When you check a carseat install..

[undecidedowl]

is it supposed to with kid in or out? DH always checks his install without the kids in and says they are tight. But when I put the kids in, it seems like the extra weight makes them wiggle more. I assume this means they aren't tight enough? So can you not check an empty carseat?

[penguingrrl]

I check both before and after. If the weight of the child is making a difference in the install I would assume it's not tight enough or possible done incorrectly. Adding the weight of the child has never affected the install on any of my seats.

[vcubergirl]

I don't know for sure, but I don't think adding the kid should make a significant difference if it's in tight enough. Does he do the knee in the seat trick? What happens if you try and tighten it yourself without kids in it?

[Ashley&Scott]

Our seats don't move either way. It doesn't sound like they're tight enough.

[BAMFMrsB]

We always do it empty and it really has zero movement once it's in there.

[undecidedowl]

Jan 14, 2015 16:07:39 GMT -5 @fivedogs said:

Do you mean movement at the beltpath? Or the head of the carseat?

The instructions are generally (check your manual) less than one inch of movement in any directions (front, back, left right) when you grab the seat at the beltpath with your non-dominant hand. It should be like a firm handshake. This is always before you put the kid in. I don't think it should move more when they are in it, but as long as it is in according to those parameters I listed above while empty, it should be fine.

Hm. I think I may be shaking it too hard lol. I was using both hands and really forcing it. That's probably why he always think it's ok and I never do.

Eta: I think we are going to work on better installs tonight anyway. I'm borrowing a car and they just don't fit as well as in my car.