Car Seat HELP!

I have just finally gotten help for my personal car seat dilema. I was advised that the car seat should be at a 45 degree angle. Or at least 35 degrees to work properly in an accident. The place I went to for help did 2 things. One is that they told me the seat I had was not "compatable" for my car, and no amount of towels or pading would safely solve the problem. The base was just sitting wrong on the seat. So I got a different seat, and then thier trip for getting the "slant" as you say is that they put a piece of a pool noodle underneath to get it to tilt at the proper angle. I don't know where you live, but if you are close to me in the Visalia/Tulare area I would definately suggest going to see this wonderful organization. They were very helpful and helped me with low cost/no cost replacement seats for not only the baby but also one of my older kids as well. He seems much more comfortable in the seat as well, yeah!
GOOD LUCK!!!!
W.

I had the same problem so my husband rolled 2 towels and put them under the carseat so that it would lean backwards. It can work for rear facing but not so much for forward facing.

Hi Kim,

MOST people do not have their car seats installed 100% correctly, I would recommend that you contact the Sheriff department and ask to make an appointment to come in and have them inspect your car seat installation. They will do this for you and will actually make you take it out, and put it back in, correctly, so you will know that it is installed correctly.

see if your local police or fire station will inspect your carseat installation. some hospitals will do it too.

I had the CHP install the car seats for my twin boys. They will make sure that the car seats are installed correctly and they get them so tight. You might want to try that. Hope that helps.

Hi Kim,

I had a similar problem when my son was little. I took the seat to the California Highway Patrol and they installed it for me. The officer, who has had training specifically for installation of car seats and does it all day on Tuesdays, told me that the little level thingy on the car seats has little to do with anything. You need to make it work in YOUR car and need to be sure your child is safe. He used a non-skid pad and some cut up pool noodles to make it work in our car.

I don't know if you have to switch your seats between cars but, once Officer Antelon got ours in, we didn't move that sucker until Aaron outgrew it. It wasn't going ANYWHERE! You couldn't budge it! He installed all three of our seats until Aaron moved into a booster.

I'm in Ventura County. All I had to do was call and make an appointment. The officers are great! I don't know where you are, but my definite recommendation is to call the Highway Patrol.

Good luck with your double blessing. Boys ARE a joy!

M.

Hi there, Kim! I am M. and I am a Child Passenger Safety Technician and Instructor (CPST/I). There are so many reasons your seat might not be level and some fixes that are possible. However, without seeing the seat, I am not sure what to suggest. The best thing would be for you to find another CPST or CPSTI to check your seat and teach you how to get the proper angle. Please feel free to email me if you have additional questions @ ____@____.com

I would definitely call your local police/fire/hospital to get it checked. I have the same car seats and I had to have mine installed with a noodle (the swimming kind) until my kids were forward facing. It seemed to help more than the towel. Good Luck!

It might be the slant of the seat in the car. If the seat you are belting your car seat to leans in any direction, that is the direction that your child will be leaning. This has happened to me with each rear-facing car seat that we've tried to put in my husband's car (the minivan I use never had a problem). I've been told by my pediatrcian that you can use a foam pillow or one of those foam wedge-pillows and put it under the side that is slanting and buckle it in as usual. It's just that most seats in cars are not really level, they slant so that your knees are a little higher than your bottom when you sit in them. Some cars/trucks/vans do it less than others, but I've noticed all cars do it more than trucks or minivans. Then when you add the seatbelt down at the same direction that your seat is tilted anyway, you end up pushing the car seat into the slant and making your problem worse. If you aren't sure that your seat is properly installed or secure enough after putting in the foam pillow, just go to your local firestation and they should be able to show you how to properly install it. I've never had a problem with using the foam pillow and while you can even use a rolled up towel, I felt better have the foam wedge myself.

Hi kim, i had the same problem. You need to go to babies r us and i can't remember what it's called but it is a foam cylinder that goes under the front of the car sear to recline the baby back more. Sometimes it's just the car. Good luck and let me know if this works for you.
S. c

Hi Kim,
We made an appointment with the California Highway Patrol. They showed us how to install properly. Also, Babies R Us and The Right Start sometimes have professional installers to help.

Hope this helps!

Go to CHP, they install them for free and have things to add, based on the car, so they fit right.

