emiliemadison

sleepingbeauty825

Sorry if i misspelled your name. I have a carseat question, would you mind sharing your expertise?

puppypals

On facebook, there is a lady called the carseatlady, who specializes in car seat questions I believe. 

https://www.facebook.com/#!/TheCarSeatLady

P.S. Hope it is okay that I suggested this in a post for someone else.  If not..sorry

emiliemadison

Sorry, I just found this post Ask away! And Kirbus is 100% right, I dont mind at all that The Carseat Lady was recommended!  I've had the privilege of getting to know her and she's a fantastic resource and and sometimes link people to her site myself

She is no longer accepting questions on her FB page, however. She's a busy lady!

As for the mirror- I do not recommend them because, even if they're attached, they can come loose in a crash and would become a projectile in the car. It's up to parents as to whether or not they choose to keep using them after they learn they're not recommended and I realize that sometimes their sanity is outweighed by the potential risk.

sleepingbeauty825

My MIL bought a Cosco Scenera for short trips from our house to hers or if she wants to take ds on a trip around town. My H tried to install it, but he said it was impossible. O_o So he says the first problem is that the belt doesn't lock, so he couldn't tighten in properly. The second was that he couldn't find a place under the front seat to attach the tether. The car is oldish, a '92 Eagle Talon. He is saying that the safest way to install this seat is to forward face it. Obv we didn't use it yet because my LO is not yet 1, but even so I would prefer to keep him RF, even in short car trips. So, my question is this: are older cars not equipped to properly install car seats RF? Is it the seat itself? Perhaps the buckle is broken in my MIL's car? And my second question is this: the tether- is it absolutely necessary to use it while RF?

emiliemadison

sleepingbeauty825:

My MIL bought a Cosco Scenera for short trips from our house to hers or if she wants to take ds on a trip around town. My H tried to install it, but he said it was impossible. O_o So he says the first problem is that the belt doesn't lock, so he couldn't tighten in properly. The second was that he couldn't find a place under the front seat to attach the tether. The car is oldish, a '92 Eagle Talon. He is saying that the safest way to install this seat is to forward face it. Obv we didn't use it yet because my LO is not yet 1, but even so I would prefer to keep him RF, even in short car trips. So, my question is this: are older cars not equipped to properly install car seats RF? Is it the seat itself? Perhaps the buckle is broken in my MIL's car? And my second question is this: the tether- is it absolutely necessary to use it while RF?

You absolutely cannot FF your LO yet. The bare bones minimum is 12 months AND 20 lbs.

Cars made pre-1996 do not all have seat belts that have a locking mechanism, but they are absolutely capable of allowing car seat installations, but you will likely need a locking clip if you are installing it with a lap/shoulder belt.

You also CANNOT use the tether with the Cosco Scenera while it's RF. It is *only* for FF. Only the Britax and Sunshine Kids brands allow RF tethering.

Although you cant use the tether yet, I strongly urge you to get a top tether retrofitted for this vehicle for when you do FF- through a Jeep/Eagle or Chrysler dealership for the 2 rear outboard seating positions. The tether anchor retrofit part number is MB583400 and installation should be free of charge according to the LATCH manual. Please have the dealer refer to Technical Service Bulletin 23-08-00 Rev. A for details.

HERE is a pretty decent video on how to install a RF convertible seat with a seatbelt and locking clip. 

I also would very strongly urge you to get your installation checked by a certified tech. Seatcheck.org will give you the names/locations of where you can go. HTH!

sleepingbeauty825

Thanks, that does help a lot. The carseat in our car has been inspected and is a Britax, so that explains the tether confusion. Thanks for the links!