The EFTA was a no go

Coleen and I got together and we played with car seats tonight, We went to put in the mocha mint ETA and it was fine and good, then we put Nolan in it, the new buckle that they have, jabs him in the stomach... We then put her son in and he said it hurt where it poked into him..

We took pics of it, Coleen will post them when she gets on here, so you all can see, We both plan on writing to Evenflo about it, to see what they were thinking changing the buckles like that.. it was horrible!

so the EFTA is going back to target! :thumbsdown::( I was so bummed.
 
ADS

CTPDMom

Ambassador - CPS Technician
First, the good news. It was so fun getting to meet you Meghan! She and I had alot of fun, our kids got along great and they really enjoyed running around and playing together while we played with the car seats. He kids are absolutely adorable, and so is her dh in case anyone was wondering. He came along too! :D And also, she is a rock star car seat installer. WTG Meghan!

OK, now the bad news. What the heck did Evenflo do with my beloved EFTAs buckle?! The new one is bad, really bad! Not totally, I guess. I should say that the red thumb part of the buckle is better, it's a little wider, so you can get two thumbs in. That's good for people with weak fingers, arthritis, etc. I know my mom complains about unbuckling ds from my EFTA. So the new buckle would help her. But the new design of the top part of the buckle...not so much. At first I really thought it was just because Nolan was so little in the seat. But after putting B in it (who is almost 4, about 40lbs) you can clearly see the difference in how the buckle lays with the new one compared to my older one.

What we were playing with was a 3/09 DOM Mocha Mint EFTA, from Target.

Neither she nor I had read anything here about the new buckles. Does anyone know when they changed them? Or has anyone talked to Evenflo?

Here are some pics:

Closeup of the buckle

DSCF1114.jpg


Side views, so you can hopefully see how the buckle lays more parallel to the ground when the harness is properly snugged (it is definitely not TOO tight), allowing the top part to dig straight into the kiddos belly

DSCF1109.jpg


FYI, this second pic is rotated, he's not overly reclined! LOL
DSCF1108.jpg


(Sorry for the giant pics, I'm SO not good with this!)
 

Mommy0608

New member
Wow! What were they thinking?! That buckle design really looks bad. I can't imagine that would be comfortable.
 
First, the good news. It was so fun getting to meet you Meghan! She and I had alot of fun, our kids got along great and they really enjoyed running around and playing together while we played with the car seats. He kids are absolutely adorable, and so is her dh in case anyone was wondering. He came along too! :D And also, she is a rock star car seat installer. WTG Meghan!

OK, now the bad news. What the heck did Evenflo do with my beloved EFTAs buckle?! The new one is bad, really bad! Not totally, I guess. I should say that the red thumb part of the buckle is better, it's a little wider, so you can get two thumbs in. That's good for people with weak fingers, arthritis, etc. I know my mom complains about unbuckling ds from my EFTA. So the new buckle would help her. But the new design of the top part of the buckle...not so much. At first I really thought it was just because Nolan was so little in the seat. But after putting B in it (who is almost 4, about 40lbs) you can clearly see the difference in how the buckle lays with the new one compared to my older one.

What we were playing with was a 3/09 DOM Mocha Mint EFTA, from Target.

Neither she nor I had read anything here about the new buckles. Does anyone know when they changed them? Or has anyone talked to Evenflo?

Here are some pics:

Closeup of the buckle

DSCF1114.jpg


Side views, so you can hopefully see how the buckle lays more parallel to the ground when the harness is properly snugged (it is definitely not TOO tight), allowing the top part to dig straight into the kiddos belly

DSCF1109.jpg


FYI, this second pic is rotated, he's not overly reclined! LOL
DSCF1108.jpg


(Sorry for the giant pics, I'm SO not good with this!)
yep. and those straps could have clicked one notch tighter.. but it poked so hard when I did it one more that it looked painful.. Keith and I were discussing it on the way home and we were saying how it probably was dangerous too as well as uncomfy.

He was not big on the idea of looking around at eftas to see if they all were like that but maybe I will go this weekend if I get a minute lol.
 

Mommy2Marcus

New member
WOW! That is an awful looking buckle with the way it fits. I agree that it looks uncomfortable as well as dangerous. I would have also taken it back to. I also think that someone should call Evenflo & tell them about what it does as well as that a child was complaining it hurt them. I am sorry that it didn't work out for you. I abosolutly :love: my EFTA.
 
yea its really sad, cause I love EVERYthing else about the seat, but it bugged Me enough to decide to return it.. I was so disappointed.. I am not sure if it was safe or not but it really looked uncomfy for him.
 
WOW! That is an awful looking buckle with the way it fits. I agree that it looks uncomfortable as well as dangerous. I would have also taken it back to. I also think that someone should call Evenflo & tell them about what it does as well as that a child was complaining it hurt them. I am sorry that it didn't work out for you. I abosolutly :love: my EFTA.

Buckles do tend to ride high on Nolan and fit a little oddly because the boy has NO torso practically at all.. lol you should see when I use hugs on the marathon rear facing, they are up in his face and still touch the buckle tongs lol.

But that was terrible.

Not sure what to do with my my ride refund now.... hmm
 

An Aurora

Senior Community Member
IME all of the Evenflo buckles jab into babies' bellies. We had an old-style Triumph and it really dug into their tummies.
 

