Un/Installing Carseats

[rachelh]

Would/do you take your carseats out of the car if you need to space for an adult? The few times we have taken the seats out of the car, it is huge PITA to get them installed correctly again. There was also a time DH unlatched one when he went for an interior car wash and I did not realize it was unlatched and put DD in. I think I realized it a few days later after she took a few rides in it!

This came up because a friend/neighbor asked me for a ride somewhere for her and someone else. I told her that I only have one spot in the car because I dont want to take the 2 carseats out and someone was already getting a ride with me. I knew neighbor/friend could drive herself or go with the other person who was also going. I really did not think this was so offensive but apparently she was/is highly insulted. She told two people at the time (probably more but only two got back to me) how horrible and inconsiderate I am because I told her I don't want to take out the carseats. Apparently she told someone about it again this past weekend - its like 2-3 months after it happened! Am I totally out of line here?

[bubbaray]

DH and I talke seats out all the time, but I am a tech and he's better at installing seats than I am.

[hillview]

I take them out several times a year and have gotten good at the install. NO ONE ELSE in the house does a good install so I have to be around to get them back in.
/hillary

[MamaMolly]

I think she's being unreasonable, but maybe it would smooth things over if you explain it better? I don't think people get it unless they have seats that are hard to get installed correctly. It is a good hot, sweaty, muscle quivering, awful trial to get mine in our car here. I hate it passionately, so I totally get where you are coming from. I'm sorry she's bad mouthing you.

[doberbrat]

Well, she'd have to be REALLY desperate for me to do it. I hate installing/uninstalling seats so much I have a Spare britax so my primary seats never have to move.

I would move the blvd or marathon if needed. my Frontier? highly unlikely. I've gotten better at rock solid installs on it in my van but its still a workout. And I've already told dh that if he removes a seat from his car for ANY reason he'd better come back with them in a new car. He has a 95 corolla no latch/tt w/the original frontier installed and a marathon rf.

[mikeys_mom]

My twins' seats are in and out of the car all the time because I often need the space to pick up/drop off DD1 or DS's friends or to give someone a lift. That's why I love the MA's, because they are so easy to install. I rarely move DD1's FR but have done it when necessary.

I do think it is strange that someone would make such a big deal about you not wanting to uninstall the seats.

[Smillow]

It would really have to be a special circumstance for me to uninstall DS's radian. REALLY SPECIAL. It takes a lot of every kind of effort to get a good install in my van.

[KrisM]

Mine go in and out a lot. Today, I moved DD up a row in the van so I could put a dresser in the back. I needed to fold the seat down. I'll move her back tomorrow.

I think part of it is that I've been doing it for 7 years now. The first seat or 2 didn't move at all. But now with taking friends places, etc, they just do.

[tiapam]

I've never installed our seats, DH always does it. I think I took one out one time, but even then I needed help. I am a weakling with arthritis issues, but I think it is a PITA for most people, esp if it is really hot or really cold out. We only take them out for longer trips, when it is worth the trouble or when we need to move something so all the seats need to fold down or come out anyway. Does your neighbor have small children? Has she ever had to install and take out seats herself? If not, she doesn't get it and probably never will.

[eh613c]

I don't think you're out of the line. I know how it is taking the carseats in/out. Your neighbor is asking for a favor and you told him/her your situation. It's not like you flat out said NO. If it's been months after the fact and they are still talking about it, obviously they have nothing better to do or talk about.

Just let it be, take the higher road and be the adult. The next time they ask for a favor, just say no.

[bubbaray]

One of my coworkers sat in DD#1's Monterey one day. Scary thing, she fit perfectly. Actually, she fit has a better belt fit with a booster than without. LOL.

[HIU8]

I uninstall/install our seats all of the time (meaning more than once a month) for cleaning etc... However, I don't usually gives rides unless it's an emergency (or a kid coming for a playdate, or we are playing musical seats with visitors from out of town).

[JamiMac]

We take ours out quite often too, just depending on who is riding with us or if family is in town and they have to be moved around. I have no problems getting them re-installed correctly.

[wencit]

I would have given her a ride in your situation, but I am pretty good at installing car seats by myself. (Love you, Britax!) However, I do think she is being really obnoxious and petty by badmouthing you all around town. I also think the average person doesn't care that much about car seat safety, so most people don't know how much work it takes to get a good, solid install. (Except, of course, if you have a Britax seat! LOL!)

[Edensmum]

Now that I have a Sienna and dd is in a booster, that's no issue and the baby's seat is installed with latch it's easy enough. When I drove a Jetta that had no latch and had dd rf in a boulevard that install was a major production and workout. No I would not lightly remove that.
I would nto remove dd's Nautilus from the back seat unless I had to, that's a PIA too.

