Infant Car Seats - Request for experiences and photos
02-10-2009, 08:10 AM
#51
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Thanks for the congrats, we are very proud of our new little boy 
.
.......I checked this thread this morning and my linked images (from Picasa) didn't show but now they do. If anyone else doesn't see them please let me know and I'll upload directly to the thread.
Pool Noodle: I've read that, I have a tight rolled up towel under there now but we seem to have a rather severe angle to our seat bottom. I'm going to try and fiddle with this again today and will report back if I make any breakthroughs.
I did put my little one in there yesterday afternoon for a ride to the post office, he's definately padded in there, the infant head restraints look like they are swallowing him but he wasn't fussing about it so?
........I checked this thread this morning and my linked images (from Picasa) didn't show but now they do. If anyone else doesn't see them please let me know and I'll upload directly to the thread.
Pool Noodle: I've read that, I have a tight rolled up towel under there now but we seem to have a rather severe angle to our seat bottom. I'm going to try and fiddle with this again today and will report back if I make any breakthroughs.
I did put my little one in there yesterday afternoon for a ride to the post office, he's definately padded in there, the infant head restraints look like they are swallowing him but he wasn't fussing about it so?
02-10-2009, 10:35 AM
#53
SHKWAV
when i first brought the 8 home, my wife looked at the reverse doors and first thing she said was "Wow! Look how easy it would be to get a car seat in there!" To which i answered with a shut door and explaining, "this car is allergic to kids and car seats. YOUR Honda will do just fine."
02-11-2009, 08:49 AM
#56
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Red X's addressed
........some of us are happy to be able to go 9k rpm with little people, Hence getting rid of the car with ONLY 2 seats. (I couldn't stomach having to give in to an Accord or even G35 Sedan 
)
........some of us are happy to be able to go 9k rpm with little people
, Hence getting rid of the car with ONLY 2 seats. (I couldn't stomach having to give in to an Accord or even G35 Sedan )
02-11-2009, 09:05 AM
#57
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Ghost knuckles!!!! 
One of the things the po-po mentioned was the need for a little bit of space between the child seat and the front seat. If it is directly against the seatback there is no room for "travel" which helps prevent injury to the child in the event of a crash.
One of the things the po-po mentioned was the need for a little bit of space between the child seat and the front seat. If it is directly against the seatback there is no room for "travel" which helps prevent injury to the child in the event of a crash.
02-11-2009, 11:31 AM
#59
Grand Chancellor
The rear doors make for great front facing child seats. But rear-facing infant carriers will cause one to contort a bit for the baby's ingress & egress.
02-11-2009, 12:04 PM
#60
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Take 2
EDIT: WHAT IS DESCRIBED BELOW IS APPARENTLY EXEMPLARY OF WHAT NOT TO DO, I AM LEAVING THIS POST AS-IS FOR REFERENCE BUT PLEASE SEE BELOW FOR THE EXPLAINATION!!!!
Ok, I just removed the seat bottom (tip I saw on the P-car boards). I placed 1 towel folded up over the bare metal, a pool noodle under the front (by the LATCH restraints) and a 4" piece cut in half up near the door for a low spot over the metal. Over this I placed the 2nd towel. I cinched everything down and I dare say it's tighter than it was before.
The nice part of this is it has dropped the whole seat down several inches, I may be able to get the kiddo in on the passenger side (or may have to keep coming in from the driver's side).
I will take this to my local PD or FD and have it checked out and ask if the seatback needs to be away from it by a notch or not.
And the previous version for reference:
Ok, I just removed the seat bottom (tip I saw on the P-car boards). I placed 1 towel folded up over the bare metal, a pool noodle under the front (by the LATCH restraints) and a 4" piece cut in half up near the door for a low spot over the metal. Over this I placed the 2nd towel. I cinched everything down and I dare say it's tighter than it was before.
The nice part of this is it has dropped the whole seat down several inches, I may be able to get the kiddo in on the passenger side (or may have to keep coming in from the driver's side).
I will take this to my local PD or FD and have it checked out and ask if the seatback needs to be away from it by a notch or not.
And the previous version for reference:
Last edited by sobamaflyer; 03-03-2009 at 12:25 PM.
03-01-2009, 09:24 AM
#63
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Any Como Manuf. before 11/xx/07 was recalled and all of those that were out in any stores were shipped back to the factory by March '08 to be retrofitted with the little rubber retaining devices under the cover in the back that holds all the straps.
