How long does it take you to get LO buckled into their carseat? I feel like it takes me forever and I blame the carseat.
We have a Britax Boulevard CS and I really don't like the way the straps tighten. All I have to do is pull the strap between his feet to tighten it and it is supposed to 'click' when it is secure. Well it clicks way too early and I always have to strain to pull the strap and quadruple check how tight it is at his shoulders. It takes forever!!
When we leave mommy groups I always notice how I'm the last one to pull out of the parking lot. I've always been anal about how tight I get the straps, so maybe it's partly me, but mostly I blame the seat!
Is your carseat different? Do you just buckle and go? How tight do you make the straps? I know you're not supposed to be able to pinch any strap at the shoulder, so I make sure it's flat against his shoulders.
Re: Carseat buckle time?
Do you still use the lower back cushion that has the wing cushions that come up by his hips? Every time we take Jack out we hook the strap over the wing cushion so the seat is empty the next time we put him in. The straps drove us nuts before we figured that out!
Does your strap click before it's tight enough?
I finally just started doing this because the thing was always smushed and moved when I try to put DS in the seat. We have a Britax Marathon and it also takes me a while to get everything situated. Part of the problem is his winter coat...I know, we're not supposed to keep him in his coat, but we do. Without a coat, I'm much faster. I'm not constantly readjusting the straps...I just leave them as is. They always seem like a tight fit. I don't hear a click though, so I'm not sure about that.
We have the Britax Blvd, but not the CS one. I remember reading reviews that the CS feature is not always reliable (it will click when it's not tight, or not click when it is tight enough). I would just go by how tight it feels to you and not worry about the clicking.
I don't notice that it takes me a long time putting and hooking DS into the carseat. We don't use that little pad with wings though. It got in the way for me and I took it out after using the carseat only a few times.
I think the straps get twirled around too much when trying to get DS back in and my straps don't even reach those velcro strips on the side of seat.
Have you noticed your DS getting really hot in the seat? We've had some 70 degree days recently and when we get to our destination DS's hair is drenched in sweat. He doesn't usually sweat this much and didn't last year when he was in the infant seat. I'm guessing the seat is so high that it blocks the A/C from fully reaching him. He's in the middle seat of the back, so maybe that's part of it with the high seat.
We have a Britax somehting-or-other in H's car and a Graco MyRide65 in mine. I can't stand the Britax There's something about the straps twisting or the seat being too narrow or something like that and it takes me forever to get DS in. H is a little faster with it, but we both agree that the Graco seems to be easier to get T in and out of.
Also, we don't loosen and tighten the straps each time we take him out, we just tighten them when they seems to feel looser. Oh, and I may get flamed for this, but T is FF and it never got easier when we turned him around...
I don't have your carseat, but I'm totally a car-seat slowpoke. I feel like EVERYBODY can load up their LO quicker than I can get my squirmy guy in the seat and buckled in.
Does anybody else have to hook up a tether thingy with your seat? Ours is a Britax (can't remember the model) from Target. I've never seen another seat with one, but DH swears that we're to hook this metal thing to a metal loop on the back seat dash...which is a PITA!
We have the Marathon and have it anchored under the front seat. Will your car allow for that? I know some don't. I think going to the back seat would be a pain. I'd probably feel guilty not doing it but I'm sure it'd be annoying!
Here's a YT video with directions for both
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zBfFGtUAtRg&feature=related
Both of our user manuals showed that this strap should be used for RF and FF, but our friend is a certified seat installer and said that when the seat is RF that it's not necessary. I don't get why they would make you undo and re attach that strap every time.. ugh!
I have an Evenflo Symphony 65 E3. I also take a while to get him buckled in. I am super paranoid about the straps not being tight enough. I do like our seat though. Ours doesn't have that click feature. I can see how that would be a pain.
I actually have a harder time with the carseat in DHs car. He has an Evenflo too, just a different one. I feel like I can't tighten it enough. DH has no problem with it though.
We don't have a hook in the floor and did NOT want to have to do the back tether so DH followed the alternate instructions and pulled the plastic cover on the seat track of one of the front seats over and was able to tether that way.
Halo, I am totally a slowpoke! It drives DH crazy but I have to tighten, check, tighten, check, rinse and repeat.
This is me too. DH is like "It's tight enough". And I check it again.
Oh - good - I'm glad there's a possibility I won't have to use that ^&@*% tether again if we reconfigure how it's set up!
Seriously! I always have to double check it after DH straps him in. I never feel like it is tight enough.
I read on an Amazon review that with our clicking seat the mechanism tightens up in the cold. I guess that makes it harder to pull the strap to make it tighter. :P So I guess I'll just keep yanking on it until summer and see if it loosens.
It's nice to know I'm not the only one. I always think there must be some secret I don't know about!
It's still pretty cold here so J hasn't gotten too hot in his seat. I do worry about it though because last summer he used to get sweaty a lot. His infant seat wasn't nearly as 'cozy' as this one is so I imagine that he will get hot. And my car doesn't have AC!
This!