[riteshritesh]

Originally Posted by noopster

In Singapore, child seat is not mandatory in cabs- they are also exempt from seat belt (for adults) in rear seat. At least that was the case 5-6 years ago.

I wonder what the justification is for this psuedo thought process of law makers. An infant is invincible inside cabs/buses, but needs mandatory protection in a private car.

[Anand3553]

This is a very long thread. I have a doubt about the child seat. I have not gone through the entire thread so pardon me if this has already been explained.

I bought a seat for my child from FirstCry yesterday. It is the universal one which can be used from 0- 18 Kgs. I have now installed it rear facing as my kid is 5 months old. I have installed it as per the instructions in the manual. However, it was an extremely difficult process, in the sense, I had to struggle quite a bit to get the seat belt in through the seat belt holder at the back of the backrest as they have instructed in the manual. The seat is now very tight and is immovable, as it is supposed to be I believe. But I am a little concerned about how tight the shoulder strap is around the backrest of the child seat. Is this normal? The last thing I would want is the backrest to break when the child is in it. Is the child seat designed to handle such tight fitting?

Thanks
Anand

[71Convertible]

Originally Posted by harryputtar

So after a lot of searching and reading reviews, I have finally decided on the following car seat for my 5 year old:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B..._detailpages00

That seems pretty good. I like the ones that have the isofix mounts as it prevent the seat from moving around. The deep head supports are also great for supporting kids when they sleep on long trips.

My 7 and 9 year olds still use boosters to prevent the seatbelt chafing their neck. I do have a nice isofix booster, but none of my cars here have the isofix system.

[bblost]

Originally Posted by Anand3553

This is a very long thread. I have a doubt about the child seat. I have not gone through the entire thread so pardon me if this has already been explained.

Can you upload a picture.

There are seat belt extenders like this one: http://www.amazon.com/Car-Seat-Belt-.../dp/B005J6JRMM

Disclaimer: I have not used one.

[Latheesh]

Originally Posted by Anand3553

I have installed it as per the instructions in the manual. However, it was an extremely difficult process, in the sense, I had to struggle quite a bit to get the seat belt in through the seat belt holder at the back of the backrest as they have instructed in the manual. The seat is now very tight and is immovable, as it is supposed to be I believe. But I am a little concerned about how tight the shoulder strap is around the backrest of the child seat. Is this normal? The last thing I would want is the backrest to break when the child is in it. Is the child seat designed to handle such tight fitting?

Thanks
Anand

Is it because the seat belt is short? You can use extenders like bblost said, but make sure it is not touching with the child seat.

here is the video instruction - rear facing installation

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vdWA51OT42w

[Anand3553]

Originally Posted by bblost

Can you upload a picture.

Originally Posted by Latheesh

Is it because the seat belt is short? You can use extenders like bblost said, but make sure it is not touching with the child seat.

Please find below some pictures I managed.

Below is the recommended setting as per the manual.






The lap belt goes in here


It comes out here


Please see the below images. The belt is full out. Notice that the belt is kind of folded at the point it passess through the holder at the back of the seat because it is very tight. I had to use considerable amout of force to put it in through the bracket. If you look closely, you can find that the fabric stitches has torn a bit due to the force at the time I was fitting it.







This is the maximum I can move the belt from the resting position with a small amount of force.


The child seat is extremely stable and immovable. Is this fine? Do I need a seat belt extender? Also will this cause any fault in the seat belt considering that the belt is always strained?

Thanks
Anand

[Latheesh]

Mounting looks correct to me as per the instruction, better not to use extenders.

[Anand3553]

Originally Posted by Latheesh

Mounting looks correct to me as per the instruction, better not to use extenders.

@Latheesh, my concern is about how tight the seat belt is. I understand that the seat belt is supposed to be a tight fit around the child seat but my questions are

1. How tight the seat belt can be around the top of the backrest? Is there a point where it gets dangerously tight?
2. Is it normal for a child seat to take up the entire length of the seat belt?
3. Also does being so tight all the time affect the seat belt system in any way?

Thanks
Anand

[Latheesh]

Originally Posted by Anand3553

@Latheesh, my concern is about how tight the seat belt is. I understand that the seat belt is supposed to be a tight fit around the child seat but my questions are

1. How tight the seat belt can be around the top of the backrest? Is there a point where it gets dangerously tight?
2. Is it normal for a child seat to take up the entire length of the seat belt?
3. Also does being so tight all the time affect the seat belt system in any way?

Thanks
Anand

1) I think it is OK, problem is when it is loose
2) Yes, in my car seat belt length is short (cost reduction) and could not fix the seat rear facing

[bassman]

I have only one question.. Why do you need a rear facing seat? You can install the same as front facing.

[arun_josie]

Originally Posted by bassman

I have only one question.. Why do you need a rear facing seat? You can install the same as front facing.

You can find some good information here,
http://csftl.org/why-rear-facing-the...-junkies-guide

http://www.securatot.co.uk/why-rear-facing-is-safer

At least till 15 months its advised to use rear facing seats for kids.

[khoj]

Ideally the belt should not have any damage at all. You may want to replace with a slightly longer belt. Further there would be a button moulded in to the belt's fabric, look for that. If the button has elongated mounting hole then it should be replaced immediately. The button/area around the button is the indicator for seat belt wear and tear.

Last but not the least do take off the plastic seat covers. Not only are these heat traps and will absorb and hold heat. Further they are dust traps too & are full of micro dust & the micro organisms that go with the same(even though they may look clean). They are a necessity to keep the seats free of major stains etc during transit but once home these should come off immediately

Originally Posted by Anand3553

Please find below some pictures I managed.


Please see the below images. The belt is full out. Notice that the belt is kind of folded at the point it passess through the holder at the back of the seat because it is very tight. I had to use considerable amout of force to put it in through the bracket. If you look closely, you can find that the fabric stitches has torn a bit due to the force at the time I was fitting it.



This is the maximum I can move the belt from the resting position with a small amount of force.


The child seat is extremely stable and immovable. Is this fine? Do I need a seat belt extender? Also will this cause any fault in the seat belt considering that the belt is always strained?

Thanks
Anand

[Anand3553]

Originally Posted by khoj

Ideally the belt should not have any damage at all. You may want to replace with a slightly longer belt. Further there would be a button moulded in to the belt's fabric, look for that. If the button has elongated mounting hole then it should be replaced immediately. The button/area around the button is the indicator for seat belt wear and tear.

Last but not the least do take off the plastic seat covers. Not only are these heat traps and will absorb and hold heat. Further they are dust traps too & are full of micro dust & the micro organisms that go with the same(even though they may look clean). They are a necessity to keep the seats free of major stains etc during transit but once home these should come off immediately

Thank you for the details khoj. I will inspect the seatbelt as per your suggestion and check for any damage. Will definitely remove the seat covers as well.

Thanks
Anand

[Anand3553]

Originally Posted by bassman

I have only one question.. Why do you need a rear facing seat? You can install the same as front facing.

I am no expert in this, but while I was researching about it before buying a seat for my baby, I came across several recommendations that the seat should be kept rear facing as long as possible as it protects the baby's spinal cord. An infant's backbone is still developing and the spinal cord is prone to damage in case of a violent impact. A child seat installed rear facing provides the maximum protection practically. Additionally, if the baby is seated front facing, in case of an unfortunate accident, the locking of the seat belt will stop the baby's body only, the head will thrust forward and may lead to fatal injuries or even death.

Thanks
Anand

[honeybee]

Are child seats universal? I may have a chance to buy it from Japan, but it needs to fit in the Nano and a couple of sedans.