In between harness slots on Britax RA?

[Timmersmom]

I have my kids in Britax RAs, and noticed that their shoulders are "in between" the harness slots. That is, their shoulders are just above the slots that the straps currently go through.

From all the valuable advice I've gotten here, I've learned that when the seats are FF, that the straps should be "above" their shoulders. However the manual doesn't say what to do when they fall in between the slots, which of course aren't adjustable.

It seems that for both of them, the next slot up is way too high - and the current slots aren't very much below their shoulders, maybe a 1/4 inch. Common sense tells me to leave it the way it is, and when they get "halfway" between the slots, then move up to the next one.

But I would prefer to know what the experts here have done/would do.

(Yes, my DD just moved FF, despite my good intentions. :( I have to make many long car trips by myself, and just can't handle the screaming for hours anymore. I just want to make her as safe as possible FF, now)

Thank you for reading, and for your help.

[bensmom]

I would move the straps up if the shoulders are above the slots (make sure you look at the actual shell and not the cover, sometimes my cover slips down a bit) - definitely don't wait until the "halfway" point.

In a FF seat, if the straps are below the shoulders, they may allow the head to move too far forward in a crash. By having the straps above the shoulders (and snug against the child), it holds the body to the seat in the event of a crash and prevents this excess forward movement.

Similarly, when the seat is RF, the straps need to be below the shoulders in order to hold the child down and into the seat when the seat rotates.

Ilana

CPS Tech (as of last week!) and mom to an 18 month old