Which slot would you choose?.....

emandbri

Well-known member

• Nov 20, 2008

• #1

Elizabeth is rear-facing abd almost to the third slot on her marathon. It is getting a little annoying to get the straps on her, especially with the car seat poncho. Is she close enough to move them up?

 

T

Tyler'sMom1117

New member

• Nov 20, 2008

• #2

I'm not a tech so keep that in mind. I would lower them. It looks to me like it is still above her shoulder and I'm sure after a few minutes in the car she slouches more in the seat. My kids were always lower after a few minutes sitting in the car seat then when I first put them in and they are sitting up nice and straight.

 

Shaunam

New member

• Nov 20, 2008

• #3

They still need to be in the one below.

 

emandbri

Well-known member

• Nov 20, 2008

• #4

See I thought so to but we had a little girl at a check who looked just like the picture and the other tech said to leave them in the higher slot. Made me wonder if I was just being over protective and maybe it was close enough.

 

Shaunam

New member

• Nov 20, 2008

• #5

emandbri said:

See I thought so to but we had a little girl at a check who looked just like the picture and the other tech said to leave them in the higher slot. Made me wonder if I was just being over protective and maybe it was close enough.

Click to expand...

Nope, probably just a tech who really didn't know and/or care. I like to wait until they are dead even and then maybe a little more before moving them up.

 

BookMama

Senior Community Member

• Nov 20, 2008

• #6

My DD fits just about the same in her RF MA, and I've kept her on the lower slots. That said, with the MA, she probably has enough seat shell above her head that she's not going to ramp up past the top of the seat in a crash. :twocents:

 

lemurmommies

New member

• Nov 20, 2008

• #7

If it were me, I'd keep them in the lower slot. That doesn't look quite close enough to the higher slots for me to feel comfortable with her riding like that.

 

Pixels

New member

• Nov 20, 2008

• #8

Have you tried the ruler test? After DD has been in the seat for a while and settled, stick a ruler in through the slot. This makes it super easy to see if it is above, level, or below. And you should be comparing to the ground, not the car seat.

This made it super easy for me to determine that my DD was actually above the second slot on her seat. Looking at her, it kinda looks like it is above, but comparing it to the ground it is definitely below.

 

abacus2

Well-known member

• Nov 20, 2008

• #9

I really think we can take the car seat instructions seriously when they say at OR below. It doesn't say "it really needs to be noticably below, but we tolerate at." I bet if you stuck a ruler in the slot it would be touching her shoulders. I think that counts as "at." When straps are too far below the shoulders, the straps get harder to place properly and can tend to slide off the shoulders. Using the "at" slots frequently provides a better fit IMO.

 

cryswilkins

New member

• Nov 20, 2008

• #10

Do they slide off her shoulders when they are in the lower slot? When she settles in is she further below the slot?

With my DD I made the parental decision to move them up the the next slot RF when she fit like that. The straps we sliding off her shoulders and not sitting right in the slot below. She also still had(s) several inches above her head so if she ramped up her head would still be contained.

 

joolsplus3

Admin - CPS Technician

• Nov 20, 2008

• #11

That's how Bitsy looked in hers when I decided she was 'at' the third set of slots RF....having them in the second made her cry, they pushed her down so hard when I got them to a reasonable tightness...so I left them higher, knowing her seat was upright, installed well, with snug straps, I felt her risk of ramping out of it was zero.

 

MomToEliEm

Moderator

• Nov 20, 2008

• #12

When my child looked that way in relation to the slots, I moved them up. When the straps where in the slot way below her shoulders, they were pulling down pretty hard and almost looked like they would fall off her shoulders. I made the decision to move them up at that time. I did make sure that she had settled into the seat first though to ensure that the straps were really close enough. Sometimes, I find that initially the child may be pretty high up, but after a 15 minute car ride, she settles down in the seat and are much closer to the other slot.

 

emandbri

Well-known member

• Nov 20, 2008

• #13

I haven't tried the ruler test I will try that tomorrow. I don't know if she settles more or not I haven't driven with her in the third slot. Oh and in that picture she is wearing underwear but when out she usually wears training pants or a pull up.

I don't recall them falling off her shoulders but it is a pain and she is starting to fight me again when I put her in and drawing on her hand now isn't working.

For the last two weeks she has been riding in the middle of the van and she is really annoyed that I moved her back to the side and keeps climbing into Benjamin's seat. I don't think she wants to be forward facing just in the middle for some reason. I want her on the side though since she is more protected than Benjamin by being rear-facing and I have to put her in and Benjamin can buckle himself.