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June 2012 Moms
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Car Seat Question

WaterEclipseWaterEclipse member
in June 2012 Moms
I just bought a carseat that ACTUALLY FITS MY CAR! WOOHOO! I went to put the base in this morning and for some reason I can't tighten the belt tight enough to keep it from sliding back and forth a few inches in each direction. Am I doing something wrong or is it supposed to be able to move a little bit each way? It's not BRAND new, it was only used for 3 months so it didn't come with instructions but the other base I have is the same kind of deal but that one kinda slid back and forth a little too. WHAT AM I DOING WRONG?! I want my seat to be safe for my baby :)
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Re: Car Seat Question

  • giggles0918giggles0918 member
    DH sat on ours and got it a little tighter.  You can have it inspected too and they might be able to get it tighter for you.
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  • sproutmdsproutmd
    I would get it inspected for peace of mind.
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  • StephenW4StephenW4
    You really have to press down hard to get it tight. See if you can get someone (who's not pregnant) to help you by pressing their knee down onto it with all their weight while tightening the strap.  DH did this for ours and it worked pretty well.  It shouldn't move more than 1 inch in either direction.  But like other said, see if your local police/fire dept. holds inspections and have them check it out as well.  
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  • Sawyerplus1Sawyerplus1 member

    imageStephenW4:
    You really have to press down hard to get it tight. See if you can get someone (who's not pregnant) to help you by pressing their knee down onto it with all their weight while tightening the strap.  DH did this for ours and it worked pretty well.  It shouldn't move more than 1 inch in either direction.  But like other said, see if your local police/fire dept. holds inspections and have them check it out as well.  

    Exactly this. DH always puts his full weight on the car seats when we install them, to be sure they're tight as can be (he gets them much tighter than I ever could). 

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  • acbfreireacbfreire member

    You need to look at the car manual to see how your seat belt locks, that may be the problem.You have to pull the belt all the way out depending on the type of belt your car has.

    But I would still go get it inspected.

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  • Daisy22Daisy22 member

    With the infant base I put my knee in it with all my weight to tighten it. With the convertibles I sit in them.

    Is it the belt path end that is moving? That part should not move but the other end can move up to an inch either way.

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  • WaterEclipseWaterEclipse member
    I'm not using the belt from my car because it's a shoulder strap I am using the latch that is attached to the base. The base itself will slide side to side a few inches. I will have to have my husband try putting his knee into it and pull on the strap. Maybe I am just a wuss and can't pull hard enough!!! :)
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  • kaceandpointkaceandpoint
    go to the local police station and they do it for free and give you a quick education on what to do what not to do.
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  • tcu_2003tcu_2003 member

    imageWaterEclipse:
    I'm not using the belt from my car because it's a shoulder strap I am using the latch that is attached to the base. The base itself will slide side to side a few inches. I will have to have my husband try putting his knee into it and pull on the strap. Maybe I am just a wuss and can't pull hard enough!!! :)

     

    This is what my husband did for the bases in each of our cars.  Then yesterday we took them to our local PD for the safety officer to inspect them (ours does them whenever, you just call and make an appointment) to make sure he'd done it correctly - luckily no issues, but the officer told us he sees a lot of carseats not installed properly.  I'd take them in to be checked just to be certain - better safe than sorry.

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  • unaveragejaneunaveragejane member
    I have also found that you can download most baby gear manuals online if you know the company and model name/number. I have done this for a pack'n'play, stroller, and swing, and it helped me ensure that I was putting things together correctly.
                 

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  • AdventurersAdventurers
    I took mine in to a car seat inspection at our local ems center and they suggested that I remove the padded mat that I had placed under it to protect my leather seats.  Apparently, this was allowed the seat to slide much more than if it wasn't there... so they took it out and reinstalled the base and it is much, much tighter now and barely moves.  I feel so much better, and I know that if we are ever (God forbid) in a crash, my baby will be as safe as possible.  I found the inspection center/dates online on the National Highway Safety Commission website.  I just put in my zip code and it gave me the nearest ones.  Get it checked out... a few minutes of your time is worth it, in my opinion.
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