get around the mom not wanting you to strap them in. You can just say "hey it'll be so much easier to not have to move seats around, I'll just put them in the built in seats. They are kinda hard to use, so I'll just buckle them up for you. It's a little different than normal seats."

Hopefully she'll just be OK with that.