When we got our seat checked at the hospital they told us to put a rolled up towel under the front of the car seat to recline it more so that the level indicator was 'level to the ground'. Your son should be at a 45 degree angle for best comfort/safety.

We had similar problems with our son. Try putting a rolled up towel under the car seat against the seat back to lift the bottom and level it out a bit. Also, the convertible seats don't recline as far or lay back as much as the infant carries. If you are still concerned, take it to the police or fire station to have it checked for correct installation. They should have someone who is a trained expert at child safety seat installation. Good luck.

I have twins as well, and had to transition one of them to a regular carseat before the other. I was so used to the infant seat that it looked all wrong to see him in the normal seat. He leaned forward when asleep and even in recline it seemed he was sitting straight up and it didn't look comfy at all!
I'm used to it now, but it is just that the regular carseat is not meant to be so severely reclined like the infant seats whick are made specifically to be in a sleeping position for newborns. As long as the level mark is level and the seat is secure and latched then it is safe, but if you feel uncertain then take it to the PD or fire department to have it inspected.

In addition to previous advice, different seats work better in certain vehicles. Maybe you could ask other moms to try out their seats in your car to see if a different seat would be better -- I assume you'll eventually need to buy a 2nd for the other twin.

We had the same problem -- my friend advised me to put a tightly-rolled up towel under the low end to fix the tilt. You could also use foam (ie a "pool noodle"). Seems pretty secure, but of course not sure this is strictly kosher.

Check out this website for your area! Even has a listing for FREE car check events.

http://www.safekidsclarkcounty.org/

M.

hmmm maybe try folding up a towel and stick it under the front of the carseat. also how is the front facing carseat relcining? they shouldnt be put in a reclining position after being turned around? that may be your problem. try sitting it up from the reclined position. hope this helps! good luck!

Check with your local highway patrol- they often do free car seat install inspections and will help you with it. If not, there are many organizations that offer this service. You can check online at www.seatcheck.org for a place near you (these should be free.) Also, make sure the 'leg' in the back is positioned correctly- I think it is supposed to be down for rear facing, but check your manual to be sure. Good luck!

Hi Kim,

Car seats can be so tricky!! Your son shouldn't be leaning forward at all in his seat - it's a good sign that something's not quite right. If you take your vehicles with the car seats down to the local CHP office, they will help you make sure that it is installed properly. You might want to call first & see about setting up an appointment, to make sure this is offered in your county. Since a properly installed car seat is the law, I'm sure they will assist you. My sister told me about this, because they found a couple of corrections that were needed to make her car seats safer. Your sons will also be more comfortable once they are installed correctly.

Good luck!!

Hey Kim,
Try looking on the internet or calling a local police department. They sometimes sponsor events where you can drive in and they will check or help you to install the carseat correctly.

Kim,
We wanted to totally avoid issues like this so we went to our local fire station for installation. You need to contact your local police or fire dept. as they offer free car seat installations. Babies R Us also has some information time to time. In addition they should stay in one place and be checked on a regular basis. We just switched our 13 month around and re-installed our 2.5 year olds. Beyond their comfort is their safety :)
All the best!
S.

I know...my teenager figured ours out when I couldnt! She found a latch/button type looking thing at the base in front that she pushed in, then pulled the whole bottom of the seat out. Wierd. Good luck, hope that helps.

Wendy

Hi Kim,
The CHP offers free carset installations. Just call your local office and they'll either check the job you did or install it for free from a box. It is a great service considering 90% of seats are installed incorrectly.

Anya

Hi Kim,
I had the same problem with the seat I bought for my son. I took a small roll pillow and put it under the base. I figured out it is the slant of the back seat of the car that causes the seat not to fit right. After I did that my son did not have any more problems falling forward onto the harness.

Kim you may need to get one of those long pool noodles and cut it to a few inches bigger than the width of the car seat. Take the noodle and put it under the car set closest to the seat of the car. This will tip the seat a little back and should level it. Check the car seat level indicator. If you are still having a problem go to your local fire department and they will help you.

T.

