need idiot proof seat for grandparents to use

[sanctareparata]

Interested in this thread....and have a question. What's a lock off?

 

[wondering1]

Too bad the Regent doesn't have lock-offs.

 

[MagnificentMama]

Interested in this thread....and have a question. What's a lock off?

Lock off is something on the seat that will actually "lock" the belt for you. Most seat belts you either have to pull the entire belt out to switch it into a locking mode, or you have to wrestle with a locking clip to make sure the belt actually locks so when you go to install the seat, it won't move. With a built in lock off, you thread the seat belt through it and "lock it" through a mechanism actually on the seat. They're soo easy to use.

 

[gwenvet]

Honestly, even though he's youngish and still under 40lbs, I would get them a high back booster and do a lot of education with him. That way, they won't forget the seatbelt and at least he will be restrained by SOMETHING. In another 6mo, he will be mush more responsible and as their memory gets worse, it will just be easy to put the seat in and put the seatbelt around him. If you do the education with him, he can even be responsible for everything himself and will remind them how to do it. My barely 4yr old just reamed my SIL for taking off her seatbelt while driving to back up the car!

 

[rachel3612]

Honestly, even though he's youngish and still under 40lbs, I would get them a high back booster and do a lot of education with him. That way, they won't forget the seatbelt and at least he will be restrained by SOMETHING. In another 6mo, he will be mush more responsible and as their memory gets worse, it will just be easy to put the seat in and put the seatbelt around him. If you do the education with him, he can even be responsible for everything himself and will remind them how to do it. My barely 4yr old just reamed my SIL for taking off her seatbelt while driving to back up the car!

:yeahthat:

Any younger and I wouldn't agree but at this age he should be fine. A booster is much safer than a car seat not installed correctly. A booster is very hard to do wrong, you could probably teach your son how it is supposed to go. The Parkway is easier to use, there are no armrest to go under (or mess up and go over). It is also much cheaper than a harness seat and it will last the longest.

Rachel
CPST

 

[mephitine]

I'm worried about this same issue. Our little one is outgrowing his SnugRide any day now, so we're under pressure to get him a new seat. We'd had bases in my car, my husband's car, and one for the grandparents, and I've been livid about their installations. My own is installed nicely, but theirs (they rotate it between their 2-3 cars according to which one is working) never seems secure. They argue that they used the manual and installed it according to directions, but I've never felt good about it and would move it around and say "it's NOT SUPPOSED TO DO THIS!!!" However, they were adamant it was right and my husband sided with them, that they had followed the instructions and nothing else could be done. I'd argue more, and they'd say, "what else can we do? There's no place else to tighten anything, no other place for the belt to go through, we pushed down as hard as we can." I would be left feeling panicked and unhappy but without any way to respond, as I'm not any kind of expert. To make matters worse, finding anyone certified for car seat inspection around here is really tough. I should know--I work at a police station. People are always coming in to ask for help with their car seats, and I have to tell them that no one is certified, the ones who used to be certified let their certifications expire. It's the same for all the local PDs in the area...I can't think of one that has a current certification (though my DH found a website that showed one of the local firefighters is certified...I'm going to ask tomorrow if he's gone in for recert, because last I heard NO ONE in the area had current certification, we were sending people to the children's hospital in Ann Arbor in the hopes they could find someone there to help).

At any rate, I'm going to hunt down someone to work with all of us on getting a proper install on whichever seat we end up choosing to replace the Graco infant seat. I'll buy one for us and one for the grandparents, and doggonit the installation is going to be dictated by someone other than me, someone certified who can make sure they understand how to get it secure and whose commands and concerns will not be pooh-poohed like mine. If no one listens when I put my foot down, I'll have to find someone who can put their foot down loudly enough to make a mark.

I sure wish we all had LATCH, though! Surely that would make it easier? Or at least less questionable when it comes to right and wrong installations? Someone in the BRU store advised us to take our old cars to the dealerships to ask for retrofitted LATCH, said this was available. I'd never heard that before.

