Britax Frontier 90 - Alterations

[joolsplus3]

I'm glad I had read Jennie mentioning this earlier, I was able to adjust the first fresh-out-of-the-box one at work in front of a family without looking like a total idiot. I'm so glad we have a nearly impossible to reach adjuster for kids with special needs (or just the kids with a special need to stay safe in the car, despite being a houdini and good at loosening other seats...)


PS, though I do sympathize with hangnails and NOT having a houdini kid. Might want to contact Britax and ask about a small tailoring alteration, they tend to 'tweak' all kinds of things about their seats when they first come out, so suggestions from consumers help them make seats easier to use in the long run. (their adjusters used to be SO easy to find, they actually had kids loosen themselves all the time, at very young ages, and sold an extra add on part to make it harder for them to loosen themselves, seems the pendulum might have swung too far with this seat, eh?)

 

[Athena]

I tried the crotch buckle slit after reading that here, but it didn't work at all for me. It was way too far forward for me. However, what did work was using the actual slot intended for this (the first one above where the strap comes out of), but reaching in my entire hand instead of just a finger. My fingers were not long enough to reach on their own.

For what it's worth, I wouldn't think most stores would take back a used seat anyway, but if you really hate it and can't make it work, you might be able to sell it and get another 85 on clearance. I'd definitely let Britax know about your disappointment. I've let them know what I don't like about it and if we all do that, I'm hoping they'll tweak it and come out with something that's actually great and lives more up to the hype.

 

[LISmama810]

I tried reaching in through the crotch slot, but that one was too far back. It was actually harder than the real slot.

I definitely have an easier time if I shove in two fingers vs just one.

This is so, so wrong.

 

[mochajunkie]

Sorry, was gone on vacation and didn't have time to reply (boo, eh?).

We've decided to live with it. It's super annoying, but I REALLY like the click tight, it's so easy to install. DH's mouth dropped open when I showed him.

The reason I want it easier to access is pretty insignificant from a safety standpoint, because I could always leave the harness tight. However, my kid is almost 6 that is using this seat, and he's been independently getting into his Nautilus for a year. In the Nautilus, to get out, he'd depress the harness adjustment button while leaning forward, which added a few inches of slack to the harness. This made it MUCH easier for him to lean forward to see the buckles (to be sure fabric from pants or a long shirt are not interfering with the buckle). An added benefit is with a bit of slack in the harness he can get in and out without the straps twisting every which way.

Then, when he got back in, reverse procedure, and I would come and do a buckle check and pull the slack out of the harness for him (he could do it mostly, but I double checked).

With this seat, he's having a difficult time unbuckling, which SUCKS for carpool line at school, when parents are not supposed to get out. He also can't fasten himself INTO the seat because the straps are too tight for him to get them over his shoulders and lean forward far enough to visualize the crotch buckle. He's only 5, so he can't do it by feeling, he needs to be able to see the buckle.

It sounds so trivial, but honestly, it's a big deal at this age. A lot of his friends are on turbo boosters, and need zero help getting in and out. He feels like a "baby". That's a blow to me, because I try to do as little harm as possible in helping him feel accepted and fit in at school, and I try to explain WHY he is still harnessed at 49", 49lbs. He's frustrated and I feel badly about that. But I'm not willing to compromise on his safety, and I don't think he's booster ready quite yet (maybe next year I told him).

So... I'll contact Britax, but I hope that explains the "why" of this being important. I get that there are kids with special needs and discipline issues, but my kid doesn't fall into those categories, and these excessive "safety features" seem to age my kid out of a seat that he physically should still be in.

:shrug

Thanks for the replies and validation that this does suck. We'll figure it out. Maybe I'll show him where to press down or sew a little patch over the spot so he can press through the cover... who knows.

Don't discount this seat, every other thing about it has been wonderful, except this... yeah.

 

[eddis]

Did you decide against altering the cover? It wouldn't bother me to snip into the cover - I've done something similar so that our old Cowmoo (Blvd CS) cover would fit our new Blvd 70. (I wouldn't alter the cover if we were talking near the harness straps, but adjuster button seems an acceptable change to me ) We have the Pinnacle but I'm okay with reaching back to depress the button, I don't tend to adjust it that often.

Would it help to keep a long-handled spoon/spatula near your son's seat, so he can poke down with it to reach the button? (of course storing it where it won't become a projectile in an accident) Someone on another thread also suggested something called the Buckle Bopper, in that case to help a grandma with arthritis unbuckle the child's seat. Perhaps with the BB he wouldn't need to add slack to the harness in order to unbuckle.

 

[mochajunkie]

I'm honestly not sure it'll matter, since the location of the button is still very difficult to reach. We are going to try to just practice more. I've got until late-August for him to learn for drop-off lane again.

 

[jbaitz]

I don't have a problem with ours, but I use my thumb and I have really long fingers...so I guess I didn't help much....

Good luck! I know how hectic drop off lanes are.

 

[tiggercat]

So I was all ready to molest the FR CT today ( ) and I actually found it pretty easy to loosen? Once I figured out to push down and not up like the convertibles, anyway.

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