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Since many of us use our Ex as the family hauler, I am sure several of you have one or more car seats installed in the Ex.
I did a quick search and only found 5 threads on the subject and it looks like most just use the seat belts to latch in the seats. I feel the seat belts don't secure them enough for the infant seats. Does anyone else use tie downs as well?
Been in your shoes man. What I always did, buckle the seat base in like normal. Then pull the seat belt allllll the way out from the "wall" until it stops. As you let the slack back out to tighten it up, the seat belt is now locked. It has to go all the way back in to be unlocked. Once I let the slack out, I would sit on the base with my feet and everything, putting as much weight as I could on it. Then let all the additional slack out. After that, the base of the car seat was totally glued to that seat. It's hard on the leather so use a towel or something underneath. But it's rock solid. Hopefully that makes sense!
My Pitbulls get the fold down cargo area between the front seats and the rear bench. I'm doing the world a favor and not spawning... So my knowledge on the subject of child seats is just what I read...lol
Been in your shoes man. What I always did, buckle the seat base in like normal. Then pull the seat belt allllll the way out from the "wall" until it stops. As you let the slack back out to tighten it up, the seat belt is now locked. It has to go all the way back in to be unlocked. Once I let the slack out, I would sit on the base with my feet and everything, putting as much weight as I could on it. Then let all the additional slack out. After that, the base of the car seat was totally glued to that seat. It's hard on the leather so use a towel or something underneath. But it's rock solid. Hopefully that makes sense!
X2! When you pull the belt all the way and slowly let it back in you'll hear it ratchet. Once snug I put my knee into the seat and tighten the belt just above the latch, you'll get a few more click this way. They are solid and hardly move at all. All of the car seat owners manuals I've read say an inch of lateral movement is good but I get much less than that. I also use the rubber mesh drawer liners between the kid seat and the leather seating surface of the Ex to help reduce lateral movement. I thought about searching for tether extenders but as I said my seats are tight. I think the reason our tethers are too short is because our seats fold down and the anchors are at the lowest point, most modern cars have the tether anchor point attached to the bottom of the seat back upper or to the sheet metal. We ran rear facing seats for two of our kids the way I outlined and no issues. Just get the belt to ratchet (if you haven't already).
I, too, do the 'sit on it for as much weight as possible' method, however I also recline the seatback one notch when I do it. I find that it really helps wedge the seat in there for maximum belt tension and holding capacity once you return the seatback to the normal 'up' position.
After reading up on the LATCH anchor system, it sketched me out a bit and I stick to the seatbelt method. I'm glad the middle seat has just the lap belt, those shoulder harness adapter clips that come with car seats never really sit properly for me, and with all the offroad driving I do and the bouncing and vibrations they inevitably shift and slip substantially.
When my daughter was still rear-facing, I found an adapter to use the top tether while rear-facing. Looks like an an axle-only strap with two angled D-rings on each end. I wrapped it around the wide plate base for the seats, then attached the top tether to the D-rings. Worked like a champ and the seat wouldn't budge one bit.
My only reason for not using ratchet straps is I don't know if they're designed to stretch in a collision like the seatbelts are. I'd rather have the seatbelt stretch and absorb some (no matter how small) of the impact than risk a ratchet strap with zero give whatsoever.
I'll try to keep my opinions on car seats to a minimum.
A properly installed seat will be at the proper angle, and rock the truck before the seat shifts in the seat, if not, you're doing something wrong. Each seat is different, but use of pool noodles/towels etc may be needed to make this happen. We do car seat inspections/installs at the fire dept, as does the police department, and several hospitals. Check and see who you have locally. The right people will have taken classes(nearly 40hrs of training) and will have info on each car seat/vehicle for tips and pointers...oh yeah..it's free
I'll try to keep my opinions on car seats to a minimum.
A properly installed seat will be at the proper angle, and rock the truck before the seat shifts in the seat, if not, you're doing something wrong. Each seat is different, but use of pool noodles/towels etc may be needed to make this happen. We do car seat inspections/installs at the fire dept, as does the police department, and several hospitals. Check and see who you have locally. The right people will have taken classes(nearly 40hrs of training) and will have info on each car seat/vehicle for tips and pointers...oh yeah..it's free
My truck moves when I try and shake the car seat, that is how I figure it is secure. I look at the seat belts as being designed for people, not seats. If they did enough of a job on their own, the LATCH system would not have become mandatory in new vehicles. I was just curious what others thought about using tie downs and wanted to see what others have used. This is the same setup we had when leaving the hospital with our newborn 2 months ago.
