Belzebutt

So today the wife and I put on the baby seat, expecting to start using it in the next two weeks. We went to this event a couple of weekends ago where a bunch of volunteers were inspecting your baby seat installation, and I cringed as three heavy ladies stepped all over my back seat and after 40 min managed to install the baby seat. I decided it was something I would need to know how to do myself and get a seat protector.

So we tried putting it on in the middle but decided that it was moving around too much. Does anyone else here use it in the middle? I did get it pretty tight at one point but then it was tilted to the side because the middle seatbelt kept pulling one side upwards.

In the end we put it behind the driver's sides and it seems fairly tight. If I move it around side to side I get about an inch of leeway, maybe a bit more. Is that ok? I use that new restraint system instead of the seatbelt, it's a hell of a lot easier to attach. Just wondering if it's tight enough. I also got a special so-skid pad gizmo to go underneath and protect the seat from kinks.

smgfan

Well, when you put the baby there won't that make the seat not move because of the added weight?

I really don't know...

AlterZgo

The trick to getting the babyseat fitting tight is to lean your weight into the seat before you tighten the seatbelt or the latch connector. When you remove your weight from the seat, it will be nice and snuggly fit. Another thing you can do is to use the latch connectors on the rear deck to provide another anchor point for the seat.

When all is said and done, the seat does not need to be completely immobile, but it should be snugged down fairly tight. 1" of leeway may be OK if you are tugging hard and it barely budges 1". But, if it is loosely flopping around 1", then it is clearly not tight enough. Just lean your weight into the seat as you cinch the belts and it will be fine. Definitely use a seat protector. The rubber ones are OK. I ended up using a beach towel. Not recommended, but I have that thing cinched down so tight that the seat isn't going anywhere. Thanks to the cushioning of the beach towel, when I take the seat out, there is hardly any mark on the leather.

I don't use the middle b/c it would essentially make the back seat unuseable. It also makes it more difficult to load and unload the kid. I put the seat on the rear passenger side b/c it's safe to load the kid from that side vs. on the drivers side which is towards traffic. It also allows me to move the drivers seat back as much as I want.

moda_way

My son's seat is in the middle and he faces backwards. I put a rolled up towel under the seat and then pulled very hard on the belts to make it as tight as I could along with putting all my weight on the car seat. It works better since I and my wife like lots of leg room. Only pain by having the seat in the middle is that I have to climb into the car to put my son in his seat. Once he is able to face the front, he'll be behind the passenger seat.

crisco

you'll most likely need something to prop up the angle of the seat. Our back seats are sloped quite alot. I've used all 3 spots (not at once) for the seat. The middle is safest, but as stated earlier, you lose some functionality of the back seat. I currently have 2 baby seats installed - a front facing seat (for my 22 month-old) and the modular one (base unit) that faces the rear (for my 5 month-old). Man, that back seat is jam-packed!

Oh, and yes, a little bit of play/give is normal.

bl^5

The biggest question is what kind of seat are you talking about? I have a backward facing seat for an infant (2 pieces base and carrier). The base has the latch system. To install I losten the latch system belts and clip them in place. I then put my knee into the base and pull the latch belt as tight as earthly possible. After removing my knee there is no play and it is very secure. It is not recommended to use this type of seat in the middle position as the latch system was not designed for using in the middle position for the bottom anchors.

Now, disregard my post if you are talking about the bigger kids seat (ie 20+ pounds rear/forward facing). I'll be able to give you an answer on those in about 2 weeks.