Pics regarding car seat discussion

coasterqueen wrote: Here are some pics I said I would post of Kylie's car seat. The first pic shows just her car seat. Note the 3 notches.

coasterqueen replied: Dern I thought I attached the picture. Here it is again.

coasterqueen replied: Second one has her in the seat. She wasn't happy about it so don't pay attention to her, lol.

BUT if you notice the straps are coming out of the second notch. See we had them in that top notch and the tech told us it was very unsafe and wouldn't go any further with the seat check until they were put down. She said they should go up and around the shoulder versus just hanging over top the shoulder. Does it make more sense now looking at the pics? I'm just confused why she would tell us that if the car seat tech on IV says its not. I'm confused.

coasterqueen replied: Ugh, sorry I'm having problems posting pics tonight. SO they look either too big and too blurry or something, lol.

Jamison'smama replied: Thanks, we have the same carseat so please let me know what you find out--Jamison's straps are above her shoulders (see picture) and I will move them right away if is is safer.

coasterqueen replied: I will let you know. I plan to call the tech tomorrow and schedule an appointment. They are only open Mondays though so I'm not sure WHEN I will be able to get in because I'll have to take off work go get her bring her in, etc, etc. I may just switch them up to the top to be safe as far as the *reinforcement factor* and I might post these pics on carseat board tomorrow when I get more time and see what they say too .

DansMom replied: We had a specialist help us with ours, and I clearly remember her saying that they should come from below and over if the seat is back-facing, and from above if the seat is front facing. I'm curious too to know if you find out more about this!

coasterqueen replied: Ok well I'm starting to think our tech was smokin' something then, lol. I KNOW Kylie was forward facing when we went. I'm going to switch them though in the morning because the reinforcement thing DOES make sense especially looking at the seat. I'll let you know what our car seat tech says again when I call her. Now I'm hoping I don't get the same one this time, lol. I think there are two at our station.

lsjulee replied: Sorry side track abit - Brenda, I couldnt stop at how Jamison seated in the pic.

paradisemommy replied:
roflmao..i thought the same thing!! LOL (such a lady)..tee hee

Guest_ediep replied:
lol I thought the same thing

about the straps....the booklet that goes with our britax seat says just what dansmom said...forward facing, straps above shoulders

Jamison'smama replied:
I know, she is a goof--she always has at least one leg thrown over the side--this it the only picture I could find right away of her in the seat---cheesey girl!

amynicole21 replied: I realized this morning that Sophia's are in the middle notch too... I'll switch them to the top one tonight.

3_call_me_mama replied: We have the same carseat, and were informed this weekend that the straps had to be at or above shoulder level, not below, once the child faces forward. But I;m not sure if it is state specific or not. This is what was told to us by the car seat inspector at the state police barracks. ( We went to get it checked because of this discussion.. ours were in the second notch, below his shoulder levels.) Unfortunately they also recommended gettting a bigger seat. His legs hang way out and his head is almost at the top (maybe 1-2 inches left.) The only problem is he's only 26lbs, and not old enough (or heavy enough .. the one we checked is 30 lbs and up) to be in a highback booster without straps, he's tall enough but the weight and age don't work. But all the other seats in our price range are too small height wise or not very comfortable. And we figure that since he has to be in a seat until he is 8 (our state law) we want to get our money's worth and not have to buy too many. (luckily Kathleen will be able to use the 2 that he has out grown so far, at least for a few years unless they are recalled....)

coasterqueen replied: Wow, they think you should get change seats! As you can tell in that pic of Kylie she's at or right above the top of her car seat and her legs dangle badly! She has a habit of kicking the passenger seat in front often.

We did switch the straps to the top slot, although the discussion we've had was that they should be switched IF the slots were not reinforced on the second slot. I looked very closely at this and the way our car seat is designed they are reinforced at any slot. Do you agree? Because they move up and down so they are always reinforced.

We have an appointment Tuesday with the State Police so I'll be very happy when this is done. I've talked with a few parents this weekend who told me they go to the State Police over the Secretary of State's office and they trust them so that makes me feel better.

Our state law is that kids have to be in a child seat til 8 years old too. As a matter of fact our association helped pass that law. Boy did that make DH and our friends upset.

Hopefully we won't have to buy a new seat, either. I guess I'll find out Tuesday.

amynicole21 replied: I read the Britax Roundabout manual, and it didn't say anything about the top notch for forward facing. I couldn't tell if anything was reinforced either. I know that there has been criticism on the car seat board about Britax saying the top of the seat should come to the top of baby's ears. Apparently this is dangerous, and the child's head should only come to within one inch of the top. Guess putting all of that extra money into a "good" car seat doesn't always guarantee that the company knows what it's talking about I would think that if Kylie's head is above the back of the seat she needs a new one, but I'm glad you have an appointment to get some answers. Make sure you ask if the inspector is certified.