Carseats for a Saturn
Dean &/or Lisa Thompson
seats (carseats), so I thought I'd share my recent experience. (I didn't
find much info when I was researching on the 'net.)
1) Most likely you will find a rolled up towel to level the seat pretty
much useless. Cut a section of swim noodle (those styrofoam things).
They have much more "body" and should hold the seat up nicely.
2) You must kneel into the seat while buckling it in, in order to get
the tightest, most secure fit.
3) If you're buying a convertible seat (rear facing for babies, front
facing for children 1 year and up), I was able to get a good fit with my
Fisher Price Safe Embrace seat. The seat can only be used rearfacing to
22 lbs, though, so this may not be adequate for those with bigger
babies.
I was told by my carsalesman when I bought the car that we could not
have a tether anchor kit installed, since there's no rear deck (we have
a wagon). According to the carseat manual, an anchor can be installed on
the floor behind the seat (just avoid the section that screws off, where
you'd store the tire). I've emailed Saturn and are awaiting their
response. Does anyone here know if carseat tether anchors can be
installed and if the dealer usually charges for the kit/installation?
(My seat comes with a tether. I think all I need is the anchor and to
have it installed.) Thanks.
Lisa
jmanerus
Peek inside and you will see three little doors that you can pry open to
reveal the tether mount. This location is not the greatest since you
will need a long tether strap and will loose cargo space.
Darren
> Saturns are notorious for being difficult re: installing child safety
> seats (carseats), so I thought I'd share my recent experience. (I didn't
> find much info when I was researching on the 'net.)
I had made some recent posts on the subject, unfortuantely, Dejanews seems
to have a mysterious hole for this newsgroup's archives between 3/18/99
and 4/6/99. Hopefully they will fix the problem.
> 1) Most likely you will find a rolled up towel to level the seat pretty
> much useless. Cut a section of swim noodle (those styrofoam things).
> They have much more "body" and should hold the seat up nicely.
I needed a towel for rear-facing mode of our Britax Roundabout. It wasn't
needed for safety, but it did allow for a bit more recline for more
comfort. The NHTSA-certified inspector from the local police dept. said
it fit well, and that towels were perfectly safe and acceptable for use to
level carseats.
> 2) You must kneel into the seat while buckling it in, in order to get
> the tightest, most secure fit.
> 3) If you're buying a convertible seat (rear facing for babies, front
> facing for children 1 year and up), I was able to get a good fit with my
> Fisher Price Safe Embrace seat. The seat can only be used rearfacing to
> 22 lbs, though, so this may not be adequate for those with bigger
> babies.
I can add that a Britax Roundabout installs very well in the right rear
position of a '99 SL2, and I was told by the inspector it was a very good
fit (rear facing). Also, our Century Smart-fit Plus infant carrier fit
well in the center rear seat, with or without base unit.
Another parent at a store I visited recommended the FP Safe Embrace for
Saturns. The NHTSA representatives also recommended the
Britax Roundabout (to 30 lb. rear facing, with tether in rear facing mode)
and the Evenflo Horizon V (30 lb rear-facing). I was unable to make a
proper fit with a Century Smartmove SE which we had to return.
> I was told by my carsalesman when I bought the car that we could not
> have a tether anchor kit installed, since there's no rear deck (we have
> a wagon). According to the carseat manual, an anchor can be installed on
> the floor behind the seat (just avoid the section that screws off, where
> you'd store the tire). I've emailed Saturn and are awaiting their
> response. Does anyone here know if carseat tether anchors can be
> installed and if the dealer usually charges for the kit/installation?
> (My seat comes with a tether. I think all I need is the anchor and to
> have it installed.) Thanks.
Call your dealer's service manager, or try the service department of
another dealer. Tether installation is supposed to be paid for by Saturn
Corp, so your dealer should not charge you. Hopefully, that includes
wagons, too. Mine took about 15 minutes.
With any seat, make sure you get a good return policy, and have it
inspected before the return period expires.
--
Regards,
Darren