| kleinto |
I tried to install a Graco Snugride infant seat in the middle seat of the second row of my 03 MDX. My wife then took it to the local police to have the seat inspected. The officer said that my installation was not tight enough and tried to re-install in the middle seat. He was apparently unable to get a good fit and thus installed it behind the passenger seat using LATCH. I am not happy about this as I believe the middle is the safest.
Does anyone have any advice? Has anyone been able to install a Graco snugride infant seat in the middle of the 2nd row? |
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| neide |
| Not that one specifically, but there have been a number of dicussions here on that subject. My son is a little older, but I have his seat in the middle, using the latch hooks from either side, and it works quite well. I'm sure there are people who might not like this setup though, but I can imagine any real reason it won't work. |
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| asn |
| I have both my kids in the outer positions of both cars using latch, |
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| elli |
Most car seat manufacture don't suggest you put the LATCH car seat in the middle seat unless your car has a set of LATCH rings (or hooks) in the middle, i.e., 3 sets of hooks. I think the distance of the hooks need to be less than 11 or 12 inches or something.
I put my car seat in the middle by using LATCH. Just make sure it's really tight. Put your weight on the base and pull the fasten belt really hard.
It will not pass the inspection, since it's not recommand by the manufacture. But in my experience it's as tight as when I put it in the outside seat.
Hope this helps. |
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| pelucidor |
I put my Graco Snugride in the center seat using the inner latch connectors on the outside seats, and then really tightened it down. The manual may not recommend this but the certified inspector (cop) who tested it couldn't budge it at all and thought it was fine - he also said the center seat is safer than the outside seats.
IMO a real world test is better than a generic instruction in the manual that needs to apply to all different car-seats and qualities of installation. |
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| wmquan |
Using the inner LATCH points is considered fine by most safety techs so long as the manufacturer of the car and the manufacturer of the seat don't specifically recommend against it.
I remember a couple of years ago someone called up Britax and asked, and Britax said that it was okay to use the inner anchors so long as they weren't spaced apart more than a certain number of inches. That measurement was based on that particular model of seat and how far Britax felt its LATCH belt could go.
Thus, unless the Graco manual recommends against it (I don't recall that it does), by all means use the inner LATCH anchors and really clamp down.
Another trick to try is to use BOTH the LATCH anchors and the belt (taking care to make sure that both thread through the proper areas to secure the Graco base. That may provide some additional stability.
A really good web site to check car seat fit is at www.carseatdata.org. Unfortunately, there haven't been many recent submissions from MDX owners there. There was a submission for a Graco Snugride in a 2001 MDX (without LATCH). According to the submitter, it was checked by a certified CPS tech and was fine. |
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| A2MDXer |
| Yes, until recently I had a SnugRide in the center of my '01 (using belts only) and it was checked and passed. Unless something has changed with the '03 it should be fine. |
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| TIGER X 03 |
I have the Britax installed in our MDX and I used the Mighty Tite (Sold online or at Toys R US/Babies are us for $20). This easy to use devise really tightens the seatbelt.
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2003 SS MDX |
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| shogan |
We installed a Graco Snugride in the center...you're lucky to have the LATCH option, because on my '01 it's not an option. That seat won't fit behind either driver's or passenger's seat, anyway, so you'd have to use one of each side's LATCH anchors. The Graco manual will tell you the min/max distance those points can be apart.
As a sidenote, my wife was in a car accident with our 3-month old infant in an Olds Alero with the Graco in the center (non-LATCH, seatbelt only). After that incident, I would never put an infant anywhere other than center. The car was plastered in the rear passenger door by an '02 Chevy pickup. Had the seat been installed on that side, I'm not sure what would've happened...but in the center, everyone was fine. The glass flying alone was scary, so always keep the sunvisor up on those car seats. |
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