# Baby seat slides around in back seat!!



## Lance (May 14, 2004)

Anybody have problems with their baby seat sliding around in the back seat. I have a ZHP with leather seats and the seat slides back and forth whenever I go around curves. I'm not going fast either!! 

Lance


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## AB (Jan 11, 2002)

Are you pulling the seat belt ALL the way out, and then tightening accordingly when you hear it clicking??


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## mkh (Mar 24, 2003)

Did you attach the top tether? I have alcantara/cloth in the ZHP and leather in the X5. When properly tied down, it doesn't even move no matter how fast I turn.


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## Lance (May 14, 2004)

Ryan330i said:


> Are you pulling the seat belt ALL the way out, and then tightening accordingly when you hear it clicking??


yes


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## Moderato (Nov 24, 2003)

I got this anti slip mat for under the car seats from a store called "The Right Start" and plus it protects the seat from getting creases, rips or vomit  , from your little one. If you don't have one of those store near by look in Toys or Babies R US. If it's the rear facing baby seat that doesn't use the latch or tethers, then the seat will still slide around no matter how tight you make the belts. If it's a foward facing one then if you use the tether, and belts or latch you can get it pretty tight. For now put a towel under the seat if you haven't already because the child seat will leave indentations on your car seats. Plus be careful of the tether belt because that can leave an indentation if it's pressing against the top/back of your car seat as well. I have a 5 year old and a 5 month old, so I know what you're going through. Have fun!


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## AF (Dec 21, 2001)

You can get this rubbery material from Home depot and cut it to size for the bottom of the seat.

It really keeps the seat in place and I originally got the idea from a BMW driving event where they had a childseat check spot and they looked at my child seat and put this material under it and I couldn't believe how great it was and BTW very cheap also.

It is the same thing you would use under an indoor floormat to keep it from slipping on a hardwood floor.

It kind of looks like this . . . .


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## rjgogo (Jun 21, 2004)

Use the clip that came with the base and it won't go anywhere. It also won't flip up when you go around a hard corner.


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## dlloyd1975 (Sep 8, 2002)

The Graco SnugRide we have doesn't slide around in the middle seat, but I've got it cinched in there *tight*. We're also using the middle belt since only the outboard seats have the LATCH clips and the middle seat is the safest. You may want to take your car by a place that does a car seat safety check: http://www.seatcheck.org/ . It's free and it's good peace of mind.


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## ///M-Spec (Jun 3, 2004)

Do you have a forward or rear-facing seat? I NEVER got the rear-facing seat to be completely snug, but when our baby turned one, we got her a forward facing unit and used the LATCH straps.

We found that if we put the seat in the center, used all three LATCH anchor points, we can tighten the seat down in both my ZHP and my wife's Jetta IV very securely.



> We're also using the middle belt since only the outboard seats have the LATCH clips and the middle seat is the safest.


dlloyd1975, is there a reason you cannot/should not use the inner LATCH anchor from the side seats? That's what we do when we put our daughter in the middle seat.


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## Patrick330i (Sep 30, 2002)

Lance said:


> Anybody have problems with their baby seat sliding around in the back seat. I have a ZHP with leather seats and the seat slides back and forth whenever I go around curves. I'm not going fast either!!
> 
> Lance


I don't have that problem. I use the anchors, though, and I have tied in snug. The seat stays in full-time, so I got it in there real good. Shouldn't be a problem.


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## dlloyd1975 (Sep 8, 2002)

///M-Spec said:


> Do you have a forward or rear-facing seat? I NEVER got the rear-facing seat to be completely snug, but when our baby turned one, we got her a forward facing unit and used the LATCH straps.
> 
> We found that if we put the seat in the center, used all three LATCH anchor points, we can tighten the seat down in both my ZHP and my wife's Jetta IV very securely.
> 
> dlloyd1975, is there a reason you cannot/should not use the inner LATCH anchor from the side seats? That's what we do when we put our daughter in the middle seat.


It depends on the carseat. For the Graco, the instructions said you couldn't use LATCH points if they were more than a certain distance apart (I don't have the manual in front of me and I can't remember the exact number), which they were if you measured in the middle. That and the owner's manual only listed the two outside seats as having LATCH points. Considering that it looked like the body of evidence was that LATCH couldnt' be used in the middle seat in this instance, we used the seat belt. Of course, it's important to get a snug fit either way. The seat is secure, and was checked out by a dealership that participates in the seat check program, http://www.seatcheck.org/, so that's good by me.

