Making seat work with high buckle - Britax Roundabout in 2001 Toyota Camry

[S_mom]

I'm anxious to move my 10 month old into her new convertible seat, but I'm encountering some trouble fitting it properly in any of the 3 rear seats of our 01 Camry. I don't have the latch system, so I need to use the lap-shoulder belt. The "female" receptor (the buckle) comes up too high when I tighten the belt enough. It gets in the way of the lock-off on the seat (a clasp that is intented to lock the belt in place). Without the lock-off, the belt does not stay tight. Also, Britax says on page 15 of the manual that a buckle in the wrong position (too high) could come loose in a crash and leave the child unprotected.

If I have to return this seat and decide on a second choice, I will. However, I'm afraid my long buckle strap would cause the same problem with other seats too. (Does experience say that's true?)

Any other ideas for how to make my Britax Roundabout work?

Such as:
--installing latch system (possible? how much does it cost?)
--installing different seat buckles (possible? how much does it cost?)
--something more simple (but SAFE) would be great!

Thank you so much,
Mom trying to take care of precious baby

P.S.--I bought the seat on-line and really like it otherwise, so I hope I can make it work!

	Britax - Click for more info Britax International has been producing reliable child safety products for over 30 years. Not only does Britax have decades of experience creating car seats and other children's safety equipment, Britax has a long standing reputation as an industry leader and innovator. Britax International is headquartered in the United Kingdom, but Britax car seats are designed and manufactured at facilities in Germany, Austria, and the United States. In the summer of 2002, Britax strengthened their commitment to creating the safest car seats with the opening of a brand new, state-of-the-art crash testing facility in North Carolina. Britax car seats have a reputation around the world for being some of the safest, most reliable, and best designed child safety seats ever made.

	Convertible Car Seats Convertible seats are for infants and toddlers. The seat can be used as a rear-facing seats for younger children, and switched to a forward-facing seat on the child's first birthday if the child weighs at least 20 pounds. However, experts recommend keeping the child in a rear-facing position until he or she outgrows the weight or height allowed by the safety seat.

	Britax Roundabout - Click for more info With the introduction of the new LATCH laws, Britax has improved even further upon their famously popular Roundabout Convertible Car Seat. This car seat has been praised by just about every consumer safety organization and mom and dad out there - and for good reason. It is easy to install, compatible in just about every car, super comfortable for baby, stylish and most importantly safe! Ask around and you will see that everyone raves about this car seat.

	LATCH LATCH stands for Lower Anchors and Tethers for CHildren. It is a system mandated by the Federal government in an effort to standardize and simplify the installation of child restraints without using the vehicle's seat belt system. New vehicles and child safety seats manufactured on and after September 1, 2002 will be equipped with the LATCH system. Cars, minivans, and light trucks will be required to have anchor points between the vehicle's seat cushion and the seat back in at least two rear seating positions, and a top tether anchor (with the exception of convertibles). Child safety seats will have a lower set of attachments that fasten to the vehicle anchors. Most forward-facing child safety seats will also have a top strap (tether) that attaches to the top anchor in the vehicle.

[Papooses]

Your vehicle should have Switchable Locking Retractors -- pull the shoulder belt all the way out very slowly & it should make a clicking sound as it retracts to indicate that it is locking.... This means that it locks up at the retractor, not at the buckle, so the belt will remain locked if the buckle is at the edge of the carseat shell/frame (this is only a concern with locking lap belts). Check out > CPSafety - Your online child passenger safety resource for info on different types of seatbelt locking mechanisms.

If you're trying to install in the center with a lap belt, you can merely twist the buckle stalk up to three full 380 degree turns to shorten it. If the lap belt straps are still perpendicular to the buckle plate then you can twist the long strap at the seat bight/crack so that it lies upside down & will remain in the locked position. Keep in mind, however, that a correct/secure (less than 1" movement at the belt path) installation outboard is safer than an incorrect/insecure center install.

You would have to contact Toyota directly about new buckles or LATCH, but I believe it's not possible & if it is it's probably very expensive!

	LATCH LATCH stands for Lower Anchors and Tethers for CHildren. It is a system mandated by the Federal government in an effort to standardize and simplify the installation of child restraints without using the vehicle's seat belt system. New vehicles and child safety seats manufactured on and after September 1, 2002 will be equipped with the LATCH system. Cars, minivans, and light trucks will be required to have anchor points between the vehicle's seat cushion and the seat back in at least two rear seating positions, and a top tether anchor (with the exception of convertibles). Child safety seats will have a lower set of attachments that fasten to the vehicle anchors. Most forward-facing child safety seats will also have a top strap (tether) that attaches to the top anchor in the vehicle.

[S_mom]

Dear Tiffany,

I can't tell you how much I appreciate you taking the time to thoroughly answer my questions. I'm sure you can appreciate how much I wanted to get this right... My daughter's safety is so important to me!

