# lesser of two evils



## bremen (Feb 12, 2005)

i know neither of these options is great for this kid, but i am the nanny, and can not buy another seat.
they just got a nautilus for their car, at my suggestion, and have jsut given me these seats.
they originally only provided me with a bucket for the 30 in, 22 lb baby, and only the booster for the 32 lb, 38 in kid, 2.5 years old
his sitting height is only 14 in to shoulder, but 22 in to the top of his head

anyway, here are the pics. decide which is the lesser of the evils

both seats are purchased new by this family, and in good condition


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## bremen (Feb 12, 2005)

he is forward facing.
i don't think there is any other option with his height.

any other seat purchase woud have to come out of my poocket, and i am not in the situation to spend a week's salary on a car seat i use twice a week.

and no, i do not trust him to sit properly in his seat for the entire trip.
he will move, fidget, try to grab things from his brother or the floor.
he is 2 afterall


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## alegna (Jan 14, 2003)

Just looking at the pics, it *looks* like he fits the first seat. He may not fit for long, and it's not an ideal seat, but definitely safer than a booster for a child that age.

edited to add- assuming the seat is not expired....

-Angela


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## bremen (Feb 12, 2005)

here is a pic of his head in the first seat
http://i42.tinypic.com/2u8wmfq.jpg

he still has plenty of room with the straps, but his head is jsut so big!


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## thepeach80 (Mar 16, 2004)

He can use the first seat till he's 40#, his shoulders go over the top slots, or the tops of his ears are even w/ the top of the seat. You need to fix the straps though, his arm shouldn't be in the straps like that.


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## bremen (Feb 12, 2005)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *thepeach80* 
He can use the first seat till he's 40#, his shoulders go over the top slots, or the tops of his ears are even w/ the top of the seat. You need to fix the straps though, his arm shouldn't be in the straps like that.

thank you so much! i didn't know that it was ears even with the top of the seat for forward facing. i thought the rule was top of the head with top of the seat.
i feel so much better knowing that he is still safe.

i will definitely fix the straps when it is installed in the car. in the kitchen, i don't think straps are so important!

when i get both sets and kids in the car, i will post some more pics to make sure everything looks good.

thanks again


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## Dabble (Jun 14, 2007)

I would have voted for the first option since he fits in the seat quite well, but as Jennifer already pointed out, he is strapped in wrong. The double-layered strap on the Triumph needs to lay together, so his arm should not be in between the layers.

So I voted neither as the pictures stand. If the straps are corrected, he absolutely is safer in the five-point harness.

Thank you for being so concerned about the safety of the children in your care. If only everyone was so diligent about child passenger safety!


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## bremen (Feb 12, 2005)

yeah, i was not so careful about how i strapped him in, because he is on the kitchen floor.
when he is in a car, i will strap him in properly.
he was only in hte seat to take the pic for this thread.


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## bremen (Feb 12, 2005)

here are some pics of the kids in their seats in the car.
please let me know if there is anything wrong with them now

and i would appreciate links on locking clips.
my car is a 1998, but it does not have locking belts (i have installed other seats on newer cars, and know what locking belts are like)


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## DahliaRW (Apr 16, 2005)

Where are the pics?

Your car probably locks at the latchplate. All cars after 1997 have some sort of locking mechanism. What car are you driving? Look at you manual for info on car seat installation, it should tell you.


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## thepeach80 (Mar 16, 2004)

http://www.carseatsite.com/lockingclips.htm


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## MissE (May 12, 2007)

On the nautilus, can't you pull the head rest up more or is it already all the way out?


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## bremen (Feb 12, 2005)

i added the pics again. i know i pasted the link before. what happened?
there is no nautilus involved. the parents have one in their car, but i have only the evenflo
(triumph maybe?)
the second seat is a turbobooster that will go back to being the cat's bed until the kid is older.


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## Lily's_Mom (Feb 11, 2008)

<I am not a CPST>

One thing I noticed is the harness height on the baby's seat...when rear-facing, the straps should be even with, or just below the shoulders. I think the harness slots are a bit too high on the baby's seat (or maybe it is just the angle of the picture). Can they be adjusted to a lower setting?


