[Chris03HD]

Wife is do with our first child by the end of this month.. Any tips for installing a baby seat in the MO?

Once its in, we have a number for the sherriff's office, where they will inspect it for us, but just looking for any tips to make sure we do it safe and correct.

Thanks.

 

[Jim C]

If your child seat is equipped with the LATCH system, use the vehicle's lower anchorages and tether anchor to secure the child seat to one side or the other of the rear seat. Position the child seat in the proper location and hook up the anchors (see the child seat's instruction sheet). Then have a big burly friend of yours get in the child seat (probably kneeling on the child seat) and push the seat down and back against the seat of the car. Don't worry about the Murano, it should handle this fine. If you are concerned, you can always place a towel under the seat to protect the car's seat. With your friend still pushing, cinch up the anchor straps as tight as possible. Once your friend gets out of the seat, you should be able to grab only the child seat and literally rock the whole car back and forth with little to no play in the child seat.

BTW - this is how a firefighter/paramedic installed our first seat. According to him, the biggest mistake folks make is not getting the child seat tight enough.

Good luck and congrats on the pending new arrival!

 

[MrDisco]

That's helpful information Jim. Sounds like I need to re-evaluate my own carseat installation. Thanks for the info.

 

[bowserdog1]

I agree with Jim. Make sure the seat is very tight. If the angle is not good enough, roll up a towel and place it under the seat next to the seat back to increase the angle. The is most important with newborns that cannot hold their heads up on their own.

 

[mordel]

My carseat has a latch system and it works great! I did put a towel underneat as I have Charcoal Leather and I didn't want the seat ruining the leather. The towel is black so it's not as noticeable as say a pink towel would be.

 

[Ohio Murano]

I agree, tight is the biggest safety issue, but don't forget the locking clip for the seat belt. The lap/shoulder belt WILL NOT stay tight in an accident if you do not have this clip on the seat belt. All newer car seats come with one (usually attached to the back of the seat). The locking clip should be placed on the lap/shoulder seatbelt within 1/2" of the seatbelt buckle. One other thing to keep in mind once your baby arrives, you should barely be able to place 2 fingers between the car seat straps and your baby's shoulders. Don't forget it should be rear facing until they're a year old. Hope this helps.

 

[mozman]

Front vs. rear facing child seats is a debate that has a number of views. I think it is child specific and does not go by age alone. It's more height and length. I have a Britax car seat and my baby is now 10 months old, but I recently put the car seat front facing because she is too long fo it to be rear facing. Her legs are a little scrunched up against the back of the seat when rear facing. So we turned the seat around so it's front facing. But you can have a 13 month old who is still small enough to keep the car seat rear facing.

Check out baby web sites like babycenter.com, which provides a lot of tips for babies and parents.

My only concern with a rear facing seat is that there is no anchor to keep the back of the chair from lifting up. So i'm worried that if I get rear-ended from behind (knock on wood), that the back of the chair would lift up.

And congratulations!

 

[Halo]

Front vs. rear facing child seats is a debate that has a number of views.

It may have a number of views, but the NHTSA has very clear recommendations on this. Up to 20 lb AND 1 year it faces rear.
http://www.nhtsa.dot.gov/people/injury/childps/

Note that they don't make recommendations on whether to install the seat on one side or in the middle. I chose the middle to keep the side airbag explosions away from her face if those bags deploy (reasoning that we keep the kids out of the front airbag-equiped seat for a similar reason). Of course the side airbags are much smaller than the front ones so who knows if it really matters... probably why NHTSA doesn't specify.

It's amazing we all made it to adulthood without all these regulations. I think my mom used to just hold me in her lap

 

[GripperDon]

The rear seats don't have side air bags in them, But getting the child away from the side curtin which does extend across the rear seas is a good idea.

Regarding you youthfull experience. Good Luck will overcome a clever plan every time.

 

[Ohio Murano]

Our pediatrician told us to keep our baby rear facing until he is 1 year old AND 20 lbs. I believe it has something to do with muscle strength in their necks. Sure, some children are bigger and stronger than others, but we would rather be safe than sorry.

 

[dejongj]

It is exactly the same regulations in the UK and the Netherlands (being Dutch and living in the UK I have both experiences). The Murano having a full 3-point seat belt in the middle was actually one of the deciding factors for me an my wife.

Our current Patrol (roll-on March for the first UK Murano's...) only has a lapbelt in the middle which makes it very difficult to handle our little girl on longer journeys as she obviously can't sit in the middle...

It do agree with one of the posters here, my daugther is now 2 but before she was one she was way to tall to sit in a reverse facing car-seat. This made journeys for all of us unbearable, just we ignored the guidance and got the forward facing one early for here, but ensured that the angle was adjustable so she could still lay back(ish).

We just went to a baby-superstore and had about 14 different ones fitted before we found one with no movement.

It was sound advice provided earlier: once fitted there should be no movement at all in the car-seat, grap hold of it and shake the car, but there should be nothing in the seat itself...Oh and also ensure your baby is nice and tights, and when they say they are sore, it is only because they repeat what you just said to each other ;-)

 

[Gonzo]

I didn't see it but when possible I suggest putting the baby seat in the middle of the rear seats... a bit more safer being in the middle of the MO. (or any car)

 

[GripperDon]

True TRUE! See post above re. SRS.

 

[FlyerNo9]

I have pictures of the Graco SnugRide in my gallery.
http://www.nissanmurano.org/photopost/showphoto.php?photo=1497&papass=&sort=1

The SnugRide was great. We've now upgraded to the level 2 car seat, the Evenflo Triumph [recommended by Nissan for the Murano]. Still rear facing but able to be turned around when he [Miles] is big enough. Pictures to come.

 

[Gonzo]

Ah nothing better than seeing a MO with a car seat in the back... I should know I have two..... excuse me... I think I'm going to cry. I've got to keep telling myself... the MO is NOT a mini-van... the MO is NOT a mini-van... its a cross over vechicle. :19:

 

[dejongj]

Crash testing

Do you have in the US a standard for crash-testing. In Europe the main standard is called Euro-NCAP, basically meaning a 5 star car give you a better chance to survice than a 1 start...I has now been extended to include how much damage you do to a pedestrian with the car as well....

As the Murano is not yet on general release there is no Euro-NCAP rating...Considering this is a thread about child-seats I am sure some of you are concerned about this for our children (I have one 2 year old daughter; Isabella)...

Is the Murano considered 'safe' in the US?

My current Nissan Patrol GR was never tested, but my thinking was more along the lines of: "If it is good for the United Nations missions, it is good enough for me..."

 

[CopperKat]

Lots of info here . . .Crash Testing

 

[FlyerNo9]

Graco SnugRide

More pictures of the Graco SnugRide in the Murano
The Latch System

 

[Mr3Putt]

I didn't see it but when possible I suggest putting the baby seat in the middle of the rear seats... a bit more safer being in the middle of the MO. (or any car)

When my youngest was 6 months old a young girl blew right through a stop sign and T-Boned the right rear door of my 87 Bonneville. She was moving at around 35-45 MPH.

My infant Daughter was safe and secure in the center seat. Had she been against that door...... I don't even want to go there...

Gonzo is spot on! ALWAYS use the center belt. I guess if your using two seats, one has to be outboard, I would put the bigger kid on the outside.

 

[FlyerNo9]

No Latches for the center rear seat

But there are no Latches for the Center seat.