Grace Infant Carrier-Strap ?

[happymom2b]

help!! I Have a 3 1/2 mo. old boy-i'm finding it difficult reaching the straps to the buckle between his legs. i feel like it's so tight and i'm squishing his private area. i know how to loosen the straps, but it just doesn't seem like enough sometimes. I use the 'Bundle Me' on the carrier. The other day i had a jacket on him and NO WAY could i get the buckle at the end of the strap to meet the main buckle between his legs..what am i doing wrong?? is it b/c the Bundle Me takes up room? anyone else have this frustration??

[Joolsplus2]

Yup, ditch the bundle me, and the jacket...just put him in the seat, then snugly wrap him in a blanket AFTER the harness is tightened properly.
Have you put the straps in the "bigger/longer" infant position? That frees up a couple inches of harness length. Take off the harness covers, if you have them, and take out one of the headrests, if you have two.
*really* loosen the harness (you can even tuck the buckle tongues in the side of the cover, out of the way, so that when you put him in next time, you aren't digging the arm straps out from under him). And then when you tighten the straps up, put the chest clip at armpit (not bellybutton) level...if he's small, that will be right under his chin, but isn't dangerous.

Each seat is really only designed for and safety tested with ONLY the padding that comes with it, and a dummy with basically summer-weight clothing. Adding padding underneath hasn't been tested with the seat, and as you are discovering, makes the seat just not work the way it's intended to.

Bundle me's are really safe and comfy in a stroller, though :)
Julie CPS Tech and mom to 2 in seats
http://www.cpsafety.com/articles/RFAlbum/SarahMA.aspx

[DebbieJ]

oops-just ignore

~ deb
DS 12/03

http://www.windsorpeak.com/dc/user_files/10029.gif

[happymom2b]

I CAN'T THANK YOU ENOUGH!!I'm going to take of the Bundle Me today and check it all out. He's graduated out of the smaller headrest and into the larger one which did help a bit (a friend of mine said not to snap them in place, though, for safety..have you heard of this??). I'm ALWAYS digging out the straps once he's in this thing so I also appreciate your advice on tucking them in the sides of the cover. I really need to further explore the situation once I take the Bundle Me off. I was at my wits end and now feel so much better..i hope i have better luck this afternoon!

Ali
Mother to Michael Patrick =)

[Joolsplus2]

I've never heard of any safety reason not to keep the headrest buttoned....Since it comes that way, I have to assume that's the way it's tested.... I do love hearing "reports" like that though...car seat information gets passed around like a game of telephone sometimes :D

Remember not to use your seat when his head is closer than an inch to the top (sometimes 3.5 mo olds are pushing it in that seat, and tight harness straps are a sign he's getting bigger, regardless of the bundle me...)

:)
Julie CPS Tech and mom to 2 in seats
http://www.cpsafety.com/articles/RFAlbum/SarahMA.aspx

[happymom2b]

YIPPEEE!!!! I turned the carseat over and found that there was extra slack underneath...i just had to take the straps out of the buckle under there and reattach the straps at a different point uncerneath. It was a snap!

[nisi]

>I've never heard of any safety reason not to keep the
>headrest buttoned....Since it comes that way, I have to assume
>that's the way it's tested.... I do love hearing "reports"
>like that though...car seat information gets passed around
>like a game of telephone sometimes :D
>

See, this is why I hate those darn headrests. From a crash protection standpoint it isn't dangerous to snap it in place, but it can cause problems sometimes. I'll explain as best I can. The distance from the place the harness goes through the headrest to the top of the headrest is fixed. The distance from the place the harness comes out to the top of the child's head obviously changes as the child grows. So if you snap the headrest around the harness, it can end up pulling the headrest down too low for the child, especially when they're getting close to needing the next harness position. For a very young baby, or one with poor head control, it can contribute to pushing the baby's head forward- I've seen it happen. I'm guessing the person who said not to snap them in place had the same concern.

As a tech, I tell parents to go ahead and use the headrest that came with the seat if they want to, but watch closely for the problem I mentioned. If it becomes a problem, roll up receiving blankets and place them on either side of the baby's head instead. I suppose not snapping it would work too, but then it can slide around all over the place and be a general pitb. To me, rolled up receiving blankets are just easier.


Nisi
CPS tech and mom of 2 in seats, one with rolled blankets holding up her head :-)

[Joolsplus2]

Thanks for you input on this :). I mostly get pregnant moms, not babies.
I DO always tell people to take the headrests out if they find they are interfering with the straps, or falling down and annoying you, but sometimes forget to mention that sometimes they can push the baby's head forward....
Julie CPS Tech and mom to 2 in seats
http://www.cpsafety.com/articles/RFAlbum/SarahMA.aspx