Safety 1st Uptown Install RF

[sarahbrown29]

I am having a TON of trouble installing our Uptown RF in the captain's chair of our 2007 Odyssey. I can't get a tight install from either the latch or the belt. Any suggestions???

TIA!
Sarah

[Joolsplus2]

I have a puppy on my lap and can only type one handed, but try the videos at www.carseatsite.com to see if one helps.

good luck, maybe someone else will chime in!

[bubbaray]

I've never installed that seat, but we've found that it can help to recline the seatback of the 2nd row captains chairs if you are doing a LATCH install.

[nfowife]

If it's really similar to the scenara (I heard it was) then I remember someone posting on here to make sure you put the front foot of the seat on the seatback, not in the crack of the seat. Hope that makes sense and that you are able to get it in good!

[niccig]

I have this seat. This is what I do for LATCH.

1. Position carseat for RF, I need a rolled-up towel in many cars to get a recline angle
2.. Hook up latch connectors on both sides
3. Lift up cover on the bottom of the seat so you can see the latch strap
4. Thread tail of latch strap back through the RF belt path
5. Stand behind the car seat so you are between the front passenger seat and the car seat. Use your upper body to push the seat down and back into the vehicle's seat. You could also just stand beside the carseat and push down with one hand.
6.Now pull tight on the latch. Your hand that's pulling will be in the middle of the car seat where your child would sit.

I find the best trick is threading the tail of the latch strap back through the belt path as then you are pulling the strap tighter horizontally along the strap. If I don't do this, ie. leave the tail of the strap beside the seat, I'm then pulling up vertically beside the seat and because of the angle, I can pull with all my might and it's still very loose. I also use this trick with a FF install, but this time I'm threading the latch strap back through the FF belt path. I do this with every carseat that has one latch strap. My BV has 2 straps so I don't need to do it with that.

For a seat belt install with locking seat belts, I pull out the entire seatbelt and I hold onto that near the headrest with one hand, so it won't lock on me, or I get another person to hold it for me. I thread the seatbelt through the RF belt path and I buckle it with the other hand, then once it's buckled, I push down on to the seat and I pull the seatbelt again with my hand in the middle of the carseat, so I'm pulling horizontally. Once it's pulled tight, then I slowly release the seat belt and pull it back into the retractor. It's difficult to do a seat belt install by yourself at first, as you feel like you need 4 hands. But now, I know which hand to hold the seatbelt, where to pull etc.

Definitely look at the seat belt install videos that a PP posted. That's where I learned my tricks above.

ETA. With a RF install for the Uptown, I find that the harness adjuster lever is pushed into the back of the vehicle's seat. I can just get my fingers in there to push on it. I actually leave the bottom part of cover lifted up so I can reach the lever more easily.

HTH

[sarahbrown29]

I have it installed now, tightly, but I am afraid to take it out for fear of never getting it back in! Thanks for all of the tips. When it climbs above freezing again, I may try taking it out and reinstalling just so I know I can.

[niccig]

Glad you got it in tight.

Definitely take it out and play with it. The more I do that with my seats, the more comfortable I am.

The Uptown is our travel seat, so I put it into a lot of different cars with seat belt and with latch - I've never not got a solid install, no movement at all. The trick for me is that threading the latch strap or seatbelt back through the belt path and then pulling tight. If I don't do this, then I can't get it tight. And this trick works for lots of other car seats too.