no eps vs. low harness slots

christineka

New member
I think I've been reading too much... So, eps foam is important to protect the kid's head in a crash. People have also complained about the tribute's large gap between the first and second slots and that it isn't very safe either. Please advise me on what seats you'd put your kids in, if my kids were yours.

Dd age 4 yrs, 3 months, weighing 30 pounds, torso of 12.5 inches. She's in the 10th percentile for her size and her head is probably in the 0 percentile at 19 inches circ.

She currently rides rear-facing in a pink scenera. The pink scenera was what got her turned back to rear-facing at age 3. She loves her pink seat. There have been times, though when the pink seat has been the spare in the car and she is okay with sitting in a non-pink seat. She won't throw a tantrum or refuse to sit in the seat, but she will tell me all about how she likes her pink seat and wants it back. I will be buying this child a new seat within the next 3 months and it will most likely be pink.

Ds age 2yrs, weighing 25.5 pounds, with an approx. 12 inch torso. Because boys are heavier, he's also in the 10th percentile with a 0 percent head circ. of 19 inches.

He is currently in an avenue.

The other seat we have is an Evenflo Tribute with eps foam. I could put dd in the avenue and ds in the tribute. (Dd has outgrown the 30 pound rfing limit.) Both would then have eps foam. Ds' shoulders, however are just a smidge- probably .5 -.75 of an inch below the second slots on the tribute. This puts his shoulders 3 inches above the bottom slots.

Although dh has said I can buy whatever car seats needed to fit 6 car seats in the van, when presented with the actual possibility of buying a new car seat, he became bent out of shape, so I am to deal with our current car seats, while buying the one and only one that will make the 6th car seat fit. Therefore, I've got what I've got and have to deal with it until the new seat is purchased and no, I can't purchase more than one.

Which would you choose?
4 yo in seat with no eps foam or
2 yo with shoulders 3 inches above the strap slots?
 
ADS

Maedze

New member
I would try my two year old in the Tribute to see how it fit before I made a hard and fast decision. You could drive around a bit, see if the straps stayed where they belonged.

Also, if the next slot height up is really close to his shoulders, I would prefer to the harness rerouted there than in a position where it could slip off his shoulders.
 

christineka

New member
I had the tribute in the van recently and switched it out for the avenue after reading someone's comment on the unsafety of having the shoulder so high above the slots. I have tried ds in the seat without the seat cover and his shoulders are most definitely below the second slots. Unfortunately, I can't hook my camera up to my computer, so I can't show pictures. How far above the shoulders would you be comfortable having the harness? The tribute is also a short- shelled seat and I would not want ds ramping up so far that his head sticks out the top.
 

Maedze

New member
If it's within a half inch I would be comfortable with it. Keep in mind, this is personal parental comfort, not technician advice :cool:

Also keep in mind that the masters of safe rearfacing, the Swedes, do NOT have a 'below or even with' the shoulders rule, nor do they have the 1" of shell rule for rearfacers.
 

melniemi

New member
If he's only a half inch below the second slot, I would just move it up. I'd prefer that over him being 3" above the bottom slot.
 

bobandjess99

Senior Community Member
personally? for my own self/children, and not recommending to anyone else?
2yo with straps less than an inch *above* his shoudleres.
I'd absolutely use the slots slighlty aboive his shoudlers, provided it was no more than a half inch or so, and those slots are allowed for rearfacing.
I do it, in our titan, for the same exact reason...there is a huge gap between the 2nd and 3rd slots, so it is either use the 2nd slots that are inches below his shoulderes, or use the 3rd slots, which are a tad above...personally, and knowing the crash mechanics of ramping up and all that, I choose to feel okay with them being *slightly* over his shoudlers.
 

joolsplus3

Admin - CPS Technician
I'd probably be fine with a good inch between shoulders and slots (that is, middle slots in use with shoulders bellow them) (lurkers, there is a FOUR INCH gap between the Tribute bottom and middle slots...it's extreme..not sure why they didn't throw another slot in there :thumbsdown:)...and the lapstraps prevent a good deal of ramping, especially if his head is 2-4 inches below the top of the seatback, I wouldn't worry. :twocents:
 

christineka

New member
Alright, preliminary, in the house tests in the seat with the straps at the second slot shows that ds' shoulders are only 1/2 an inch lower than the slots. So, you'd be okay with that? Then I could put dd in the avenue and leave the scenera for the spare.

Then I just have to worry about what to put baby in. I'll hope my baby has an 8 inch torso and can have the tribute.
 

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