It is a bit of a quandry, though I agree. Use the standard latch points, use the middle belt, use the latch points with a safety seat in the middle or use the latch points that are in the outboard positions. The middle is where the kid's at right now, but I think that when we switch to the Britax Marathon (which may not be too long from now, at 10 weeks the kid was 16lbs 2oz and 26.25") we may have to use the outboard position if we ever hope to have anyone in the back seat of the car. However, I dont' like that because of the danger of side impact. Oh, well, maybe life would be easier if I just didn't think so much. After all, on long car trips, my parents used to fold the back and middle seats of the old '79 Impala wagon flat and we'd all play back there. All three of us managed to make it through childhood without kicking off, so there's probably only so much you can really worry about. After all, you could still be struck by lightning.

Anyway, here's a couple more links on the subject for compulsive researchers such as myself:

http://www.car-safety.org/latch.html
http://www.sms-standard.se/pdf/iso-wg1/13216-1/SS-ISO_13216-1.pdf


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## Donnalee (Dec 13, 2003)

We just use a ISOFIX seat. No way it can move


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## Tanning machine (Feb 21, 2002)

///M-Spec said:


> dlloyd1975, is there a reason you cannot/should not use the inner LATCH anchor from the side seats? That's what we do when we put our daughter in the middle seat.


I researched this too. The spec for latch is something like 11" apart (275mm?) and the car manufacturers adn the seat manufacturers are reluctant to say that you can use LATCH brackets that are further apart because they haven't really been tested that way.

I have to say, it's pretty annoying that it means that they don't install latch in the center (it matters on my wife's volvo, not my cabrio), where the seats really should be.


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## speedyg (Jul 30, 2004)

I have a Graco SnugRide car seat and a 2004 330i. I have the car seat in the middle and am using the LATCH belt and the car seat doesn't slide around at all. My 330i has 4 latch clip points in the back seat. The outboard clip points are covered by plastic covers. The inboard clip points are hidden by flaps of leather. I use the two inboard clip points.


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## Hou330izhp (May 25, 2004)

Lance said:


> Anybody have problems with their baby seat sliding around in the back seat. I have a ZHP with leather seats and the seat slides back and forth whenever I go around curves. I'm not going fast either!!
> 
> Lance


Try putting a towel under the baby seat (to protect your leather), then put your knee into the baby seat and push down on it while pulling on the seat belt.

-


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## ff (Dec 19, 2001)

Mine don't move even a centimeter. The key to getting a tight fit, is to use the LATCH system. If your seat didn't come with the LATCH belt, see if you can buy one for your current seat(s). Makes all the difference in the world. 

If you can't, then place all your weight on the seat when finding the appropriate location to put the standard belt clip. When your weight is removed, the seats should be adequately secure.


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## ///M-Spec (Jun 3, 2004)

dlloyd1975 said:


> Anyway, here's a couple more links on the subject for compulsive researchers such as myself:
> 
> http://www.car-safety.org/latch.html
> http://www.sms-standard.se/pdf/iso-wg1/13216-1/SS-ISO_13216-1.pdf


Good links, dlloyd. Thanks.

Why would BMW bother providing a CENTER top tether anchor if they didn't expect people to install a LATCH seat in the middle position? :dunno:

Here is an interesting fact: my E46 3 series sedan manual includes this info:



> *All rear seating positions in your vehicle meet recommendations of SAE J1819, an industry-recommended practice for securing child-restraint systems in motor vehicles.*


To me that sounds like BMW designed all three seat positions in the rear of at least the E46 sedan to be identical. I measured the distance between anchors and the middle seat is about 12", compared to ~11" for the left and right. I guess the only thing left to do is to check with Graco about the middle seat since it is out of spec by 1".


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## Josh (PA) (Jan 21, 2002)

AF-RX8 said:


>


There's been some pretty good advice given here so far, but not everything is accurate.

I had to get my car seat safety tech certification from the NHSTA and CPSC since I work for Graco and we run a lot of Car Seat install checks.

