Are your children’s vaccines up to date?

Set a reminder

Please or to access all these features

Car seats

Confused about car seat regulations? Find baby car seat advice here. For Mumsnetter-approved essentials, sign up for Mumsnet Swears By emails here.

Buckle crunch on ERF seat

3 replies

Redplenty · 21/10/2024 12:34

I have an Avionaut Sky. It's always been a tricky fit in my car (2014 vauxhall zafira) as the car's seatbelt buckles are on longer fabric stalks rather than flush with the car's seat like in newer cars. As the Avionaut has been in position it's squashed the backseat and sunk down meaning the seatbelt is even more of an issue as the seatbelt wants to press against the green clip on the Avionaut Sky. Is there any way to either a) shorten the buckle stalk b) get a better fit (seat is currently pulled as close to the door as possible to take up space) or c) put something around the seatbelt buckle to keep it straighter somehow?!

OP posts:
Are your children’s vaccines up to date?
BertieBotts · 21/10/2024 22:05

Have you been back to your retailer on this? I think they would probably be the best to advise.

Usually you can't put something under the buckle as it will exacerbate the problem - think of buckle crunch as being if you had a pencil, held in two fists at the ends of the pencil - you'd be able to break it easily by bending it in half, but if you just pulled your hands away from each other, the pencil wouldn't break, it's very strong. The buckle is the same - very strong if you are pulling on it in the direction of the belt, but potentially less strong if you lay it over a hard piece of plastic like a car seat shell and then apply a load of force, like a car crash.

The angle wedge might help if it changes the distance between the buckle and the clip. Or it might be there is a permitted fitting that moves the seat further towards the front of the car (I don't know for this one since people often mention leg room being less than other ERF seats).

Is it worth installing it in the middle seat or even in the front?

Redplenty · 28/10/2024 10:10

Thanks so much for your reply. I have, but have since moved so can't see them in person and they haven't been very responsive to messages. I've looked at the wedge and as it doesn't look to raise the front half of the seat I don't think that will help. Do you know how much the back of the child seat can overhang the car seat it's sitting on! If I can move it closer to the passenger seat I think that would work.

OP posts:
BertieBotts · 28/10/2024 14:30

I'm not sure sorry. You might get a reply to that on one of the Facebook car seat groups especially if you can find the specific one your retailer belongs to, and you might get a response if you send a message to Avionaut directly.

New posts on this thread. Refresh page