Car seat and rear seat issues

[lazylightnin717]

My son in coming up on 6 months old and obviously still rear-facing when we put him in the car. The dilemma is that I no longer have a car because mine got totaled from flood damage and now I am looking at other vehicles. I found an '03 Blazer that is in very good condition and priced just about right....

But... the back seat slants down fairly aggressively and I'm afraid that it will put the car seat at a weird and unacceptable angle.

Anybody ever have this problem or anyone have a safe solution?

[Mother]

Shim it

[minnesotamonster]

+1.

Towels under the base to shim it to the correct angle.

[lazylightnin717]

I just need to convince the woman that it will be safe like that.

I obviously don't see a problem with shimming it but she's not too fond of those ideas

[il d00d]

When you say slanting down I take it to mean down toward the back/vertical part of the seat?   What kind of car seat is this?  It the modular base + carrier or a standalone deal?  On our modular seat thing, there was a convenient level - I have used towels and cut up floaties to shim in the past.  I just make sure there is not much, if any play.

Is there a head anchor on the seat ?  If I ever had any problem getting it to the right angle, I usually just pulled on the head anchor part until it got the seat where it needed to be.

We had a We have a Britax Roundabout that allows about 30 degress of adjustment or so if you end up needing a new seat. You might think about stopping by your local fire station - I think in most states their training includes certification on car seat installation.  They might have seen your car and seat combo before...

[Mother]

The fire house should be NHTSA certified to instal car seats if they have a prevention program

shimming it with towels will work just fine

[hbliam]

Depending on your State...do as Jacob said, firehouse or law enforcement agency. They usually have a few employees that have the training to make sure you are properly installing the seat.

[lazylightnin717]

Thanks guys. I didn't realize the fire dept. does that.

First things first. We have a modular car seat and base. The kind that the base stays and the car seat can just pop into the stroller and vise versa.

Second, I was looking at an '04 Chevy Blazer when I originally started the thread. However, I test drove an '04 Chrysler Pacifica today and was much more comfortable with the options and safety features. Overall a much nicer vehicle.

Now I just have to make sure that the car seat will fit in a captain's seat.

The third row would be a huge pain in the ass to get a car seat in and out of... I also just don't like being that far away from my son in the car.

[somegirl]

Consult the experts at http://www.car-seat.org/ with specific car/seat combo questions.

My understanding is that pool noodles usually work even better than towels as a shim. 

Also, at 6 months you could easily move to a convertible seat (still rear-facing) which might make it easier to fit.  You're going to have to move to one at some point, anyway.

Oh, btw the current recommendation is to rear-face for at least 2 years and ideally as long as possible (until kid outgrows rear-facing limits of seat).  It is much safer for them.

[r_ciao]

+1 on the shims.  I used blocks of scrap wood approx. 4"x15"x3/4" wrapped in a towel that matched the color of the seats.

[lazylightnin717]

I didn't know how safe seat shims would be. It's my understanding that the base of the car seat is to be held in place as firmly as possible.

Fortunately, I don't think I'll have to be dealing with shimming anything.

My "new to me" Chrysler Pacifica has some good seats in it. According to everyone at work, I now have to coolest minivan in the parking lot 

I still plan on having somebody take a look at the set up to ensure my son's safety.

Him and his grandparents. He's a happy boy. How do you argue with safety when it comes to a smile like that?