I've actually thought about welding or using grade 8 hardware to bolt latch anchors to the seat frame in my 2nd row buckets. The new side impact rated generation of rear facing seats designed to accommodate the new guidelines that children stay rear facing until 2 years old are all pretty much designed to use latch and are cumbersome to use with seat belts, although if you take the time to get the seat and seat belt in the right way, I get no movement and a very secure seat. I am loathe to take the seat out, though, because it's a much bigger pain than our old seat that had a removable base and was a snap to run the belt over.
It looks like the strap you're using is a tether strap and not even a true ratchet strap. Those are only rated to hold a couple hundred pounds or less. It also may place additional stress on the frame of the seat in a location where it isn't designed to bear it.
My truck moves when I try and shake the car seat, that is how I figure it is secure. I look at the seat belts as being designed for people, not seats. If they did enough of a job on their own, the LATCH system would not have become mandatory in new vehicles. ....
LATCH was NOT designed as safer, it was designed and intended to be EASIER for parents to properly install car seats by reducing the complexity of seatbelt installations and hopefully reduce the misuse rate of carseats (which is unfortunately still mind-boggling, around 78-80%).
A few months ago LATCH became a topic of debate regarding actual security of the carseat. The problem is there are so many variables and associated forces at work in the event of a collision that it's hard to standardize the anchor system. Different weight of car seats, seat design, and most of all - the child's weight.
Most carseats will have weight limitations for difference methods of securing the seat, including the anchors. Most manufactuers for front facing limit the LATCH system to a combined weight of 67-70 pounds (rear facing is nearly identical at 65lbs), child AND seat. As of February 27 of last year, every car seat and associated manual will state the maximum child's weight for which the lower LATCH anchors can be used. Once you exceed this weight, LATCH goes away and, you guessed it - right back to the seatbelt.
LATCH was NOT designed as safer, it was designed and intended to be EASIER for parents to properly install car seats by reducing the complexity of seatbelt installations and hopefully reduce the misuse rate of carseats (which is unfortunately still mind-boggling, around 78-80%).
A few months ago LATCH became a topic of debate regarding actual security of the carseat. The problem is there are so many variables and associated forces at work in the event of a collision that it's hard to standardize the anchor system. Different weight of car seats, seat design, and most of all - the child's weight.
Most carseats will have weight limitations for difference methods of securing the seat, including the anchors. Most manufactuers for front facing limit the LATCH system to a combined weight of 67-70 pounds (rear facing is nearly identical at 65lbs), child AND seat. As of February 27 of last year, every car seat and associated manual will state the maximum child's weight for which the lower LATCH anchors can be used. Once you exceed this weight, LATCH goes away and, you guessed it - right back to the seatbelt.
You learn something new every day. Good info.
It figures something would be put in place to make people think it was safer and really it is just easier and doesn't require as much grey matter to operate. I don't know what that says about my brain capacity though, because I was confused as can be the first time I tried putting that thing in the wife's Subaru. The tie downs just seem safer then the seat belts alone. Still use the belts as a fail safe...it can't hurt to double up.
It figures something would be put in place to make people think it was safer and really it is just easier and doesn't require as much grey matter to operate. I don't know what that says about my brain capacity though, because I was confused as can be the first time I tried putting that thing in the wife's Subaru. The tie downs just seem safer then the seat belts alone. Still use the belts as a fail safe...it can't hurt to double up.
Oh I hear you there, I had to read the manual for a solid 30 minutes before I tried installing it in the ex's Accord. Many references to the manual during install as well, it's ridiculous.
Doubling up is a bit frowned upon as it imparts double impacts to the retention mechanism, seat frame and stress points, as well as the child's body. It'll hit the first belt, minor stretch, then hit the second belt, and finally the child's body hits the harness. This is something I have read several places, however I don't know if I put much credence in this facet of carseat safety. The double minor impacts I cannot see stressing the seat nor the child, but it's worth noting every manual I've seen says not to double up and use one or the other...
05-05-2015, 10:48 AM
