I just finished turning my daughters car seat from rear facing to front facing, she is big enough now. The car seat that we have is an Alpha-Omega 3 in 1 car seat (rear facing, forward facing and booster seat all in one). My question is regarding the tether strap that is needed to anchor the car seat (the one of the 3 loops at the top of the seat by the rear window). I read in the owners manual that I had to run the tether strap through one of the loops to one of the side loops (driver or passenger side) and hook the car seat tether to that and then tighten it up. I did this and it worked fine but what if I have to put 1 or heaven forbid 2 more foreward facing car seats in the rear seat. There is room for them but will I be able to hook up the tether straps properly. Also if you have had the patience to read through all this has anyone ever done this before? I like having my daughter riding in the safest truck on the market but I want to make sure she is in there properly.

Thanks in advance

 

Sorry dude I don't know how to help you on this one. My daughter is 17 and my adopted daughter is 21 and drives her own 150. I'd recommend contacting the carseat manufacturer and see what the recommend. Take care of that little gal. She's bound to make you gray well before your time. Take it from me

 

go over to the fire dept theyll help you i know it sounds krazy butt if in doubt ask an expert

 

I have a 14 month old and she is in a forward facing seat. I have attached the tether to the u-bolt type thing between the seat and the back cushion. This allows me to be able to remove the car seat easily and quick. I did not run it through the strap. It was my understanding that you could either hook it to the strap or hook it to the anchor in the seat. Her seat is hooked in there pretty tight. For it to move, ***** the seat belt and tether would both have to fail. So, I feel she is pretty safe in her seat right now. Hope this helps.

 

I will actually be turning my 1 year old (22lbs)around tonight. This info could not have come at a better time!! Thanks so much. I love this site.

 

Here's how I do it. I have a 2 1/2 year old in a forward facing seat in the center postion. I use the truck's seat belt to secure the seat. The child safety seat included a strap to connect to the truck's anchor point above the seat by the back window. I then have my 8 month-old in a rear facing seat on the drivers side. This seat allows me to use the provided strap and secure it to the lower truck anchors. (No truck seat belt is used in this configuration). You do not use the top anchor for a rear facing child seat.
I would like to use the lower anchor points for both seats, but the manual says to not share an anchor point with two child safety seats.

 

You can also use a combination of seat belts and anchors. There should be no safety concerns because both are recommended setups.

I know Ford doesn't recommend it but I know the anchors can handle the stress of the multiple seats. As a flight test engineer, stress analysis is what I do. The materials used can handle it. However, always go by the manufacturers recomendations.

 

Check your local kids stores or Amazon.com to find a set of LATCH belts. These belts attached to those metal loops in the back of the seat cushions. They make getting the seat down-and-tight much easier. And IMO, they are easier to remove if you need to move the seat.

Just make sure the seat is DOWN and TIGHT, very TIGHT. I put all 240lbs of my weight on the seat to compress it into the seat and pull the LATCH straps tight.

As far as connecting the straps in the back, I do just what the manual says and it seems to work well.

 

do what threadhed said and go with the LATCH system. it's by far the safest and when it's in there tight that seat won't budge an inch. you just hook in through the read of the seat and attach it to the two D rings and the base of the seatback. whenever i look at a new car the first thing I ask the salesman is if it has the LATCH system.

 

I always recommend having the child stand next to you on the front seat, and then when you hit the brakes for something, you just stick your arm out in front of the kid so he/she doesn't topple over!

Worked great for my folks -- eight children and no crushed skulls!

 

I found a lot of the stores do not sell the strap separatly anymore as all of the new carseats have the LATCH strap included.

Online LATCH Strap

Dave

 

This is the best route to see if it is installed correctly. In my department, they sent folks to a week long, 8 hour a day class and gave them a manual that is about 1500 pages long on how to install car seats safely. They should have the info you require.

 

I agree with the others about the latch system. I have the same seat for my 3 yr old and have used the latch system for about 2 years and it makes removing and reinstallign the seat so much easier and trust me...that seat aint going anywhere.

 

Yeah, I remember my Grandmother insisted that my Grandfather tape piece of foam to the solid metal dash of their 62 Buick so that my head would be cushioned in case of an accident becuase they didn't have seatbelts (Grandpa cut them out).

I never sat in the back seat when I was a kid. Boy, today, if you see a kid in the front seat you're likely to be pulled over an beat by a mob. Funny thing is, I think it's still legal for kids to ride in the back of a pickup in rural AZ as long as they have a rope around their waist. Dogs no. But kids, sure, why not.

 

Wheres the family pictures