Question '97 Honda CR-V

[nikalea]

Hi all-
So I'm new to this, mothering and forums. We have been using a Gracco Snugride 30 in the middle of the back of my '97 Honda Cr-v, but my 6 month old has been getting red around the neck from the straps and looking pretty uncomfortable, so I thought we would upgrade. The base was secure but it wasn't tethered. I thought we would just buy a Britax, since they go above safety limits, but after researching a little more now I feel like I've been a little lax about this business. Should I get a factory tethering part installed? What would be a good seat solution for my old vehicle? Can't afford a new car right now...

Thanks in advance!
Nikki

 

[wendytthomas]

Hi Nikki,

You don't tether infant seats, so you've done no wrong there. Seats that tether rear facing come with adapters, so you don't need to do anything there. You tether forward facing seats, so that is ideally about 3.5 years off from now. Will you still have the car then? If so we'll get you the tether retrofit part number.

How heavy is your six month old, and what is his shirt size? The Britaxes are fairly short and may not last rear facing as long as you would like. There are other seats that last a lot longer for less money as well.

All carseats pass the same safety tests. What and if other companies do beyond that is their own business, not held to any standards, and may be marketing for all we know. Using any seat properly and rear facing as long as possible are the two best things you could do right now.

Wendy

 

[joolsplus3]

Welcome! I used to have that car (well, 99, but same thing) and loved it, so easy to install any seat I tried in there! Other great seats to consider are the Radian (also has the anti-rebound tether function same as Britax, there's a strap you tie down to the rear leg of the front seat, it's easy peasy), or the new First Years True Fits (has an anti rebound bar instead), the Clek Foonf (anti Rebound bar), or Chicco NextFit (the seat sides are so high they serve an anti rebound function, no extra parts or straps needed).
While you're shopping around, maybe check your Graco for the ways to loosen the harness. There's a hidden section of lap strap under the bottom of the seat, that can be let out a couple inches and the extra space in there might make your child a little more comfortable (ie, you'll be able to loosen things up a lot more before buckling up). See the manual for more directions on this, and this blog review has excellent pictures... http://carseatblog.com/9256/graco-snugride-30-review-the-snugride-infant-seat-for-smaller-babies/
An average or petite child should make it to three or older rearfacing in a Britax, so if you try your child in one at the store and like it (it has some nifty features, like the built in lockoffs should you install your seat in the window seat sometime instead of with the lapbelt in the middle), and the velcro/stand forward crotch buckle that make loading and buckling so so much easier; and I find it to be one of the easiest seats to teach parents how to install properly, so no need to rule it out.

 

[mom2juliarose]

Hi there! We have a '97 CRV (with 308K miles on it...) and I love it for car seats. Initially we had an older-style Britax Marathon (what is now sold as the Marathon Classic at Target) in there. We've also had a First Years True Fit, a Graco MyRide, and a Sunshine Kids Radian in there. The Radian is in there now. The only one that allows tethering rear-facing (besides the Britax) is the Radian, but I found my installs of the other seats to be just as tight. That middle seatbelt CAN be hard to tighten/loosen, though. Just make sure every now and then to check your install. I know sometimes we had issues with the seatbelt loosening over time as we put in and removed the bucket seat.

 

[nikalea]

Thanks for the responses! I feel much better now! I was just reading some entries about taking off the roof panel and installing the latch, but if that is only for forward facing it can wait a while... We'll keep her RF as long as possible.

The baby is almost 19 lbs and 6 1/2 months. We let the Graco straps as far out as we thought they would go and on the highest little setting, but they are still a little tight on either side of her neck. Even if that is the way they are supposed to be we were thinking of getting something that comes a little more padded from the factory. We'll have to look into those models and go test some out.

Yeah, the ol' cr-v just climbed over the 200,000 mark and still going strong. No complaints from me, it's been a real trooper for all the wear I've put it through...