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## DahliaRW (Apr 16, 2005)

I agree about the straps. I think that the rfing seat is too upright as well. It needs to be reclined between 30-45 degrees (30 degrees being the most upright it should be). You can use a tightly rolled towel or pool noodle to adjust teh angle.


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## mags (May 4, 2004)

This is kind of OT, but if those aren't your kids, I don't think you should be posting pictures of them on a message board. I understand that you are trying to get info, but at least black out the childrens' faces to protect their privacy. I don't think that their parents would be happy to see their kids' pics posted on a public site.


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## bremen (Feb 12, 2005)

yes, in pic 1 the straps are too high. i noticed from the picture, and moved them down. they are down one slot in pic 5, but it is more difficult to tell from the angle the pic is in.
there are rolled blankets under the seat. the arrow is parallel to the ground.
that's what i am going for in pic 7.

when we have a car safety check, i will try and get them fitted better, but i feel safe with them as they stand.

and i got out my car manual, and only the front passenger seat has the locking mechanism. it makes the characteristic ratchet sound.
the car is an 98 oldsmobile regency.

i realize that i am putting pics of the kids on the internet. i will remove them now, because i have the matter solved. thank you for your concern.


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## bremen (Feb 12, 2005)

mods- i don't know how to edit the poll. can you remove the poll? or at least the links? thanks


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## DahliaRW (Apr 16, 2005)

If your seatbelts truly do not lock (did you check the latchplate?) then you need locking clips for those seats to be safely installed. Though your car doesn't meet 1998 safety standards if the belts (all of them) don't lock in some way, so I find that hard to believe.


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## bremen (Feb 12, 2005)

it must not meet the safety standards, then.
i have the manual right in front of me right now. it explains how to lock the belts for a carseat in the front passenger seat, but not in the back seat.
here is a link to the manual
http://safemanuals.com/user-guide-in...IGHT%201998-_E
i have not looked at the noe on the link, because i have the paper one in front of me.
if you are able to find any information on locking the back belts, i welcome the help


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## BathrobeGoddess (Nov 19, 2001)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *bremen* 
it must not meet the safety standards, then.
i have the manual right in front of me right now. it explains how to lock the belts for a carseat in the front passenger seat, but not in the back seat.
here is a link to the manual
http://safemanuals.com/user-guide-in...IGHT%201998-_E
i have not looked at the noe on the link, because i have the paper one in front of me.
if you are able to find any information on locking the back belts, i welcome the help

Its there on page 1-41

you have it...pull your belt out all the way and then it will lock, maybe make a ratched sound while going back in...from your user manual link you posted:

Quote:

Buckle the belt. Make sure the release button is
positioned so you would be ablteo unbuckle the
safety belt quickly if you ever had

To tighten theb elt, pull up on the shoulder beltw hile
you push down otnh e child restraint.I € you're using
a forward-facing child restraint, you may fint d
helpful to use your knee to push down on the child
restraint as you tighten the belt.
Push and pull the child restraint in different
directions to be suriet is secure.
t
To remove the child restraintj,u st unbuckle the vehicle's
safety belt andl et it go back all the way. The safety belt
will move freely again and be ready to wfoorrk a n adult
or larger child passenger.


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## liliaceae (May 31, 2007)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *bremen* 
yes, in pic 1 the straps are too high. i noticed from the picture, and moved them down. they are down one slot in pic 5, but it is more difficult to tell from the angle the pic is in.
there are rolled blankets under the seat. the arrow is parallel to the ground.
that's what i am going for in pic 7.

when we have a car safety check, i will try and get them fitted better, but i feel safe with them as they stand.

and i got out my car manual, and only the front passenger seat has the locking mechanism. it makes the characteristic ratchet sound.
the car is an 98 oldsmobile regency.

i realize that i am putting pics of the kids on the internet. i will remove them now, because i have the matter solved. thank you for your concern.

You still have a pic linked on post #4.


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