True Fit - Rear facing question

I'd like to get some feedback on the True Fit and the difficultly tightening the straps when the seat is rear facing...my daughter is 9 months old, and I'd like to keep her rear facing as long as possible. I've read some reviews talking about how great this seat is, and others saying to not purchase it for long term rear facing...

I have a 2000 Grand Am.

It's an issue dependent on the shape of ones backseat. Some seats are sculpted and allow you to sort of wedge your hand down and grab the harness adjuster a bit easier. Other seats are quite flat, and so wedging your hand down is nearly impossible. Remember the TF has a continuous loop harness which means you can essentially lengthen one side of the harness, slip your child's arm through, then pull the other side of the harness a little -- enough to slide your child's other arm through. For many people having the continuous loop harness means they don't need to access the harness adjuster on a day to day basis. My advice would be to try before you buy. Toys R Us will let you install a floor model in your vehicle.

HTH's

I agree- it depends on your seats and what you like. I have a friend with a FF Nautilus- easy easy easy to adjust- yet she leaves it where it is and gets her DD in and out without adjusting each time. I use the continuous loop to my advantage on mine, although I can get to my harness adjuster if I need to. For us, it ensures that DH, grandparents, and babysitters get the harness tight enough.

I also take advantage of the continuous loop harness. I can also tighten it a bit by pulling up on the adjuster strap & then before I released the tension on the strap, I stick my finger down between the seat back & the car seat & push the release lever down. I can usually get it tight enough by doing that.

I don't actually have a TF--but the Marathon is also difficult to adjust when RF (for different reasons).. One thing that I did was to stop loosening off the harness when taking my kids out. Although when they're infants, and in infant seats you pretty much have to loosen off and tighten up each time, by the time they are in larger seats this really isn't necessary. I only have one harnessed child left but her seat is only ever adjusted when there's a major clothing change or when I put a different child in the seat. This also minimizes fraying and wear on the webbing--an added bonus.

-Nicole.

Yet another trick for when you do need to adjust the harness is to pull the hip straps snug, pull the shoulder straps snug over the chest *towards* the shoulders, and then push down on the splitter plate behind the seat while pulling hte adjuster strap. Pushing on the splitter plate creates slack and less tension in the adjuster to pull against. I find myself doing this with my 3in1 as well just because it's simpler than having to put any effort into pulling against the seat back.

My RF True Fit harness tips (there is repetition here from comments already made):

- Don't re-adjust the harness everytime; get it the appropriate tightness, and leave it alone. The "continuous loop" harness allows you to pull lots of slack out on either side by pulling at the hip area (not the shoulders). Pull harness on one side out, put arm in, pull out other side, put other arm in, even out straps and buckle.
- If you need to tighten, make sure harness is snug around hips then pull down on both harness straps from the back of the seat above metal splitter plate to tighten over shoulders, then pull slack out with harness strap at front of seat.
- Another option to tighten is to release the buckle, give a tug (using above method if necessary), then re-buckle.*
- If you need to loosen, pull up on metal adjuster lever at front of seat (or if this is difficult, push down on the top side of it so it pops up - don't need to reach in as far this way) then pull up on metal splitter plate at back of seat then pull slack out from the front at the shoulders.
- Before you install the seat, shorten the harness straps by putting the splitter plate on the second loop (seat comes with splitter plate on bottom - longest - loop). This helps keep the splitter plate from getting lodged under the seat. Instructions in manual.

Yes, the location of the harness adjuster tab thingy is a major design flaw in this seat. But using the tips above it shouldn't be a problem. You get used to it. And every seat has quirks of some sort.

Here is how to tell if your harness is tight enough:
http://www.car-seat.org/showthread.php?t=49030

ETA the bullet with the "*". Just heard about that one a couple of weeks ago and I wanted to have all of these in one place.