Baby Car-Seat Safety?

[fordhombre]

Wow, I think it's been a few years since I've posted on here, but MAN this site is looking GOOD!

Onto the question: My stay-at-home wife needs a vehicle she can run to the grocery store in while I'm at work. I still have a 1967/9 F-100 stepside I've posted tons about earlier this decade, but we're not sure how much to trust it as far as 15 month old baby safety...

I know the thing's a metal tank, it's survived a crushing t-bone blow to the cab, and i came away uninjured (2001). But what about a car-seat facing forward? Does anyone have any opinions to offer?

Our car-seat has those little safety straps that you have hook onto loop holes to your seat bolts, so maybe I could install some hooks onto the seat belt bolts, AND run a seat belt through? I only have lap belts...

I'm sure I'll have more questions later about other aspects of getting this pickup running great, but I'll wait on those and just see if we should have any fears putting our son in there.

Thanks in advance for any help!

[Ranchero50]

If your seat is newer it should have came with a crash strap that goes from the top back of the child seat over the back of the truck seat and down to a tie point. I figure you could put a longer gas tank bolt in and fab a ring for it to bolt trhough that you could hook the strap to.

Jamie

[fordhombre]

Yeah, it doesn't have the over-the-top (Not Sylvester Stallone Movie) straps... it's got a strap that goes through the bottom of the seat, and hooks on the left and right. But yeah, I could do two hooks on either side.

Is there anything else you think would be necessary?

[Ranchero50]

Maybe make sure the seat back has a latch to keep it from flipping forward during a crash.

Jamie

[MaxKlinger]

You should probably secure the child seat to be rear-facing. That way the child is less likely to go anywhere in case you have an accident. God forbid the kid hits that steel dashboard.

[TheEskimo]

One thing I notice is a lot of people around here don't get the seatbelt tight enough on the car seat. Make sure to put your weight in it and get the seatbelt as tight as you can when you put it in. Might even take two people, does for me sometimes. The car seat shouldn't be able to move much if any.

Other then that, not much else I can think of. I have a two year old daughter who sometimes rides with us in the truck. We have a forward facing car seat with shoulder straps.

[James72]

You can use the hook straps or put the lap belt through hole provided in the back, you don't need both. If a lap belt will hold you, it'll hold the little one. I've had my 2 year olds seat in my bump before, I put the lap belt through and had my knee on the car seat and pulled it tight with almost all I had, that seat was the most sturdy thing on that truck . Even though it may be a pain Id put it in the middle too, unless it's a standard. I'm surprised it has no strap that goes over the seat, if it did, you can get the proper tie point at walmart, it comes with the hardware and a giant washer to stop the bolt from pulling through the floor if something happens. Also at that age they have to face forward, there is nowhere for them to put their legs facing rear, plus they get pissed when they can't see where they're going

James

[69twotone]

I belted my son in but I had the over the top strap and was able to rig it to bolt to the floor. He is past the 40 pounds and has a booster seat now. I cant put him in there again until I get shoulder belts installed. Too bad since he loved riding in there. He calls it Daddy's "huge truck". Since I had a Ranchero before this one seemed huge to him.

[fordhombre]

they get pissed when they can't see where they're going

word!

Thanks for all the help and ideas! Now there's just the matter of getting the pickup running daily, insured, and inspected to Houston's regulations...

Thanks again!

[occupant]

One thing I notice is a lot of people around here don't get the seatbelt tight enough on the car seat. Make sure to put your weight in it and get the seatbelt as tight as you can when you put it in. Might even take two people, does for me sometimes. The car seat shouldn't be able to move much if any.

Other then that, not much else I can think of. I have a two year old daughter who sometimes rides with us in the truck. We have a forward facing car seat with shoulder straps.

+++ on this. Tighten it down, shove your knee into it, tighten it some more, and then try to push the car seat right through the truck seat, then tighten it again. When the car seat comes out, there should be huge impressions in the seat that may not return to normal until days or weeks later.

This is how I do it in my Oldsmobile and my wife's car. I would rather have damage to the seat foam than risk that seat twisting loose in a wreck.

[67merc]

Sorry I didn't see this earlier, I've been working alot lately and haven't been on in a while. I am certifiable when it comes to car seat safety. I even did inspections for a few years.

Kudos to you guys about getting the seat in TIGHT.

What seat do you have for your child? If it has LATCH straps that hook into the seat instead of the seat belt, it should have a tether strap on the back of the seat too. I installed a tether anchor on my seatbelt bolts and added a larger plate on the underside for strength. It is a bit of a pain hooking it up, but this will keep your child from getting a Dale Ernhardt type injury incase of a crash.

Do not use the LATCH system in your truck. Use the lap belt and as the others have said tighten it up good. There should be less than 1 inch of movement in any direction. With a forward facing seat, lots of times you can get no movement at all.

Be sure to tighten your baby up tight enough too or none of this other advice matters. You should only be able to fit one finger between the harness and the baby's collarbone. The harness should also be at or above the shoulders when forward facing. (It's different rear facing.)

I know you didn't ask about this but I also highly reccomend changing the seatbelts in our trucks. They are 40 years old after all and the straps have surely deteriorated. I believe all of our trucks have predrilled holes for shoulder belts. Better look after your babies mom too!