I called Recaro to confirm all of this and to make sure that my own seat (made after the cutoff date listed on their website) was safe and find out exactly what the change was so I could see it myself.
I've had this for a little while now and I'm very pleased with it. I will get the one in the tan color soon for our Murano as the replacement for his infant carrier.
(I actually missed the first Woot that turned me on to this, they were sold out of the black one at that time, but you can find these in a few places for $150, a visual comparison IMO shows them very comparable to the Britax Blvd and much much nicer than the other options one has in the $100-$150 price range)
I called Recaro to confirm all of this and to make sure that my own seat (made after the cutoff date listed on their website) was safe and find out exactly what the change was so I could see it myself.
I've had this for a little while now and I'm very pleased with it. I will get the one in the tan color soon for our Murano as the replacement for his infant carrier.
(I actually missed the first Woot that turned me on to this, they were sold out of the black one at that time, but you can find these in a few places for $150, a visual comparison IMO shows them very comparable to the Britax Blvd and much much nicer than the other options one has in the $100-$150 price range)
03-01-2009, 09:53 AM
#64
If anyone is still having issues with car seats in there 8, I suggest you check the national Highway Traffic Saftey Administrations website and search for a safety seat inspection location. http://www.nhtsa.dot.gov/cps/cpsfitting/index.cfm
A lot of Police and Fire departments are on the list and some that are certified are not on the list, so you can always call and check. I am certified (my office is not on the list) and I can tell you from experiance that 90+ % of seats have install problems, both the seat and the child. Usually seats are too loose, not locked or bad angle. Additionaly, the harnesses are all to often left too loose or the harness clip is too low.
Now, about seat choice. I see a lot of people having problems with the rear facing seats in the RX8. Well, we all now its because of the angle of the seat and then the small space causes the some seats to hit the front seat back. My suggestion is to use a infant carrier. I know what you are thinking, my 7 month old is to big for the carrier. Well 90% of the time i hear that, the parent is wrong. Read the manual and you might be suprised to find out your child fits just fine. Also, a lot of the seat manufactors are making infant seat that fit children up to 25, 30, and even 35LBS. If you really have a big baby, consider getting the biggest infant seat you can find to use in the 8. The convetable (rear and foward facing seats), just dont fit very well rear facing in the 8. Its very hard to get a 45deg angle on the seat and not hit the seat back, they are just to tall.
Someone mentioned it already but the best thing to use for tilting the seat back is a foam pool noodle. If anyone is trying to get the seat in tight and thinks about using both the seat belt and the latch hooks, DONT. Its not designed to work like that (unless the manual says so).
Hope that helps.
A lot of Police and Fire departments are on the list and some that are certified are not on the list, so you can always call and check. I am certified (my office is not on the list) and I can tell you from experiance that 90+ % of seats have install problems, both the seat and the child. Usually seats are too loose, not locked or bad angle. Additionaly, the harnesses are all to often left too loose or the harness clip is too low.
Now, about seat choice. I see a lot of people having problems with the rear facing seats in the RX8. Well, we all now its because of the angle of the seat and then the small space causes the some seats to hit the front seat back. My suggestion is to use a infant carrier. I know what you are thinking, my 7 month old is to big for the carrier. Well 90% of the time i hear that, the parent is wrong. Read the manual and you might be suprised to find out your child fits just fine. Also, a lot of the seat manufactors are making infant seat that fit children up to 25, 30, and even 35LBS. If you really have a big baby, consider getting the biggest infant seat you can find to use in the 8. The convetable (rear and foward facing seats), just dont fit very well rear facing in the 8. Its very hard to get a 45deg angle on the seat and not hit the seat back, they are just to tall.
Someone mentioned it already but the best thing to use for tilting the seat back is a foam pool noodle. If anyone is trying to get the seat in tight and thinks about using both the seat belt and the latch hooks, DONT. Its not designed to work like that (unless the manual says so).
Hope that helps.
03-02-2009, 10:07 AM
#65
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Someone mentioned it already but the best thing to use for tilting the seat back is a foam pool noodle. If anyone is trying to get the seat in tight and thinks about using both the seat belt and the latch hooks, DONT. Its not designed to work like that (unless the manual says so).
Hope that helps.
Hope that helps.
1) could you answer the question posed about whether or not the child seat touching the back of the passenger seat is bad for some reason.