CTPDMom

Ambassador - CPS Technician
IME all of the Evenflo buckles jab into babies' bellies. We had an old-style Triumph and it really dug into their tummies.

I don't notice a problem in our EFTA (bought a couple of years ago) and ds has never complained. But he was sure not happy after only just a minute in this new one, he said it hurt and then pointed right where the buckle was digging in.

I will call Evenflo this morning and see what I can find out.

Arly, I'm not sure what you mean by threading it the other way?
 

::er!ca::

Member
I have an older Evenflo Triumph (yellow knobs, DOM in 2005) and when I tighten the harness it tends to try to dig into the little one's belly. What I do is stop tightening the harness when I notice it going into her belly, adjust the buckle (use my hand to make it more parallel with her body instead of digging in) and then tighten it to where it needs to go. If it looks like it's started to dig in again, I just use my hand again to pull it up a little bit, then make sure the harness is still tightened to where it needs to be... and we're good to go.

Maybe something of that sort would work for this new buckle?
 

CTPDMom

Ambassador - CPS Technician
I think part of the problem is the new longer part at the bottom of the buckle. That does not exist on mine. I think the longer piece stabilizes the buckle and doesn't allow it to rotate down so it's more perpendicular with the road, that part keeps it more parallel.
 

arly1983

New member
Arly, I'm not sure what you mean by threading it the other way?

I accidently did it on my RA the other day, maybe I could do it on purpose and take a pic so you can what I mean.

Basically the straps come from the hips and instead of going through the back of the buckle tongues, going through the front first. Then they come out through the back and go through the chest buckle. That way the top of the buckle is not against the child's body.
 

CTPDMom

Ambassador - CPS Technician
Ahh...I see. Because of the infinite harness you cannot remove it, though. I just got off the phone with Evenflo and I did double check that. I just sent the pics and they are looking into it. The rep did say they changed the crotch strap to make it longer along with changing the buckle at the same time. She was wondering if that had anything to do with it.
 

Brycen'sMommy

New member
Ahh...I see. Because of the infinite harness you cannot remove it, though. I just got off the phone with Evenflo and I did double check that. I just sent the pics and they are looking into it. The rep did say they changed the crotch strap to make it longer along with changing the buckle at the same time. She was wondering if that had anything to do with it.

I definitely think it has something to do with the crotch strap length. We have a Titan and have the same problem with the buckle. The strap is so long that we still use the infant insert for my 16 mo. because it boosts her up just enough that the buckle doesn't dig in quite as much. I'm still not happy with the fit though.
 

CTPDMom

Ambassador - CPS Technician
I definitely think it has something to do with the crotch strap length. We have a Titan and have the same problem with the buckle. The strap is so long that we still use the infant insert for my 16 mo. because it boosts her up just enough that the buckle doesn't dig in quite as much. I'm still not happy with the fit though.

Hmmm, interesting. I might have to find a little person to 'borrow' this weekend and see how different it is with the insert in.
 

tracee877

Active member
I'm glad I saw this thread. I was *this close* to getting one on clearance at Target today and now I'm glad I didn't!
 

Madeline410

New member
This new buckle looks more like the older Triumphs.. I wonder why they went back to the similar design? I liked the EFTA buckle just fine.. it never bothered my kiddos.
 

AnnieW625

New member
I have an older Evenflo Triumph (yellow knobs, DOM in 2005) and when I tighten the harness it tends to try to dig into the little one's belly. What I do is stop tightening the harness when I notice it going into her belly, adjust the buckle (use my hand to make it more parallel with her body instead of digging in) and then tighten it to where it needs to go. If it looks like it's started to dig in again, I just use my hand again to pull it up a little bit, then make sure the harness is still tightened to where it needs to be... and we're good to go.

Maybe something of that sort would work for this new buckle?

We used to do that too with our 2006 Triumph 5, DD never once complained about the Triumph, but oh she complained about the Marathon for a good year, I was soo happy when one day she finally stopped right around her 2nd birthday!
 

Car-Seat.Org Facebook Group

Forum statistics

Threads
219,656
Messages
2,196,896
Members
13,530
Latest member
onehitko860

You must read your carseat and vehicle owner’s manual and understand any relevant state laws. These are the rules you must follow to restrain your children safely. All opinions at Car-Seat.Org are those of the individual author for informational purposes only, and do not necessarily reflect any policy or position of Carseat Media LLC. Car-Seat.Org makes no representations as to accuracy, completeness, currentness, suitability, or validity of any information on this site and will not be liable for any errors, omissions, or delays in this information or any losses, injuries, or damages arising from its display or use. All information is provided on an as-is basis. If you are unsure about information provided to you, please visit a local certified technician. Before posting or using our website you must read and agree to our TERMS.

Graco is a Proud Sponsor of Car-Seat.Org! Britax is a Proud Sponsor of Car-Seat.Org! Nuna Baby is a Proud Sponsor of Car-Seat.Org!

Please  Support Car-Seat.Org  with your purchases of infant, convertible, combination and boosters seats from our premier sponsors above.
Shop travel systems, strollers and baby gear from Britax, Chicco, Clek, Combi, Evenflo, First Years, Graco, Maxi-Cosi, Nuna, Safety 1st, Diono & more! ©2001-2022 Carseat Media LLC

Top