[Smillow]

I also think the average person doesn't care that much about car seat safety, so most people don't know how much work it takes to get a good, solid install. (Except, of course, if you have a Britax seat! LOL!)
:yeahthat:

[ahisma]

I tell people that DS's Radian won't come out, and that it's stuck there;)

I do remove DS2's Roundabout, but that's a much easier install.

Honestly, DS1's Radian may be stuck there, it took 2 hours for the tech to install it.

[rachelh]

She does have two seats in her car but I think she probably does not get the safety importance of a good install. I am a lot more into carseat safety than most people I know IRL.

If she was desperate for a ride then no problem - but this was not the case at all. I just hate the badmouthing for something so petty. It came along with other things she is upset at me about which she fathomed (which is for a whole other thread.) Its just so ridiculous. I feel like I am back in 3rd grade. :irked:

[Pyrodjm]

I have removed seats to make room for adults, thought nothing of it. Long as my babies aren't coming along what is the harm? We move seats back and forth at least once a month when DD1 goes out with my mom and we have to put the seats in her car. I have Britax seat though and installation is super easy. I can get a rock-solid install using the LATCH in less than 2 minutes. DH takes a little longer than I do but still it's not such a hassle that it would hinder me from giving a friend a lift.

[niccig]

I take them out several times a year and have gotten good at the install. NO ONE ELSE in the house does a good install so I have to be around to get them back in.
/hillary

:yeahthat: I can get out seats installed in a couple of minutes. I will take seats out, move them around quite easily for extra passengers. Now if it was a Radian in a Subaru with a hump backseat in the center position, you could not pay me enough money to move that seat!

She needs to get over it

[MontrealMum]

:yeahthat: I can get out seats installed in a couple of minutes. I will take seats out, move them around quite easily for extra passengers. Now if it was a Radian in a Subaru with a hump backseat in the center position, you could not pay me enough money to move that seat!

She needs to get over it

That's what we have...a Radian in a Subie with center install. And that bad boy is not coming out for anything!!! Of course, I'm not too keen on taking the carseat out of our other car either (no latch, but easier install) because it's freakin' cold here in Quebec and who wants to be fussing with that sort of thing when it's not necessary? Mind you, we don't have a garage so I've no idea how I'd feel if I had a sheltered place to do this sort of thing, but when you have 3 seasons: blizzard snow, rain/sleet, and oppressive humidity, moving carseats around is not a fun thing.

I don't think I've ever had another adult question me about the carseat/rideshare "issue"...and I live in a place where 1 y. olds get routinely put into boosters. Or are happily bopping around in the back of cars beltless :( Honestly, I think this woman needs to get over herself.

[AshleyAnn]

I take mine out all the time but I'm a tech so I'm probably a bit more comfortable installing than most. DH removes his seat but leaves it for me to install because he doesn't fit in the rear seat of his car (its a two door, he's 6ft) and its a tough install even for me. A lot of the time we can't remove them because there is no where else to put it, we both keep junk in our trunk because we don't have space in our house to store it (empty guitar case, military gear, PNP, ect).

ETA I am hoping we don't move her seat so much in the summer. It gets 110 degrees outside the car, lets not talk about how hot it is in the back seat of a two door. But since DH removes his to take home customers who are too drunk to drive I'd rather move the seat than the alternative. For a 'favor' that has other solutions I'd have no problem saying no.

[klwa]

Yes, I do. I've taken them out when we needed another driver for a work function &, now that DS is in a booster, I've removed his several times for a single extra rider. I've never had a hard time getting a correct install though, so maybe that's the difference. (And I learned when DS was about a year old that I got a better install than DH. I regularly go check his car to make sure he hasn't removed them since the last time I corrected his installation.....)

[secchick]

No way for DD's old style FR she rides in both cars. It gets taken out for vomit and when I got a new car. I am the only one in the family who can do installs to my satisfaction. DH doesn't even try. The RA or MA possibly, like if I have to bring my Expedit home from IKEA, but for passenger calculations, those are not empty seats.

[SnuggleBuggles]

Not unless I really have to. Other alternatives are determined first.

Beth

[Ceepa]

I understand you didn't feel comfortable taking out the carseats but I also understand why a non-BBB person would take offense. Either it sounds off to her that you would refuse to take an empty carseat out of your car for a person requesting a ride or else it seems, again to the non-BBBer, like a lame excuse to not allow this particular person in your car.

She's being petty now still badmouthing you, but I don't think she was weird for taking offense in the first place. And I'm someone who hates moving my carseats.