2) if my solution of removing the seat bottom, which gave me a lower baby seat position and a tighter lock down on it poses any dangers (I assure you that this does not move the suggested <1" in any direction!)
and
3) why you say that using the latch AND the seat belt is bad, this seems counter intuitive and I'd like to know more and why. As you can see from my photos I have my carseat in by the LATCH anchors but I pulled the 3-point all the way out and threaded it in through the back for what I thought was just 1 more safety check.
03-02-2009, 10:44 AM
#66
Well since you are certified and chimed in.........
1) could you answer the question posed about whether or not the child seat touching the back of the passenger seat is bad for some reason.
2) if my solution of removing the seat bottom, which gave me a lower baby seat position and a tighter lock down on it poses any dangers (I assure you that this does not move the suggested <1" in any direction!)
and
3) why you say that using the latch AND the seat belt is bad, this seems counter intuitive and I'd like to know more and why. As you can see from my photos I have my carseat in by the LATCH anchors but I pulled the 3-point all the way out and threaded it in through the back for what I thought was just 1 more safety check.
1) could you answer the question posed about whether or not the child seat touching the back of the passenger seat is bad for some reason.
2) if my solution of removing the seat bottom, which gave me a lower baby seat position and a tighter lock down on it poses any dangers (I assure you that this does not move the suggested <1" in any direction!)
and
3) why you say that using the latch AND the seat belt is bad, this seems counter intuitive and I'd like to know more and why. As you can see from my photos I have my carseat in by the LATCH anchors but I pulled the 3-point all the way out and threaded it in through the back for what I thought was just 1 more safety check.
Think of the car seat as an absorption wall at a race track. What you want is for the seat to be tight but not rigid. We call it "Ride Down Time", basicly the longer the ride down time- or the more energy the seat can absorbe, the less force is put onto the child. If the seat is strapped so tight into the car, no cushion, 2 straps, ultra tight, and touching the seat back, the seat wont move or it will move and then stop instanly, causing more force to be placed upon your child.
That should cover all three questions but I will answer them individualy to make sure I did not miss anything.
1) We dont want the car seat to touch the seat back because it will limit the car seat from moving, or it could also prop up the car seat and in an accident the seat might move forward causing extra slack in the car seat. We dont want the slack because it allows the seat to build momentum and then SNAP to a stop.
2) Yes removing the seat bottem is bad because now the car seat is against a hard surface and we want the car seat, seat cushion and seat belts to absorb the accident, not the child. Think of it as pre loading the seat.
3) The seat belts and latch belts are designed to flex in a collision. Using both will limit the amount of flex, and reduce the ride down time causing more force to be put onto your child. I prefer to use the vehicles seat belt but with some seats in some cars, it does not work very well so using the latch may work better but keep in mind that the latch belts and anchors are only rated to about 40 LBS, some latch anchors may only be good to 40LBS with both the seat and chold combined, so once the child reaches 30-35LBS you must switch to the seat belt and not use latch.
Some car seat techs have no idea how this stuff works and will just tell you, " Because thats how the seat were designed to work and thats what the owners manual says" Well I do understand it (for the most part) but if you dont agree or dont get it, then we go back to the basic answer " Because thats how the seat were designed to work and thats what the owners manual says"
Hope that helps. Any more questions, feel free to ask. Still having problems, please go have a professional inspect and fix it. We want all our children to be safe.
Last edited by Highway8; 03-02-2009 at 10:51 AM.
03-02-2009, 11:05 AM
#67
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Very good analogy w/ the absorption wall (I've seen one of those to good use in person ).
Thank you for the insight, I have already moved the passenger seat forward (my wife finds it more comfortable to ride behind me when all 3 of us are in the car anyway). I will take off the 3-point immediately.
I will re-think the seatbottom issue however I'm a little torn on that one. It's not sitting on the metal and while not as padded as a couple inches of foam it has a couple pool noodles and a couple towels under for a bit of padding. There are enough things that having it off makes better (seat angle, seat height, etc) that I'm not fully sold. I try to ensure that my child is as safe as I can make him but absolutely everything is a compromise in one way or another.
Guess the RX and it's occasional transport of the kiddo is my area of selfishness or I would have bought a Volvo. Makes you wonder how did we survive growing up wandering around the back seat of a VW Type-4 at the ripe old age of 2 :D
).Thank you for the insight, I have already moved the passenger seat forward (my wife finds it more comfortable to ride behind me when all 3 of us are in the car anyway). I will take off the 3-point immediately.
