If you have a minivan and kept your kids rear facing. Question about car seat installation.

Did you have to put something under the carseat in order to make it even? The instructions say you might have to stuff towels under it or a foam noodle. Did anyone have to do this? The car seats wont install right unless we do that. I'm a little skeptical about that. Anyone have to do this?

Re: If you have a minivan and kept your kids rear facing. Question about car seat installation.

When I went to have my car seat inspected, I had the very thin seat protectors under it. Apparently that is a big no-no and I got an ear-full about it. I'm so glad bc I had no idea! They say that there should be nothing between your seat and the carseat at all, so I would imagine that a towel would be a bad idea. Maybe go to one of the inspection check-points and have it installed? I went to the one in Hicksville and it was super quick... not sure if that is convenient for you, though!

Re: If you have a minivan and kept your kids rear facing. Question about car seat installation.

ours wasn't a problem...new marathon in an odyssey. DH is fantastic and twice he has been told (by Nassau Co. car seat inspection and NYS Troopers) he should get certified b/c his installations have been so good.

Re: If you have a minivan and kept your kids rear facing. Question about car seat installation.

I don't have a minivan but my faraway has a marking on it that says must be level with ground to be installed correctly. The directions specifically state that a tightly rolled up towel is okay to use, as long as when installed the seat doesn't move more then one inch in any direction at the anchor points. The angle of the car seat (I think its between 30 and 45 degrees reclined) is important because of airway restriction and impact absorbtion in case of an accident.

Re: If you have a minivan and kept your kids rear facing. Question about car seat installation.

I have a minivan, and I didn't have to put anything under DD's seat. She's been rear-facing for as long as we've had the car (almost 2 years).

Re: If you have a minivan and kept your kids rear facing. Question about car seat installation.

Thanks everyone! Yeah, the directions say that a rolled up towel is perfectly safe but that makes me extremely nervous! We are going to see if we can find a place that does car seat installations on the weekends! For now, i'll keep them in their bucket seats to be safe!

Re: If you have a minivan and kept your kids rear facing. Question about car seat installation.

If it makes you feel better when I had my carseat inspected the officer put a pool noodle under the base to make sure that it was at the correct angle.

Re: If you have a minivan and kept your kids rear facing. Question about car seat installation.

Re: If you have a minivan and kept your kids rear facing. Question about car seat installation.

Re: If you have a minivan and kept your kids rear facing. Question about car seat installation.

Posted by GoldenRod

Posted by babydreams

If it makes you feel better when I had my carseat inspected the officer put a pool noodle under the base to make sure that it was at the correct angle.

I personally don't see any issue with putting things under a car seat, but I'm always puzzled by how a pool noodle is OK, and actually recommended, but a thin seat protector is absolutely forbidden? To me, the car seat is attached to the LATCH, which is attached to the frame of the car, as well as the top latch.
How come official inspectors are trained to put a towel or a noodle under the seat, but also trained to talk people out of seat protectors?

Message edited 1/2/2012 6:44:59 PM.

Re: If you have a minivan and kept your kids rear facing. Question about car seat installation.

Posted by babydreams

Posted by GoldenRod

Posted by babydreams

If it makes you feel better when I had my carseat inspected the officer put a pool noodle under the base to make sure that it was at the correct angle.

I personally don't see any issue with putting things under a car seat, but I'm always puzzled by how a pool noodle is OK, and actually recommended, but a thin seat protector is absolutely forbidden? To me, the car seat is attached to the LATCH, which is attached to the frame of the car, as well as the top latch.
How come official inspectors are trained to put a towel or a noodle under the seat, but also trained to talk people out of seat protectors?

Not sure, but the towel/pool noodle is recommended by the carseat companies themselves. So perhaps they have done crash testing using those, but not with a seat protector? So therefore they are unsure of what would happen during a crash.

Re: If you have a minivan and kept your kids rear facing. Question about car seat installation.

Posted by GoldenRod

Posted by babydreams

If it makes you feel better when I had my carseat inspected the officer put a pool noodle under the base to make sure that it was at the correct angle.

I personally don't see any issue with putting things under a car seat, but I'm always puzzled by how a pool noodle is OK, and actually recommended, but a thin seat protector is absolutely forbidden? To me, the car seat is attached to the LATCH, which is attached to the frame of the car, as well as the top latch.
How come official inspectors are trained to put a towel or a noodle under the seat, but also trained to talk people out of seat protectors?

Re: If you have a minivan and kept your kids rear facing. Question about car seat installation.

Posted by tarabelle99

Posted by GoldenRod

Posted by babydreams

If it makes you feel better when I had my carseat inspected the officer put a pool noodle under the base to make sure that it was at the correct angle.

I personally don't see any issue with putting things under a car seat, but I'm always puzzled by how a pool noodle is OK, and actually recommended, but a thin seat protector is absolutely forbidden? To me, the car seat is attached to the LATCH, which is attached to the frame of the car, as well as the top latch.
How come official inspectors are trained to put a towel or a noodle under the seat, but also trained to talk people out of seat protectors?

Noodles only go at the bight of the seat, to assist with angle. At least 80% of the carseat needs to be in contact with the vehicle seat. A seat with angle adjustment with a noodle will still have 80% of the carseat in direct contact with the vehicle seat. This is the same for short bench seats. At least 80% of the carseat must be in contact with the vehicle seat (there are exceptions, check the manual of the carseat, some DO require 100%).

The protectors are problematic because they can give a false sense of tightness. They go under the ENTIRE seat, meaning that zero percent of the carseat is in direct contact with the vehicle seat. I've personally pulled out even "thin" protectors on seats which appear tight and shown parents it's not as tight as they thought (hidden slack).

You only need a pool noodle for a RF install, usually you need them on a seat which angles down towards the bight to achieve a 45 degree angle. It is acceptable to use up to 3 noodles (in a pyramid) if necessary. 45 degrees is only required for younger infants/newborns who can not hold up their head on their own. Most seats can be installed more upright (most to 30 degrees, the True Fit to 35 degrees). Dorel is currently the only exception I can think of off the top of my head.

There are many things we learn in class that are not discussed in vehicle or car seat manuals. Maybe so that parents are not overwhelmed or because they're more "few and far between" scenarios? IDK, but, some of those things are angle and how to achieve it. There are advisements on how many times to twist the stalk of a seat belt if needed, when it's ok to flip a latchplate, what types of seatbelts there are and how to install a car seat on each one. (etc etc)