Several Marathon questions (straps, weight limit, and tethering)

[slknight]

DS has been in his marathon for about a year and a half, but I still feel like I've got a bunch of questions about how to use it.

First of all, he's still rear-facing. I'm not sure what slot the straps are in (one of the lower slots), but sometimes they slip off of his shoulders or he wiggles out of them. Clearly, this isn't good. But I can't figure out why. I can't really seem to tighten them anymore. It almost seems like I need to move them up higher - like they are too low and that's why he's squirming out. Does that make sense? He's about 35.5 inches and has a long torso.

Second question - I know the rear-facing weight limit is 33 pounds. DS is creeping up on that. He's about 31-32 depending on his clothes/shoes/coat. That's 33 pounds without clothes on, right? I'm worried he's going to surpass it and we're not going to know. I'm wondering if I should turn it forward-facing now.

Finally, what can you tell me about tethering (either rr or ff) in a 2001 Subaru Forester? When we had it installed, the tech didn't mention anything about tethering. Can we do it in our car?

Thanks!

[pittsburghgirl]

If he's wiggling out of the straps you probably need to move them up a slot. They should be at his shoulder level or slightly below but not way below (if he is getting out they are probably well below his shoulder level). We are about to move up to the third slots from the bottom and my DS is not as big as yours yet.

As to the weight, personally I would just turn it since he is so close and you don't really know his exact weight.

Check your owner's manual for the location of the top tether hooks. The RF tethering is done using a strap around a seat post, usually, but the top tether hooks are hopefully there for your model year. (in our Outback they are in the ceiling over the cargo area.) You should definitely tether the seat FF, make sure you contact the dealer if you can't figure out how.

Marilee
mommy to James
http://lilypie.com/baby2/040120/1/1/1/-5/.png

[shishamo]

I think you need to go up the slot. Also, is the chestclip/hug thing on his chest? That should prevent from the straps falling off.

IMO, I would not switch him rf to ff, because kids that age grows fairly slowly, and you probably have another 6 months till he hits 33 pounds. My kids really started to stall around then. It's 33 pounds with a lightweight clothing on, from what I heard.

I can't tell you about Subaru, but if you have a tether clip, you should be able to tether it. Hopefully someone can help you with that :-)