I am not sure where you live, but I do know that the police station and the fire station can help you install the seat correctly. The other thing I did notice is that no one mentioned age!! Here in NV a child HAS to be one year old AND wiegh 20+ pounds to be in a forward facing seat. Even if the baby is 20+ pound but not yet a year old then that baby still needs to be in a rear facing child seat. I would also check on the age and weight laws when you call about the installation of the car seat. God bless you and the double blessing at all times especially in your car :)

Definately contact the Police/ Fire Dept. Cuz they usually do free inspections. Make sure to bring your manuel for the car seat as well. We use the britax marathon and I know in the manuel it says that if your seat of the car is not flat you need to place a rolled towel under the base where the the seat of the car meets the backrest so that it is level. We do not have to do this in the truck b/c the seat is flat, But we do in our accord. It really makes a difference.

I don't know where you live but our local Sheriff's office will check the installation of the car seat and make sure that it is installed properly. We also have a place called a family resource center that is usually for low income families but they will also check the installation of a car seat for no charge.

I did have a similar problem. In my SUV the back seats tilt backward some so even though the seat said it was level it wasn't and like you my son was leaning forward. I called the manufacturer, they asked about the make and model of my car (which is how I figured out about the seat tilt) they suggested placing a rolled up towel under the front of the seat so it would recline properly. I would suggest calling the mfg to see what suggestions they have for your specific car.

A.

Hi Kim

PLEASE do NOT insert anything such as foam or a rolled blanket under the seat. Your installed seat needs to be inspected. Call Roxanne Hoffman, Safe Kids Coalition Coordinator (thru Rady Children's Hospital) at ###-###-#### ext. 5704.

http://www.chsd.org/body.cfm?id=1431

I implore you - Please do this ASAP; it's free, and more importantly, you'll be shocked to know that more than 90% of car seats turn out to be installed incorrectly. Sorry to be so 'bossy' here; it's just that I have seen too many times how the seats are installed incorrectly. It's not your fault - like others have said, different seats work better or worse in different cars. Safe Kids will ensure that your seat is safe so I really hope you'll give them a call.

If you don't live in San Diego, you can still call this number and she can help to put you in touch with a local service to get the seat inspected. Or, you can just google it. Like some others have said, many police stations and fire stations offer this service, but not all.

Good luck, and please don't wait on this! -Suzanne

What a big guy!! That's wonderful especially for a twin. I am a twin and I think I weighed and was that tall after I turn 1. My carseat does the same thing as I had to transition my daughter out of her infant carrier by 5 months old; she's now 7 months old.I thought the same thing as you but I knew the carseat was installed correctly. I am using the Graco ComfortSport in both cars. She will sometimes fall asleep with her head forward which I hate but I figure she's old enough to change position. She does it at night. I bought strap covers that help keep her head positioned at Babys R Us and stop the chaffing of the straps. They seem to help. My daughter has wanted to be upright since she could hold her own head up; now she will pull herself up in the carseat so she can look around.

Good luck,
M. P

I believe I heard a while back that you could stop by a CHP station (I believe that was it) to have someone review the placement/hookup of your car seats to fix any errors, and most people who do bother to do that do find out that they need some corrections/adjustments made. You should check into that locally in your area. You can also call your pediatrician's office for advice. I called mine today to get the clearance for my almost 13 year old to safely sit in the front seat due to the air bag, and the advice nurse was very helpful.

Hi Kim,
There are places that will inspect the installation of your car seats. You can look online for car seat inspections.
This site offers free inspections, but it's first come first serve and only certain times.
http://www.safekidsclarkcounty.org/

Good luck,
S. g.

Hi Kim
My husband went through a class to install them for his work. They can be tricky. Call the police or fire department and ask if they have an installer. That may help!
It could be that it is not tight enough on the latch. Maybe it is the style of car seat is not conforming. You can also try adjusting the back of the seat? Every car seat is so different and as my husband tells me it is really hard to trouble shoot any of those types of problems without seeing the carseat in the car with the child. Make sure you take your babyies.
=)
Good luck
G.

Hi Kim, call or stop by your local CHP office & make an appointment for them to check your car seat(s). They do so for free & I'd consider them experts on the topic! Good luck.. S.

Hello Kim,

Most Police and Fire departments have Safety Seat Techs who can assist you. (Usually for free)Go to the NHTSA web site for a list of techs in your area. (www.nhtsa.gov I think.) Good luck. Jim