So I'm thinking the Britax Boulevard or the SK Radian at this point...pricey, but I'm so scared for my little man's protection, and like other people said, it's more important than toys and other junk we buy for our children. Heck, I just wish I could rent a drill sergeant of a certified child seat inspector, I'd pay for someone to teach them how to get the seat in right, and make it crystal clear to them just how absolutely essential it is that the seat is in there solidly! But now after reading some of the reviews here, I'm thinking the Radian is maybe too difficult to change out often?

This is a touchy subject, as they are convinced that they are doing things right, my MIL works in a maternity ward, there's simply no arguing.

I'm already worried that they're going against our wishes in other areas (we're vegetarian and raising our child vegetarian, according to our religious beliefs; they're confirmed carnivores and concerned that our boy isn't getting enough protein [he's getting plenty]). But we both are stuck working full time, so we rely on them for child care during the week. They do a fantastic job with him in every other respect. This is the sore spot.

Maybe Britax is the way to go?

 

[mominabigtruck]

Retrofitted latch is not available except for a select few foreign cars. And honestly its not usually any easier. The only thing it really helps with is if you have a lap shoulder belt that makes the seat tilt you won't have that problem, but you still have to tighten it down like you do a regular seatbelt.

 

[fastdogs]

since a helpful person on this forum informed me that my galaxy has lockoffs (I've only used it with latch), I told my dad he's welcome to use that one instead (andy's shoulders are even with top slots sometimes, looks a little over other times, but borderline). He told me it looked too big and would rather use the touriva. So I guess I'll find that seatbelt lock thing and show them how to use it, and hope that they dont take him in the tracker without me there. I will plan to get a booster when he gets too tall for the touriva, as was suggested, because they might be able to handle that, and rarely drive with him anyway. The next time I will be out of town will be when he's four, around october. He's pretty good about watching for the "fasten seat belt" light, and if it comes on he's telling us to put seatbelts on.
I know exactly how you feel, getting your suggestions pooh-poohed just because it came from you. THey dismiss us as over-protective parents. But, I'm 49, this little guy is the only one I'll ever have, and I AM over protective!
vickie

 

[Morganthe]

Honestly, even though he's youngish and still under 40lbs, I would get them a high back booster and do a lot of education with him. That way, they won't forget the seatbelt and at least he will be restrained by SOMETHING. In another 6mo, he will be mush more responsible and as their memory gets worse, it will just be easy to put the seat in and put the seatbelt around him. If you do the education with him, he can even be responsible for everything himself and will remind them how to do it.

:yeahthat:

Any younger and I wouldn't agree but at this age he should be fine. A booster is much safer than a car seat not installed correctly. A booster is very hard to do wrong, you could probably teach your son how it is supposed to go. The Parkway is easier to use, there are no armrest to go under (or mess up and go over). It is also much cheaper than a harness seat and it will last the longest.

Rachel
CPST

I am SO in agreement with these two opinions. Even with lockoffs, there's still a need to install a seat snugly in the first place. My Maxi has lockoffs Plus a self tightening plate that presses down on the lap part of the 3pt seatbelt. Makes it easy to install, but it still takes a couple of minutes of hard work to get it tight enough in the car. I Always have to double install it (one time secure -- second time crank down on the 3pt) because of how the middle seat hump sets in the vehicle.

I honestly believe the combination of an incorrectly installed carseat + loose harness on a child is much worse & even possibly deadlier than a properly used booster seat.
You say he's 34lbs -- how tall is he? That could make even more of a difference in the situation.
Even though dd is only 35lbs & 3 1/2, she's hitting 41" and she fits properly in boosters. Not planning on it, but in a pinch & short trips, I would use a good one if the only other option was an incorrectly fitted & installed carseat -- especially an OHS! I hate those things.

good luck on trying to figure this all out.