The website you sent me was very helpful. I learned that I do indeed have switchable locking retractors for all three seats. I went ahead and twisted the buckle strap for the lap-shoulder belt of the center seat to shorten it, so that I could buckle the seat and use the lock-off (otherwise it was in the way or had to stay open), even though the switchable locking retractor is serving the function of locking the belt in place. My husband and I got the seat as tight as we possible could using just the belt, but it still shifted some at the base. We then attached the tether to the strap Britax provided, which we had attached to the bottom part of the driver's seat which is bolted to the floor. (Sorry, but I can't describe all of this without run-on sentences! After tethering it, the seat doesn't move at all! The angle is between 30 and 45.

Thank you very, very much for your time. If you have a boss who I could thank as well, I would love to.

Sincerely,
A happy mom

	Britax - Click for more info Britax International has been producing reliable child safety products for over 30 years. Not only does Britax have decades of experience creating car seats and other children's safety equipment, Britax has a long standing reputation as an industry leader and innovator. Britax International is headquartered in the United Kingdom, but Britax car seats are designed and manufactured at facilities in Germany, Austria, and the United States. In the summer of 2002, Britax strengthened their commitment to creating the safest car seats with the opening of a brand new, state-of-the-art crash testing facility in North Carolina. Britax car seats have a reputation around the world for being some of the safest, most reliable, and best designed child safety seats ever made.

[lovinwaves]

Have you thought about returning the Roundabout to get the Marathon instead? The Marathon is going to last you about 5-6 years where the Roundabout will only last you a couple. For the money the Marathon is the better way to go.

	Britax Roundabout - Click for more info With the introduction of the new LATCH laws, Britax has improved even further upon their famously popular Roundabout Convertible Car Seat. This car seat has been praised by just about every consumer safety organization and mom and dad out there - and for good reason. It is easy to install, compatible in just about every car, super comfortable for baby, stylish and most importantly safe! Ask around and you will see that everyone raves about this car seat.

	Britax Marathon - Click for more info Increasing the time a child can safely stay in their convertible car seat is a big issue and Britax engineers have come through in a big way with the introduction of the Britax Marathon with LATCH. A LATCH Compatible Convertible Child Seat, the Britax Marathon can be used rear facing 5 to 33 pounds and forward facing from 20 to 65 pounds. Compare the numbers and you will see it is hard to find a seat with these weight limits that is safe and functional.

[S_mom]

I wasn't sure the Marathon would fit in my Camry, and since I was buying it on-line I decided to go with the [more] sure thing. Plus, we plan to have more kids so I figured I could move this baby into a different forward-facing booster when she outgrows the rear-facing capability of the Roundabout and use it for the next one I wanted to make sure I could fit 3 seats in my back-seat if that scenario presents itself in coming years.

	Forward Facing Car Seats A forward-facing car seat is one in which the child sits facing the front of the car. The seat should be installed in the back seat of your vehicle. Most forward-facing only seats are for children above 20 pounds.

	Rear Facing Car Seats A rear-facing seat is one in which the infant faces the back of the car. Always install a rear-facing seat in the back seat of your car. This is the safest position for an infant. NEVER place a rear-facing seat in the front seat of a vehicle with passenger airbags.

	Booster Seat A booster seat raises your child up so that the car's lap and shoulder belts fit correctly. The lap belt should fall across the upper thighs. The shoulder belt should go across the middle of the shoulder and chest. A booster seat is used for older children up to about 80 pounds. Some states have passed laws requiring booster seats for children up to age 8 or 80 pounds. Check your state's law.

	Britax Roundabout - Click for more info With the introduction of the new LATCH laws, Britax has improved even further upon their famously popular Roundabout Convertible Car Seat. This car seat has been praised by just about every consumer safety organization and mom and dad out there - and for good reason. It is easy to install, compatible in just about every car, super comfortable for baby, stylish and most importantly safe! Ask around and you will see that everyone raves about this car seat.

	Britax Marathon - Click for more info Increasing the time a child can safely stay in their convertible car seat is a big issue and Britax engineers have come through in a big way with the introduction of the Britax Marathon with LATCH. A LATCH Compatible Convertible Child Seat, the Britax Marathon can be used rear facing 5 to 33 pounds and forward facing from 20 to 65 pounds. Compare the numbers and you will see it is hard to find a seat with these weight limits that is safe and functional.

[Papooses]

Handing down the Roundabout is a good plan However, it's just not really any less wide than the Marathon.... If you can still manage to exchange the Roundabout, I might at least try the Marathon simply because, based on price comparison vs. length of use, I think it's a better buy long term

	Britax Roundabout - Click for more info With the introduction of the new LATCH laws, Britax has improved even further upon their famously popular Roundabout Convertible Car Seat. This car seat has been praised by just about every consumer safety organization and mom and dad out there - and for good reason. It is easy to install, compatible in just about every car, super comfortable for baby, stylish and most importantly safe! Ask around and you will see that everyone raves about this car seat.

	Britax Marathon - Click for more info Increasing the time a child can safely stay in their convertible car seat is a big issue and Britax engineers have come through in a big way with the introduction of the Britax Marathon with LATCH. A LATCH Compatible Convertible Child Seat, the Britax Marathon can be used rear facing 5 to 33 pounds and forward facing from 20 to 65 pounds. Compare the numbers and you will see it is hard to find a seat with these weight limits that is safe and functional.