Re: car seat problem

[Jayne Kulikauskas]

"Michael Hamm" > wrote in message
...
> My car doesn't have LATCH, so I must affix my car seat to my car using the
> car's seatbelt. But every seatbelt in the car automatically extends on
> demand, even when once extended. The car seats' manufacturers warn
> against affixing the car seats using such seat belts, but I don't think
> (am I wrong?) that there are any other sorts of car seats. Does this mean
> that someone wanting to use a car seat should get another car??

There is a small piece you can by that stops the seat belt from extending.
It costs a few dollars, considerably less than a new car. <g>

Jayne

[Allen McIntosh]

In article >,
Michael Hamm > wrote:
>My car doesn't have LATCH, so I must affix my car seat to my car using the
>car's seatbelt. But every seatbelt in the car automatically extends on
>demand, even when once extended. The car seats' manufacturers warn
>against affixing the car seats using such seat belts, but I don't think
>(am I wrong?) that there are any other sorts of car seats.

If these are one piece lap-shoulder belts (single belt runs from anchor in
floor, through buckle and then behind seat or into pillar, then you
can fix this with a locking clip. These used to come with car seats,
along with instructions on how to use them. If you don't have one, try
contacting the manufacturer.

[Jayne Kulikauskas]

"Allen McIntosh" > wrote in message
...

[]
> If these are one piece lap-shoulder belts (single belt runs from anchor in
> floor, through buckle and then behind seat or into pillar, then you
> can fix this with a locking clip. These used to come with car seats,
> along with instructions on how to use them. If you don't have one, try
> contacting the manufacturer.

I bought a locking clip at Canadian Tire, an automotive/harware store chain.
I'm not sure what the equivalent store is in other places but I expect it is
pretty easy to find locking clips in most Western countries.

Jayne

[Mark Duddridge]

Michael Hamm > wrote in message >...
> My car doesn't have LATCH, so I must affix my car seat to my car using the
> car's seatbelt. But every seatbelt in the car automatically extends on
> demand, even when once extended. The car seats' manufacturers warn
> against affixing the car seats using such seat belts, but I don't think
> (am I wrong?) that there are any other sorts of car seats. Does this mean
> that someone wanting to use a car seat should get another car??
>
> Michael Hamm
> BA scl Math, PBK, NYU
>
> Note new URL: http://www.math.wustl.edu/~msh210/

We don't have LATCH in our car and neither do my in-Law's. However,
we found a great gadget/tool to use, called a Might Tite. Check out
http://www.mighty-tite.com/Pages/mightytite.html

Hope this helps,
Mark.

[Michael Hamm]

On Thu, 3 Jul 2003 20:14:31 EDT, Allen McIntosh
> wrote, in part:
> >My car doesn't have LATCH, so I must affix my car seat to my car using
> >the car's seatbelt. But every seatbelt in the car automatically
> >extends on demand, even when once extended. The car seats'
> >manufacturers warn against affixing the car seats using such seat
> >belts, but I don't think (am I wrong?) that there are any other sorts
> >of car seats.
>
> If these are one piece lap-shoulder belts (single belt runs from anchor in
> floor, through buckle and then behind seat or into pillar, then you
> can fix this with a locking clip. These used to come with car seats,
> along with instructions on how to use them. If you don't have one, try
> contacting the manufacturer.

Some sort of clip came with the car seat, but is meant (according to the
car-seat instructions) to be affixed to the seatbelt near the latter's
buckle, so as to prevent the seatbelt from moving as follows:
{The slack in the shoulder part moves down to become part of the lap
part.}
However this doesn't prevent more shoulder-part slack from appearing,
which is what I need. The Mighty-Tite, which someone else recommended
(thanks!), seems to do just that.

Thanks for all your help, folks,

Michael Hamm
BA scl Math, PBK, NYU

Note new URL: http://www.math.wustl.edu/~msh210/

[David desJardins]

Michael Hamm writes:
> Some sort of clip came with the car seat, but is meant (according to the
> car-seat instructions) to be affixed to the seatbelt near the latter's
> buckle, so as to prevent the seatbelt from moving as follows:
> {The slack in the shoulder part moves down to become part of the lap
> part.}
> However this doesn't prevent more shoulder-part slack from appearing,
> which is what I need.

No, you don't need that. It doesn't matter that the shoulder belt can
extend further, because what's holding the carseat in place is the lap
portion of the belt. Your locking clip is working exactly as intended.

I suppose you could add a gadget to keep the belt from extending
further, but it's really not needed for safe installation, which is why
it's not provided.

David desJardins

[Michael Hamm]

On Fri, 4 Jul 2003 15:08:55 EDT, a fellow mathematician
> wrote, in part:
> > Some sort of clip came with the car seat, but is meant (according to the
> > car-seat instructions) to be affixed to the seatbelt near the latter's
> > buckle, so as to prevent the seatbelt from moving as follows:
> > {The slack in the shoulder part moves down to become part of the lap
> > part.}
> > However this doesn't prevent more shoulder-part slack from appearing,
> > which is what I need.
>
> No, you don't need that. It doesn't matter that the shoulder belt can
> extend further, because what's holding the carseat in place is the lap
> portion of the belt. Your locking clip is working exactly as intended.

Hm. Good point. Now I've got to check whether the lap portion of the
seatbelt also extends from the seat. (I suspect it does, as the car seat
seems rather loose.)

Michael Hamm
BA scl Math, PBK, NYU

Note new URL: http://www.math.wustl.edu/~msh210/

[David desJardins]

Michael Hamm writes:
> Hm. Good point. Now I've got to check whether the lap portion of the
> seatbelt also extends from the seat. (I suspect it does, as the car seat
> seems rather loose.)

Shoulder belts only have one spring-loaded pulley, at the upper mounting
point of the belt. The lower end of the belt is attached directly to
the anchor in the seat base, which is immobile. If you clamp the upper
end of the belt, either using a built-in clip or an external clip, so
that the belt from the lower anchor to the seatbelt latch and then up to
the clip is all fixed in place, and you pull this tight, then it doesn't
make any difference whether you can pull the upper, slack part of the
seatbelt out of the spring-loaded pulley.

The key word is *tight*; you have to get the lower part of the belt,
that's actually holding the carseat in place, to be tight. Most people
don't do this properly, and thus most carseats aren't safely installed.
If you aren't sure you know how to do this (which is the impression I'm
getting) you can usually get the local police to show you how to install
it properly.

David desJardins