[maestramommy]

Actually we uninstall our seats pretty often to switch cars. I have also taken them out to make room for more passengers. It used to be a hassle, but we've gotten pretty efficient at doing it now that we're familiar with the quirks of the individual seats. We have an RA, RN, MA in the back of our Accord, all installed with the seatbelts.

[Joolsplus2]

What is this? Installing seats is hard? :35: Am I not doing my job here right?

No, seriously, she's really a booger to keep going on about it, even *I* might have turned her down for a ride if it involved my Frontier with LBP and the weather were bad, for example. Some people never get it, never will.

[BabyBearsMom]

Um, I think your neighbor is kind of being a b!tch. She is asking you for a favor and then expects you to inconvenience yourself further by removing a car seat. And the fact that she continues to complain about it...is moving away from this lady an option? You are totally in the right, she is being a pushy brat.

[hbridge]

Once we have a good, tight install, the seats DO NOT COME OUT (unless they need to be removed for safety reasons).

It's nice to now be in boosters and have the flexibility to remove them. Our harnessed seats were NEVER removed once they were installed/checked by the tech at the police station.

She is being unreasonable.

[love_a_latte]

We don't uninstall DS's Triumph because our van doesn't have latch OR locking seatbelts, which means we have to use locking clips to install it. Total PITA that involves guessing where the clip should go, thread the belt through, buckling the seatbelt, finding that it is too loose/tight, undoing everything, moving the clip a tiny bit either direction, and trying it again. And again. And again.

Once DH took it out so he could fit a bunch of kids in the van for DSS's birthday party, couldn't get it back in, and had me do it. This was early January in the midwest with street parking, temps around 10F not including windchill. Livid does not begin to describe my mood when I went out, when I came back in half an hour later I was bordering on homicidal.

The seat hasn't been removed since.

[lorinick]

We move our seats often. More so my dh than me. He takes them out for co workers. I purchased Britax seats for the easy install. So it's no big deal to me.

But I do know many brands are not as easy and some aren't good at installing their own seats.

[MamaMolly]

I'm actually relieved to hear that Radians are hard to install for other people too :bag. I thought it was just me. In our '09 pilot it is SO easy. Crazy easy. In the 2002 Volvo with no latch and non-lock off seat belts (well, technically they are but then after a few hours they loosen up :() so I have to use the lock off clip... and these built in head rests that are pure he!! to get the top tether strap under or around with anything near being installed tight, and 90 degree humid Miami weather !!!!!AGGGGGGGGG.

Anyway what a relief. It's not just ME!

[bubbaray]

I am always hesitant to recommend the RN b/c it can be such a PITA to install in a variety of vehicles. Where people don't have the chance to try it in their car and are ordering online and if they don't have access to techs where they live, the odds of ending up with a poor install on a RN is pretty high IMO.

I kinda have to modify my earlier response. If someone asked me to uninstall my Frontier to give them a ride, they would have to be a REALLY close friend, because that puppy ain't getting uninstalled for just anyone, LOL. And, in case anyone is wondering, the reason my coworker rode in my Monterey is b/c I could not for the life of me get one of the LATCH connectors disconnected.

[MoJo]

I panicked for a minute when DH told me last weekend that he had volunteered to drive carpool for his co-workers, because I didn't want to have to uninstall and reinstall our carseats. It's not only hard to do, it's very hard to do while watching the kids.

I was glad when it turned out he was just taking one co-worker and I didn't have to move any car seats.

[lisadpa]

I never take my convertibles out, ever.

I'm actually kind of mad for you. What kind of person is nervy enough to ask for a favor, then get mad when you say "no" (and you were honest about it, you could have made up a white lie)? And she's still talking about it (behind your back) two or three months later?

[longtallsally05]

I'm actually kind of mad for you. What kind of person is nervy enough to ask for a favor, then get mad when you say "no" (and you were honest about it, you could have made up a white lie)? And she's still talking about it (behind your back) two or three months later?

:yeahthat:

I would absolutely reply as the OP did when the neighbor asked if she could drive, and it would tick me off to hear thru the grapevine that the neighbor was badmouthing me.

I might remove/reinstall a couple times a year, to clean the car or move something big, but it has to be a very big deal, or I won't do it. I am compulsive about getting the installation right and spend a lot of time making sure it's done RIGHT. My back-up seat for DS is still installed in my neighbor's car from about 3 weeks ago when we did a 5K race together and carpooled. Installation is such a PITA and never takes less than 15 minutes, so we figured we'd just leave it until we have our next 5K in two more weeks (her suggestion)! My neighbor knows exactly why I don't want to take out carseats, which is why she offered to drive; she has only one carseat installed in her car...and it's a permanent fixture!