I will re-think the seatbottom issue however I'm a little torn on that one. It's not sitting on the metal and while not as padded as a couple inches of foam it has a couple pool noodles and a couple towels under for a bit of padding. There are enough things that having it off makes better (seat angle, seat height, etc) that I'm not fully sold. I try to ensure that my child is as safe as I can make him but absolutely everything is a compromise in one way or another.
Guess the RX and it's occasional transport of the kiddo is my area of selfishness or I would have bought a Volvo
. Makes you wonder how did we survive growing up wandering around the back seat of a VW Type-4 at the ripe old age of 2 :D
03-02-2009, 11:37 AM
#68
Very good analogy w/ the absorption wall (I've seen one of those to good use in person ).
Thank you for the insight, I have already moved the passenger seat forward (my wife finds it more comfortable to ride behind me when all 3 of us are in the car anyway). I will take off the 3-point immediately.
I will re-think the seatbottom issue however I'm a little torn on that one. It's not sitting on the metal and while not as padded as a couple inches of foam it has a couple pool noodles and a couple towels under for a bit of padding. There are enough things that having it off makes better (seat angle, seat height, etc) that I'm not fully sold. I try to ensure that my child is as safe as I can make him but absolutely everything is a compromise in one way or another.
Guess the RX and it's occasional transport of the kiddo is my area of selfishness or I would have bought a Volvo. Makes you wonder how did we survive growing up wandering around the back seat of a VW Type-4 at the ripe old age of 2 :D
).Thank you for the insight, I have already moved the passenger seat forward (my wife finds it more comfortable to ride behind me when all 3 of us are in the car anyway). I will take off the 3-point immediately.
I will re-think the seatbottom issue however I'm a little torn on that one. It's not sitting on the metal and while not as padded as a couple inches of foam it has a couple pool noodles and a couple towels under for a bit of padding. There are enough things that having it off makes better (seat angle, seat height, etc) that I'm not fully sold. I try to ensure that my child is as safe as I can make him but absolutely everything is a compromise in one way or another.
Guess the RX and it's occasional transport of the kiddo is my area of selfishness or I would have bought a Volvo
. Makes you wonder how did we survive growing up wandering around the back seat of a VW Type-4 at the ripe old age of 2 :DForward facing seats work great in the RX8, I have never had a problem but the large rear facing seats are just a pain, large infant carriers work better. Theya re designed better for rear facing. I understand about removing the seat cushion, however what I am concerned about is that the car seat moves ALOT in a collision and even the pool noodles dont always stay in place, infact the usually dont. So it you case, if the pool noodles move, when the seat comes back down it will be hitting a hard surface, not a padded seat cushion. Also we dont want to stack pool noodles, more slack if they move. The pool noodles only function is to place the child in the proper position while being transported, they are no longer needed after the collision.
You should try installing the seat with the cushion, if it cant be installed properly, (I know you dont want to hear this), but you may not be able to use that seat in the RX8 until its time to turn it around. Try again and then go see a professional. Good luck.
03-02-2009, 11:55 AM
#69
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Thank you for the advice, I will certainly consider it.
I might take the Recaro in this instance and put it in my MIL's car where our other carrier base resides currently since he only rides in it maybe once a week.
I might take the Recaro in this instance and put it in my MIL's car where our other carrier base resides currently since he only rides in it maybe once a week.
03-02-2009, 12:06 PM
#71
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We have 2 bases actually, 1 lives in our SUV which carries the baby 95% of the time, the other we have in her Mom's SUV. It seemed silly at this point to buy another base that would only be used for a short time so I got a seat he could use for several years to come.
I have just used your link to setup an appointment for my local PD to check out my setup. I will take the seat bottom and the carrier base and let him work with all 3 options. thanks again
I have just used your link to setup an appointment for my local PD to check out my setup. I will take the seat bottom and the carrier base and let him work with all 3 options.
thanks again
03-03-2009, 12:37 PM
#72
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OK, spurned by Highway8's comments I have gone and larn'd some new stuff today and here is my official (and humble) retraction 
Basically everything that Mr. 8 said is correct and I was not following the K.I.S.S. policy very well. I made and appt. w/ my local certified officer this afternoon and we spent an hour talking and analyzing what I had done. He applauded my efforts and made a point to tell me that I probably had put more effort, research and thought into this than anyone he'd met so far.......but in the end I got lumped into the 98% of incorrect installation.
