Graco Snugride?

[RowanTree]

We've been using the Graco Snugride infant seat, rear-facing of course. I've been reading a few posts and realize I don't know as much about car seat installation as I thought I did!
What is a tether, and am I supposed to be using it?
We use LATCH in my 2007 Nissan Altima, and the seat w/o the base in my husband's 1995 Ford Mustang. Also, it hangs over the seat edge, is that a problem? My husband just installs it with the seat-belt, I hope he's been doing it correctly, now that I've been reading all the posts here.
Also, I have the seat in the middle of the back-seat, and he has to put it behind the passenger seat. Are either of these locations ok?
There's so much I don't know!

	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.

	Infant Car Seats Infant-only rear-facing seats are for babies up to about 22 to 30 pounds, depending on the specific car seat. You will need a new seat when your child gets bigger. Infant-only seats have handles that allow you to move the seat from the car to the house or other locations. Some have a base that you can leave installed in the car, so you can just click the car seat into place each time you use it.

	Graco SnugRide - Click for more info The Graco SnugRide with EPS infant car seat is a highly popular and top-rated infant car seat that provides first-rate transportation safety for your baby, plus convenient mobility options for you. Even with its relatively low price, the Graco SnugRide with EPS receives unmatched praise for its safety by leading consumer magazines and websites.

	Graco - Click for more info Graco is one of the world's best known and most trusted juvenile products companies. They started the entire juvenile products industry with an invention called the Graco Swyngomatic. Since then they have invented products that have changed the way that parents travel with their children such as the travel system, which has made it so parents can lock an infant car seat into a stroller easily, without waking their sleeping baby. Their Graco SnugRide Infant Car Seat is pretty much synonymous with the term “infant car seat” because of its safety and design features coupled with its affordability. Today Graco continues designing and developing top-quality products that inspire parents and keeps children safe. Check out the new Infant Safe Seat Step 1 and Toddler Safe Seat Step 2 for proof of Graco’s continued commitment to child safety.

	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.

[abby]

Hi, I'm not the expert here (there are many) but heres some thoughts; back middle is always safer but in some cars it wont fit, like in my subaru forester, it has to be back passenger(manufacturer's rule). I think it would be preferable to use the base always, and you can buy a spare base only for I think 35 bucks or so, leave it installed in hubby's car and just transfer the "click off"seat part between cars. I dont believe the snugride has a tether(?) but yes they are much safer with tether, and your next seat when this one is outgrown could have one .....experts weigh in; who besides Britax has tethers? Sorry for the ignorance, I've only owned snugrides and Britaxes. Welcome to the fray...you'll never again be able to enter a carseat store without knowing more than the salesperson! And it will all be complicated!

	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.

	Graco SnugRide - Click for more info The Graco SnugRide with EPS infant car seat is a highly popular and top-rated infant car seat that provides first-rate transportation safety for your baby, plus convenient mobility options for you. Even with its relatively low price, the Graco SnugRide with EPS receives unmatched praise for its safety by leading consumer magazines and websites.

[Papooses]

You are not alone

Originally Posted by RowanTree

What is a tether, and am I supposed to be using it?

Infant-only seats do not have tethers, although a couple have other anti-rebound options. Britax, Recaro & Sunshine Kids are the only companies that allow tethering while rear-facing (RF) in their Convertible carseats. Being able to tether RF is a safety benefit because it enhances Ride Down to reduce crash force upon the child. It would be dangerous to use a tether RF on a seat that does not explicitly allow it.

Also, it hangs over the seat edge, is that a problem?

As long as at least 80% of the carseat base/bottom is on the vehicle seat cushion, it's fine (no more than 20% of the carseat base/bottom may stick out beyond the edge of the vehicle seat cushion).

My husband just installs it with the seat-belt, I hope he's been doing it correctly, now that I've been reading all the posts here.

Being able to install without the base is great for emergencies, but it is more difficult to achieve a correct install this way -- the nice thing about infant seats is that you can buy spare bases to keep installed in various vehicles (thus reducing the risk of incorrect installation).

Also, I have the seat in the middle of the back-seat, and he has to put it behind the passenger seat. Are either of these locations ok?

The center is the farther point from impact, but the safest place is whichever location provides the most secure correct install according to both vehicle + carseat manuals. Remember to follow them both closely & that the seat must not move more than 1" at the belt path (the top/back of infant seats & nontethered convertible seats will move: this leads to coccooning, which is perfectly fine but not safer than tethering).

One more thing! Remember that infant seats are outgrown by the weight limit or when there is only 1" of space between the top of the head & inside edge of the shell/frame. Oh! Also, remember that all the expensive feature enhancements don't mean a thing if the seat is misused, but the most basic carseat that is used correctly is extremely safe

Originally Posted by abby

Welcome to the fray...you'll never again be able to enter a carseat store without knowing more than the salesperson! And it will all be complicated!

LOL Very true!

	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.

	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.

	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.

	RECARO - Click for more info With over 100 years of company history and long standing experience in vehicle seat construction RECARO knows how to make long journeys a pleasure for the whole family. Materials, design and technical highlights ensure a pleasant journey for adults and children alike. RECARO uses its strength as the premier mobile seat manufacturer to engineer an innovative line of products for your children. No other manufacturer can apply experience from production vehicles, commercial vehicles, and race cars to design toward the comfort and safety of children.

	Sunshine Kids - Click for more info Makers of a number of accessories geared towards making parents lives easier, Sunshine Kids has recently embarked in a new direction. In 2005 they unveiled their first car seat, the Radian. Their years of experience working in children's products focusued on child comfort and parent convenience shine through in this unique convertible car seat. The Radian is packed with safety features and is the first ever folding convertible car seat appealing to parents who car pool or travel often.