HELP NEEDED ASAP - ALPHA OMEGA RF INSTALL

[prettymatty]

So my gf has a 21 month old dd and I've FINALLY convinced her that her daughter is safer rf. She's been ff sinice she was like 1 year old or so. They have an Alpha Omega seat which I really don't like as I had one with my older dd and it was so hard to install and makes a really horrible booster (I know this now but didn't 6 years ago).

Her hubby tried to install it rf and couldn't do it so he gave up and kept her ff. They are going on a long trip (like 3 + hours) today and my gf really wants her daughter rf again. She's under the 35lb limit and under height limit to be rf so that's a good thing. She's really floppy and it really scares me that she's been ff for so long. She's starting to try & bring her legs up cause they are getting sore hanging down.

They have a 2008 ish Impala. I have installed a AO in an Impala before but it was 6 years ago.

Are there any tips/tricks that I need to know?? Do I have to take the base off? Is it easier to install without the base. Does the seat still need to be reclined since she's 21 months.

[chickabiddy]

You don't have to take the base off, but it's usually easier to get a good install.  The seat can be as upright as 30 degrees.  I personally find most Dorel seats easier to install with seatbelts than LATCH.

[prettymatty]

So I took that base off and man did it ever make a difference; however, the stupidy ridiculous latch hooks on the carseat made it really hard to hook up and get a really solid install. Her hubby & I put it in with the seatbelt and got the best install I think I've ever gotten with any carseat lol. He seems to think she'll be uncomfortable and I asked him to give me 2 weeks with her rf and see how she reacts. He also seems to think she's going to freeze to death in the car and puts her in with a pufffy jacket and leaves the straps really loose (so loose that if she wanted to she could probably slip her arms out. I told him flat out today that it doesn't matter how safely & properly the seat is installed, if the child isn't put in properly, it doesn't mean anything. I showed him how to make sure there is no pinching room on the straps and where the chest buckle is supposed to be. He thinks that she'll choke to death or something like that. I started laughing and said if you've got it that tight, you'd hear your child saying owwwww or crying long before she choked to death.

I'm really really hoping that they keep her rear facing. She can actually see her sister, look out windows and her legs won't be hanging down and most importantly be safe in a crash!!!!

[prettymatty]

Well apparently everything I said went in one ear & out the other. They got back home about 1/2 hour ago and she was FF again and buckled so loosely that she could lean forward in her seat waay too much that I have no doubts in the case of an accident she'd fly right out. It's just really frustrating for me that some people will look at their own convenience rather than the safety of their kids. Oh well, I'm just going to keep my mouth shut with them from now on and leave it alone. They know the risks so that's all I can do.

[waiting2bemommy]

I wish I could find the pic I posted online to a friend's blog of my 3 yo ds sitting rf in our Alpha Omega which incidentally is installed with the seatbelt in a 2001 Impala. don't know if it would make a difference to your friend but I know people have been skeptical of erf until they saw how much my child actually liked it and was comfortable. It sounds like your friend's dh is just pigheaded though. Typical man.

We JUST turned ds' seat ff and not even for what I consider any good reason. DP wanted to be able to recline his seat more when he was driving (he has long legs). I held my position til 3 then gave in, well, now dp complains that ds kicks his seat the whole time he's driving!. LOL I told him it serves him right. ds still rides rf in his sister's scenera whenever it's just him and me.

[prettymatty]

I've tried getting him to watch Youtube videos and he seems to think that in an accident, she's safer FF. He "doesn't like" how the seat feels when it's RF. He thinks that FF is safer because the carseat is attached to the actual seat of the car by the hook in back window so the seat doesn't move side to side or rock back & forth. When it's installed RF with the seatbelt there is no give side to side and just what there should be back & forth. I haven't gotten into it with them and don't intend to. She wants me to call her and I will in a bit. If she brings it up, I'm just going to change the subject.

This is the same dad that allows the 21 month old to hit him cause "she's just a baby and doesn't know what she's doing" , gives her bottles (even though she only gets sippyy cups from her mom & I) and numerous other things ranging from soothers to napping, etc. If she screams, she gets what she wants.