Help with Crooked Carseat

I don't know if anyone mentioned this but when they do safety inspections they use pieces of swimming noodles under the back part of the base to keep it level. You can get them for a buck at the dollar store and just cut a piece off. Another option is a rolled up towel under the problem spot. I've used both and they work great. YOu just have to play with it to get it in the right spot.

Hi B.,

I could be wrong, but I believe the reason the latch system is on the sides of the back seat is because that's the safest place for the babies. Is there a reason you don't move the seat to one of the sides?

A.

Hey, B.. I recommend you contact a certified carseat technician. My friend, Susan Saito, works for West Metro Fire Diestrict and she would be happy to help you. Go with a pro...they are most up-to-date with regulations and new ideas on how to trouble shoot car seat problems!

Her work number (at WMF) is ###-###-####.
M.

Check with your local fire department or child care resource/referral agency--they do free car seat safety checks and installations. They are trained and would be able to help you.

Hi B.,

Lots of good suggestions here. You might want a certified tech to check it out, as many have mentioned. But, you could start at www.car-seat.org, which is kind of "home base" for these knowledgeable folks. They actually have a terrific message board for posting questions like you just did here. I'm sure you'd get some wonderful, right-on answers quickly, and likely from some who have done installs in your very year and model of car. (You are correct about the middle generally being the safest for baby, by the way.) FWIW, I don't know that pool noodles would help, as they are generally for correcting the angle of the seat front to back rather than a side tilt, which it sounds like you are dealing with. In any case, do check out the website. I sometimes stop in just for fun, and have learned a lot there.

Our car seats did this, too. We took them to the fire station for help. They took one of those noodles for the pool, cut it in half, taped it back together side by side and put it under the car seat at the corner of the seat and the back. Worked like a charm! We did it with two car seats until we got a car that had the latch system. A seat protector might do the same thing. We use them now, but only because we want this vehicle to look nice for a long time, and 3 car seats is pretty hard on the seats. :) If too much of a groove is there, the seat protector will help even it out a bit. GL! It will be easier once you turn the seat around, but the kiddos are safer when turned backwards.

in order to make our baby's carseat level properly, my husband used one of those foam pool noodles. he cut it to the width of the car seat and positioned it under one end. with the seat belt pulled tight it worked very well. we tried a rolled up towel before that, but it kept slipping.

you need to use the locking clip or buy a new car seat with a 'lock-off'. this makes the installation with the seat belt easier. Visit www.safetysquad.com

This sounds like it is installed wrong and in your car a middle car seat might not work the best...
I would take it to a local fire station or a hospital that has a safe ride program. I know Rose and St Joseph has them... They can look over what you are doing and help you get it right.
I have heard that up to 60% of car seats are installed wrong, so better by safe than sorry.

Go get a foam pool noodle (cheap, available at Walmart or similar places), cut it into the appropriate lengths, and use the pieces as bolsters under the sagging side. I learned this trick from a lady at my church who did carseat safety inspections for the police department, and it really does work.

B.,

I went to my local hospital and had them install my infant's car seat correctly for my vehicle and my car seat. I was trying and was failing miserably! (at 9 months pregnant, I had a hard time doing it!) I wish I knew the website that told me where my local install & car seat checking stations were!! I think I found it on babycenter.com Check there. Or call your local hospitals OH and the health department! That was the other place I could have gone. Definitely have it installed correctly, especially if you are having difficulty with it. Better safe than really super duper sorry!!

V.
PS Excellent question. I'm so glad that you care for your babes as much as I do!!

Katie D is right. Try keeping the baby seat in the middle and attaching to the latch system in the "outer" seats. I drive a 2003 Toyota Corola, and this works great for us. My husband is in automotive research and development, and he feels totally comfortable with our son's car seat attached this way. Good luck.

You've received some good ideas already, but if your fire department doesn't solve all your problems, the next time you're in Salt Lake, come up to Primary Children's Med Center. We have a "Car Seat Safety Squad" that will definitely answer all your questions/problems. Just call first to make sure of their hours ###-###-####. Hope this helps!

