How to install the Eddie Bauer 3-1 convertable car seat in a 2002 Cavalier?

Question

I received this 3 in 1 car seat without a manual, but it was made in 2006.

Answer 1

Try this site and see if it will help you and good luck.

http://www.fixya.com/support/eddie_bauer...

Answer 2

First off, get thee to Dorel's (maker of Eddie Bauer/Dorel/Safety1st/Cosco products) website and order a manual! You should never use a car seat without reading the manual first. Secondly, I'd ask where you received it. Its actually unsafe to get a used car seat unless it is coming from a trusted friend or relative and you are 100% positive:

1)it has never been in any wreck

2)it has all the original pieces, including manual

3)it has never been dropped, which means never been checked as luggage at the airport, either, since this frequently happens when checked or gate checked .

4)it is less than 6 years old

5)the straps have never been completely submerged or washed with anything other than mild soap(it messes up the flame retardent treatment)



If you wouldn't trust the seller with your child's life, don't buy a car seat from them. For $40 you can get a Cosco Scenera from Walmart. It rear faces to a whopping 35lbs, which is important b/c kids should stay rear facing as long as possible, the American Academy of Pediatrics says keep them rear facing preferably for their first 2 years of life. Then it goes to 40lbs front facing. It won't last child as long forward facing as some others, but for $40, its a great deal. Or, call your local police station and ask about car seats. Most have programs in place to give free/inexpensive car seat to families that need them.

1)place the seat where you want it

2)Make sure you use the correct belt path. There are 2 different places to route the seatbelt, one for forward facing the seat and 1 for rear facing it.

3)route the belt through the belt path and buckle it.

4)put knee in the seat and pull all the slack out of the lap portion by pulling up on the shoulder portion of the belt

5)while still holding the lap belt tight, pull the shoulder portion all the way out from the retractor it comes from, pull till it won't come out anymore, then slowly let it feed back in. It should click telling you its locking. Feed as much of the shoulder belt back in as possible.

6)remove knee, grab the seat with one hand at the belt path and pull. If it moves less than 1", its good. If it moves more than 1" in any direction, its not tight enough, continue

7)knee back in seat

8)unbuckle, but don't take the belt out of the path or anything, feed the shoulder portion into the retractor another 2 clicks, and try to rebuckle, should be difficult, but by pressing hard or possibly rocking back and forth on your knee you should be able to do it. One thing that can help: recline the back seat where you're installing the seat. Then install the car seat, using the steps above to make it tight as possible. Then, put the vehicle seat back up straight. Makes things very easy!

OR

You can install using LATCH is the child is under 48lbs.

ONE NOTE: if the child is under 2 years old, and/or under 35lbs (the rear facing weight limit of the 3-in-1s, install the seat REAR FACING! Babies should stay rear facing AS LONG AS POSSIBLE! Turning kids forward at 20lbs/1year is an outdated practice that could cost you your child's life! American Academy of Pediatrics says to keep kids rear facing to the limit of their convertible car seat. All current models go to at least 30lbs, many higher.

A forward-facing child under 2 years old is 4 times more likely to be killed or seriously injured in a crash than a rear-facing child of the same age. A child's vertabrae do not fully fuse until 3-6 years old, before then, she is at great risk for internal decapitation. The spinal column can stretch up to 2 inches in a crash BUT the spinal cord can only stretch up to 1/4 inch before it snaps and baby is gone.

In the age of the internet its amazing so much misinformation exists! Please please do not listen to people telling you to turn your child forward facing 'at your judgement' or when her legs touch the seat. In truth, most children LIKE resting their feet on the back of the seat in front of them. Check out this photo album exclusively of rear facing kids, many of them much older than 12 months: http://www.cpsafety.com/articles/RFAlbum... It is recommended by the American Academy of Pediatrics (see sources) that ALL babies stay rear facing as long as possible, up to the weight/height limits of their seat. Most seats go to 30lbs rear facing, some go higher, check your manual. They are too tall for an infant carrier when the head is within an inch of the top of the shell. Too tall for most convertible seats when their ears reach the top of the seat. Has nothing to do with how long their legs are! There isn't a single documented case of a child breaking their legs b/c they were rear facing in an accident. There are, however, lots of cases where children have been killed and seriously injured where a rear facing seat would have protected them better. They are safest rear facing b/c their bones have not yet completed the ossification process that bonds/hardens them like adults. They need the bracing support that a rear facing seat offers to withstand a crash. 20lbs AND 1 year is the bare minimum as far as the law is concerned, but the law is the bare minimum of safety, and who wants to do the bare minimum for their child?

**A note on this car seat - it is outgrown forward facing VERY quickly - most kids are too tall for the harness before they are 3 years old. The top slot that is visible when you raise the headrest all the way? It is NOT reinforced for the harness. It is for booster use ONLY. The harness only goes to 40lbs, also.