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aunt83me02
05-30-2001, 03:46 PM
Earlier someone said something about problems with the Smartmove. My sister used it for her first child and is thinking about using it for another. I was just wondering what was negative about the seat. It will be used in the forward facing position for a toddler.

tobymc
05-31-2001, 09:19 AM
The Smartmove is a wonderfully large and padded carseat. It was the first seat to have a rear facing weight limit of 30 pounds (not just 20). It does come in the 5 point harness.

On the other hand, it is one of the heaviest seats around. It is wide. And it fits poorly in a lot of cars. Rear facing, my data show that it fit only 45% of the time (out of 71 records). Forward facing, it did better, fitting 81% of the time (58 records). So you can guess why techs sometimes want to scream when they see a rear facing Smart Move come into a clinic. That 45% of the time the seat fit includes a number of installations that took 2 techs and an hour to get the seat in properly. Admittedly, the seat can fit tightly and well, even rear facing. It is just often difficult.

Forward facing the seat is easier to install, statistically (and in my personal experience).

So if your sister can get a nice, tight installation with the Smart Move, it is a fine, and safe, seat to use. She may not want to use it for plane travel, or to move it between cars very often, since it is heavy, but her child will probably like it, since it is very well padded.

As always, especially when using an older seat, she should check the seat and make sure it is still in good condition for use. All the stickers should still be attached, and it should look in good condition. It should be no more than 6 years old. She should check for recalls (http://www.nhtsa.dot.gov/people/injury/childps/recall/canister.htm) since there is one for some Smart Moves. She should make sure it has not been in any crashes. She should make sure it fits her child well. And she should make sure it fits her car well.

Finding a technician to check her seat in person is the easiest way to check all of these things. There should be a clinic or permanent fitting staiton, or a lone technician, somewhere near you. Try www.safekids.org or www.fitforakid.org or www.nhtsa.gov (child passenger safety section, look for the tech locator).

I hope this answers your question.

Toby, CPS tech