My car seat is making me feel really stupid!

ewenner

DH and I cannot figure  out how to get our car seat base properly installed into our car.  We have a Chicco Keyfit 30 and a 1998 Ford Escort.  We need to put the car seat in the middle, and it only has a lap belt, no shoulder belt and no latches.  No matter how tight we pull the seat belt, the stupid base still moves all over the place.  All the videos on Youtube just show how to install the thing with a latch or a shoulder belt.  Aaarrrgghhhh!!!  Anyway, I don't know that I'm really looking for an answer, because I realize every car and every car seat is different; I think I just need to vent.  I will probably call the local PD tomorrow to see if they have certified car seat techs that can help us out.  Thanks for "listening."  

marijaa333

Hmm, could you ask at your local fire department if they can help? I can't remember if our car has a lap belt only in the middle but I know my husband had quite a bit of trouble installing our Keyfit 30 (he's done it now and it's secure--I'll check what he did).

niknak1208

Call your local police department and ask them if they have a car seat safety check.  Most local police offices will check car seat installation and help install it.  We also have a toy store in the city where we live that has a car seat expert who will do the same thing!!  They do sell little clips that can secure a seatbelt.. they also sell 'donuts' which is really like a pool noodle almost but shorter..  and there's all sorts of things they can do to make it fit tighter. That's what I would do!! 

I had a Saturn Aura when I first had DD and it was really hard to find a seat that fit nicely in the backseat and I ended up going with Safety First.  Pain in my tush. NO matter what I did, I could not get that thing to rear face tightly.  I took it to a car seat inspection program and they did it for me.  I ended up buying a donut to shove in and make it fit tighter.  My MIL also had to get a seat belt clip because she has a 2002 suburban without latch and couldn't get her seatbelt to stay tight either..  that seemed to work.  

KaLikeAWind

We installed our carseat and base the other day and while it seems quite snug at the point of LATCH, I feel like the front end has a lot of play in it. Also, we drive a Honda Element, so the rear seats are fairly short on the bottom section, the base goes over the edge by the littlest bit. On the one hand I feel like its pretty solid in there, the only other way it could be more solid would be to further tie it down somehow at the front of the base, but on the other hand I feel like it should sit there and not budge at all, like a rock. Maybe I expect too much. I also plan to consult with a fire dept car seat specialist to see if they have any pointers.

ewenner

Thanks for your thoughts, ladies.  I called our local PD, and the officer I spoke with said that her car seat certification has lapsed and won't be renewed until late in June.  She told me that nearest place she knew of with certified techs is one of the local hospitals, so I am going to call up there and make an appointment.  So annoying, because that hospital is much further away than the local PD.  Oh well, you gotta do what you gotta do.  

jerseygirl227

Glad you brought this up.  I assumed it would be a pretty easy thing to do.  Doesn't sound like it though.

Will try to install the car seat bases this weekend ... and then likely call the fire department, lol.

cneiding

yeah, police departments, fire stations, health departments, pediatrician offices, even Babies R Us all sometimes have people trained on fitting car seats or can point you in the right direction of locating someone.

Smaller cars can be tricky, more so than others.  Sometimes a car seat will not fit your particular car no matter what.  Just the shape of the seat and the shape of the car's seat...just won't work well.  Sometimes there are little tricks like rolled up towels that make a world of difference. 

Just think...I will have 5 car seats in my vehicle once this baby gets here!  If I vacuum out my vehicle or something and take the seats out it is a major project getting them all back in!