Car Seat Safety

[nicole_M]

Were do you anchor you car seat to.? My van doesnt have any places to anchor the tethers

In the middle row of my van, there are 2 seats, each seat has 2 little metal hooks between the crack of the seat, that is where the 2 anchors go...On the rear of each seat there is also a metal hook where the tether snaps right on...

Same goes for the rear bench...I wish I could post a picture, but my mouse isn't working properly, someone switched the buttons and I can't get into the control panle to fix it!

We used to have an Expedition when we had our first son and it wasn't equipped with the tether or anchor latches, so I took it to a Ford dealership, and they put them in for me free of charge....

If your van doesn't have them, just call the manufacturer, even if it is older (our Exp was a '99 and son was born in '03) they should be able to do something....

Maybe check the owner's manual?

HTH

 

[ashliekay711]

This really made my re-think my car seat. It's sad... but please watch - VERY informative. (May need a tissue)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=azgBhZfcqaQ

this made me bawl like a baby

 

[Tinkerbell]

My 3 year old is 45 pounds and tall for his age. We have him in a 5 point harness car seat made by Graco...My 3 year old will stay in a 5 point harness for as long as possible. A lady in my twins group sent out this email to the members and it is heartwrenching...

The thing to remember, though, is the weight limit assigned to the 5 point harness. Your child may FIT in the seatbelt until he/she is 65 pounds, but the belt is not rated to handle that kind of weight and may break. I have NEVER seen a Graco car seat that is rated, using the 5 point harness, above 45 pounds. They often give two ratings to seats... 20-40 pounds with 5 point harness and 40-100 using the car seat as a booster and using the car seat belt. The overall rating may read 20-100 pounds, you've got to look at the specifics of the rating.

 

[LordStanley]

The thing to remember, though, is the weight limit assigned to the 5 point harness. Your child may FIT in the seatbelt until he/she is 65 pounds, but the belt is not rated to handle that kind of weight and may break. I have NEVER seen a Graco car seat that is rated, using the 5 point harness, above 45 pounds. They often give two ratings to seats... 20-40 pounds with 5 point harness and 40-100 using the car seat as a booster and using the car seat belt. The overall rating may read 20-100 pounds, you've got to look at the specifics of the rating.

 

[bohman]

Got it. I'll be re-examining how our seats are attached this evening.

I had some success. Was able to attach the tether almost immediately to the front seatbelt anchor point in my wife's car. Mine wasn't so easy; it's a small car and the seats are about 1/2" off the floor. Couldn't find any place to attach, but I was working after dark. Gonna take another look at it this afternoon while it's still light outside.

It also helped to go to the seat maker's website and download a PDF of the complete instructions/tips for the seat. Get all the info you can for your seat. Good luck to everybody installing kid seats.

 

[Goobergrl6]

The thing to remember, though, is the weight limit assigned to the 5 point harness. Your child may FIT in the seatbelt until he/she is 65 pounds, but the belt is not rated to handle that kind of weight and may break. I have NEVER seen a Graco car seat that is rated, using the 5 point harness, above 45 pounds. They often give two ratings to seats... 20-40 pounds with 5 point harness and 40-100 using the car seat as a booster and using the car seat belt. The overall rating may read 20-100 pounds, you've got to look at the specifics of the rating.

Thanks for saying this! I was just going to post the SAME thing. The Graco's are not rating for that weight in 5pt! It is VERY important to read all the instrustions on your carseat. If you do not have the manual anymore go to the company's website and read it from there! There are NO corners to be cut when it comes to carseat safety!