Hi B., I had the same car seat and had the exact same problem with my seat. I took my car seat to the Car Seat Technician at Rose hospital. You have to call and make an appointment, but it is super easy. You just pull into the valet parking and they meet you there, install it in minutes, and you drive off. They even offer a community day on certain Sundays. Every time I install a new car seat or change car seats I go there to have them check it. The only negative comment I would have is that they don't always call you right back. It is free though sometimes they ask me if I want to make a donation, which I do on occasion. Hope this helps.
I just have to add that when Graco made the car seat and tested it in car crashes they didn't intend for it to be used with a noodle. Sorry, but come on.

Ummm...wouldn't the two inner "latch" buckles that are for the side seats work for the middle seat? There would be one on either side of the car seat.

Your carseat should have come with an odd plastic or metal device that is specifically for using on a shoulder belt. It holds the piece that would go across your lap, and the piece that would go across your shoulder, together. I can't explain it very well in words. I ditto going to the fire station (or your hospital) and having someone help you install the car seat. If you don't have that piece (or the seat didn't come with it for some reason) they'll be able to help you get the seat put in so you don't have to worry about your child's safety.

echoing the check with the fire dept. they have free safety inspections on car seats and can show you how to properly install your seat in your car for your child. and free. definitely drop in and have them take a look.

I don't know if Target still sells them (i think they do). But you need to go buy a "mighty-tight". This is specifically designed for shoulder strap seat-belts and will work perfectly to straighten and tighten the strap for your child's seat.

Hope you find it!

B.,
Call your local fire department they should have a certified person to check and install the car seat correctly for free. If you have latch systems on the side you should be able to still use them in the middle. Just attach to the closest one on each side.

Best of luck.

The safest spot is in the middle of the back seat, FYI.

You can try calling GRACO. Lots of seats I've owned recommend rolling up a small towel and putting it under the base to level it out correctly. They generally mean front-to-back leveling, but maybe it would work for side-to-side, too.

Another option is to take it to a fire station or similar car seat check place and ask their advice. They may say that you need to move it to a side seat.

BTW, thanks for caring about this and trying to find a solution. I know a LOT of people who just wing it and don't care. I've heard of car seats tipping over on curves, and seen the seat belt as LOOSE as possible instead of as TIGHT as possible. I don't how they could have read the instructions!

Someone mentioned using the latch system on the outer two anchors but still keeping the carseat in the middle. That would be the easiest fix, in my opinion. Someone else also mentioned the piece that comes with the carseat that is used to pull the shoulder belt down to the lap belt so it's not doing what you are describing. It attaches like a cinch to the lap and shoulder belt and is usually metal and shaped like a capital "i" with the top and bottom lines. If you have your carseat manual, you can look it up in there. If not, most manufacturer websites have downloadable copies of user manuals that you can try and see what I'm talking about. But both those options would fix the problem while still keeping the carseat in the middle seat.

HI there, I'm not sure who it is that decided that the middle of the rear seat is the safest seat in the car. If you have a arm rest that acts as the middle seat back then absolutly your car seat should not be in the middle seat. I strongly suggest moving the carseat to one of the side seats./ i have my daughter ont eh drivers seat she is now 6 and when we were involved in a car crash 1 1/2 yrs ago the firemen told me that they were perfectly buckled in on the sides. Move the car seat is my suggestion.

Find your local car safety seat check. I'm in Pueblo and they have them once a month or two. There's a great on August 1st part of a Teddy Bear Clinic at the mall. You can usually call a fire station too and ask how to get it checked. They are trained on how to put them in correctly, make sure your baby fits into it correctly and there have been no recalls on the seat.

You can make an appointment (as soon as possible!) with your local fire or police department--they will ensure it is in correctly. The sooner, the better--it sounds scary to drive around like that. All the best--good for you for making sure it's safe!

I don't know the solution, but have heard that fire stations and police stations will check the installation of your carseat, for free. They may be able to offer a solution.

lots of gov't agencies that deal with kids can help with car seats. the department of health should have someone also who will come and install it for you - at least they do here.

The LATCH system usually has a total of 4 latches in the seat. One on each outter side by the doors and then two towards the middle. You can attach the car seat in the middle seat using the two middle latch hooks. You can buy seat protectors that help (but don't entirely eliminate) the groove in the seat.

I agree that you should take it to a firestation or local hospital for a free car seat installation/inspection.