The problem: My solution (highlighted and edited above) was TOO tight. As Highway indicated I made things too secure and there was no travel down in my install (he was a little taken aback when he grabbed the babyseat and it didn't BUDGE, I told you it was tight :D ) In short he had me put the Recaro back in, on the seat cushion, with only the latch restraints (not nearly as tight as I 800lb gorrillaed them before) and moved the passenger seatback up a notch.
For the record it still fits just fine if a bit higher (and back to semi-blocking my right side rear view). This was a very interesting talk and the officer urged me to consider taking the course and become certified myself which I just might do.
Thank you Highway8 for spurning me into making my son a little safer (despite myself) :D
Basically everything that Mr. 8 said is correct and I was not following the K.I.S.S. policy very well. I made and appt. w/ my local certified officer this afternoon and we spent an hour talking and analyzing what I had done. He applauded my efforts and made a point to tell me that I probably had put more effort, research and thought into this than anyone he'd met so far.......but in the end I got lumped into the 98% of incorrect installation.
The problem: My solution (highlighted and edited above) was TOO tight. As Highway indicated I made things too secure and there was no travel down in my install (he was a little taken aback when he grabbed the babyseat and it didn't BUDGE, I told you it was tight :D ) In short he had me put the Recaro back in, on the seat cushion, with only the latch restraints (not nearly as tight as I 800lb gorrillaed them before) and moved the passenger seatback up a notch
.For the record it still fits just fine if a bit higher (and back to semi-blocking my right side rear view). This was a very interesting talk and the officer urged me to consider taking the course and become certified myself which I just might do.
Thank you Highway8 for spurning me into making my son a little safer (despite myself) :D
03-03-2009, 12:49 PM
#73
OK, spurned by Highway8's comments I have gone and larn'd some new stuff today and here is my official (and humble) retraction
Basically everything that Mr. 8 said is correct and I was not following the K.I.S.S. policy very well. I made and appt. w/ my local certified officer this afternoon and we spent an hour talking and analyzing what I had done. He applauded my efforts and made a point to tell me that I probably had put more effort, research and thought into this than anyone he'd met so far.......but in the end I got lumped into the 98% of incorrect installation.
The problem: My solution (highlighted and edited above) was TOO tight. As Highway indicated I made things too secure and there was no travel down in my install (he was a little taken aback when he grabbed the babyseat and it didn't BUDGE, I told you it was tight :D ) In short he had me put the Recaro back in, on the seat cushion, with only the latch restraints (not nearly as tight as I 800lb gorrillaed them before) and moved the passenger seatback up a notch.
For the record it still fits just fine if a bit higher (and back to semi-blocking my right side rear view). This was a very interesting talk and the officer urged me to consider taking the course and become certified myself which I just might do.
Thank you Highway8 for spurning me into making my son a little safer (despite myself) :D
Basically everything that Mr. 8 said is correct and I was not following the K.I.S.S. policy very well. I made and appt. w/ my local certified officer this afternoon and we spent an hour talking and analyzing what I had done. He applauded my efforts and made a point to tell me that I probably had put more effort, research and thought into this than anyone he'd met so far.......but in the end I got lumped into the 98% of incorrect installation.
The problem: My solution (highlighted and edited above) was TOO tight. As Highway indicated I made things too secure and there was no travel down in my install (he was a little taken aback when he grabbed the babyseat and it didn't BUDGE, I told you it was tight :D ) In short he had me put the Recaro back in, on the seat cushion, with only the latch restraints (not nearly as tight as I 800lb gorrillaed them before) and moved the passenger seatback up a notch
.For the record it still fits just fine if a bit higher (and back to semi-blocking my right side rear view). This was a very interesting talk and the officer urged me to consider taking the course and become certified myself which I just might do.
Thank you Highway8 for spurning me into making my son a little safer (despite myself) :D
03-03-2009, 12:49 PM
#74
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If anyone is still having issues with car seats in there 8, I suggest you check the national Highway Traffic Saftey Administrations website and search for a safety seat inspection location.
http://www.nhtsa.dot.gov/cps/cpsfitting/index.cfm
http://www.nhtsa.dot.gov/cps/cpsfitting/index.cfm
Thanks for chiming in Highway8.