Pool noodle limit for an Avenue install?

[elle7715]

My friend's 7 month old daughter outgrew her infant seat and she asked me which carseats would have the best long term value. I sent her seat suggestions and she choose to get the Avenue for her car and her mom's. I warned her they could be tricky to install RF and told her I would help her. She has a little Saturn without LATCH. I went ahead and installed it in the middle. Her seats are very slanted in the back. I've only been able to find the small pool noodles with the hole in the middle which compress quite a bit. I had three taped into a pyramid and one extra and STILL couldn't get a good recline. I used all the tricks I use with my other seats and her head still fell forward after she fell asleep on the way home. One of the problems is that the front seats are right there...if she moved her front seats forward I bet I could get more of a recline. It is such a tiny car though and my friend is tall (5'10"ish) so I don't want to do that if I have other options. Should I keep hunting for larger pool noodles? Or add more little ones? The problem with this seat is that stupid cutout on the bottom. I'm filling up that space with additional pool noodles so the pool noodles actually supporting the recline don't slip backwards away from the seat back.

Here's a thread I found that shows the cutout I'm referring too. However I do NOT have the pool noodles under the middle part of the base like that. They are all filling up the cutout and against the seatback. I'm wondering if using more pool noodles would be OK because the extra ones wouldn't actually be doing anything. They'd just be filling the normally empty space so the functional pool noodles wouldn't slip backwards. I really want this seat to work for her. I installed the other seat in her mom's Impala without a problem. Her seats don't have that crazy slant and the front seats aren't so close.

 

[carseatcoach]

I was taught that three is the limit, regardless of seat.

 

[Evolily]

Kmart near here has some gigantic pool noodles- I would check there. These are wider than the distance from my pinky to thumb with fingers spread. There's a small hole in the middle.

 

[elle7715]

OK so it sounds like sizing up would be best.

Kmart near here has some gigantic pool noodles- I would check there. These are wider than the distance from my pinky to thumb with fingers spread. There's a small hole in the middle.

Thanks, there's one not far from here I'll check out. So far I've checked Walgreens, Rite Aid, Target, Meijer, and Kroger. They only had the little ones. When I tighten the belt they compress down even smaller. Admittedly I make sure the belt can't possibly tighten anymore and the carseat is embedded in the vehicle seat...but that's what I like to do.

 

[murphydog77]

I was taught that three is the limit, regardless of seat.

I use whatever I need to use to get the proper recline. I've only once in 8 years needed to use more than 3, so that tells you how often I've run into that situation. There's such a variety of noodles now in shapes and sizes that I don't think it matters much what you use or how many. Just get the job done.

 

[Gypsy]

You can use as many as you need to get the angle you need.

 

[scatterbunny]

I use whatever I need to use to get the proper recline.

There's such a variety of noodles now in shapes and sizes that I don't think it matters much what you use or how many. Just get the job done.

You can use as many as you need to get the angle you need.

:yeahthat:

 

[safeinthecar]

Sometimes a large rolled towel works better than noodles for seats with weird bottoms. They don't slide into crevices as badly.

 

[elle7715]

OK last night I went to help her with it and ended up using 4 little ones. I retaped three of them into more of a L shape and put the fourth one on top. However when I made a late night toilet paper run I saw that our Kroger now had a box of larger pool noodles so I grabbed two. I'm keeping one for myself and will put the other one in her car. I can't get over how much those little ones compress. Three sections of the big one will give more of a recline than the four little ones I've got in there now. Tomorrow I'm going over and will switch them out and recline the one in her mom's car more.
Thank you all, I feel really responsible for this because 1) it's one of my best friends and her daughter who I obviously care deeply for and 2) she choose these seats based on my recommendations. I'm so glad they will work for her!