If the car seat is sliding around, first of all it is not installed tightly enough. The shelf lining suggestion above is what is recommended by the CPSC and National Safe Kids campaign. Use a single layer cut to fit underneath the car seat. Towels, etc just give another layer of compressible material that will make it more difficult to get a good tight install.

If you can use the lower anchors of the latch system, they should help you get a tight install. As others have said you must use the lower anchors designated for the seating position the car seat is in (assuming this is a rear facing infant seat). There is only 1 rear facing infant seat on the market that requires use of the top tether as well and that's a Britax model. If it is a reversible or forward facing seat, the top tether may be required. You should not try to use multiple anchors, or mix the anchors with the seat belt.

If you don't want to/can't use the lower anchors, you'll probably need to use the regular locking clip that came with the seat to cinch the seatbelt down tightly enough. 
To use one of these correctly, put the seat in, buckle the belt (but do not pull the belt all the way out switching on the locking retractor). Put your knee into the seat and pull on the shoulder strap to tighten the waist belt as much as possible. Keeping the tension on the waist belt, bring the shoulder belt down to the waist belt, pinch the two together (to keep the waist belt distance locked), and unbuckle the clip. Thread the locking clip onto the belt within 1" of the belt clip. Now comes the fun part. Put your knee back into the car seat, and try to get the buckle rebuckled. If you set it up right, it will be a bitch to get the two back together, but it will be a tight install.

You'll know it's a good install if you can't move the base of the seat more than 1" in either direction *when pulled on at the belt path*

Hope this helps, of course: BE SURE TO READ THE CAR SEAT DIRECTIONS AND NOTES IN YOUR BMW OWNERS MANUAL and follow that advice over anything posted here.

FYI, another decent website is: http://www.pueblo.gsa.gov/cic_text/cars/chldsafe-tips/tip6.htm

Properly installed locking clip pic:









http://home.earthlink.net/~carseatsite/lockingclips.htm


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## ///M-Spec (Jun 3, 2004)

Thanks for your expertise, Josh. Do you have a comment on LATCH compatibility with the middle seat in E46s?


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## Josh (PA) (Jan 21, 2002)

///M-Spec said:


> Thanks for your expertise, Josh. Do you have a comment on LATCH compatibility with the middle seat in E46s?


The best answer is check the e46 owners manual. Center LATCH anchors are not required as part of the LATCH legislation though.

Here's the NHTSA's official recommendations (http://www.nhtsa.dot.gov/people/injury/childps/LATCH/QandA.html)

*5Q. Why aren't LATCH lower anchors provided for the rear center seat? *

*A.* Two pairs of LATCH lower anchors are required in the back seat of vehicles manufactured after September 1, 2002, and those anchors are required to be a specified distance apart for safety protection in a crash. Because of this required spacing between the lower anchorages, most vehicles do not have a rear seat that is wide enough to accommodate anchorages in the center seating position and in an adjacent outboard position. While lower anchorages are typically installed at outboard seating positions, most vehicles that have a center rear seating position without lower anchors also provide a top tether for additional safety benefit.

*6Q. Can I use the two inboard lower anchors (of the outboard LATCH seating positions) to install my child seat in the rear center seating position?*

*A.* No, unless both the child restraint manufacturer's instructions and the vehicle owner's manual specifically state that this is acceptable. A child restraint can be installed using the rear-center seat belt and, if forward-facing, the top tether anchor.

The most updated MFG list I have says the following re using two inner outboard anchors for center mount:

Britax- Rear Facing Yes if distance between anchors is 11" to 20" and OK with Vehicle manufacturer
Forward Facing - Yes if distance between anchors is 11" to 20" and OK with Vehicle manufacturer

Dorel/Costco/Eddie Bauer/Safety 1st -
Rear Facing -NO
Forward Facing - Yes if using top tether and OK with Vehicle Mfg

Graco - Rear:NO, Forward: NO

Car Seat Specialty NONI - Rear:NO, Front: NO

Evenflo -Rear:NO, Forward: NO

Again, the best recommendation I can give is check the vehicle and car seat owners manuals. If you are unsure what's best, call the car seat mfg customer service. Also, if you want to have your car seat checked to be sure it's correctly installed check out the National Safe Kids website(www.safekids.org), they should be able to get you in touch with a local CPS tech

It's also strongly recommended that you register your car seats with the mfg, so they can contact you in the event of any recalls.


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