For riders in car seats, onsite staff may be responsible for unbuckling the rider from the car seat when they arrive and securing the rider in the car seat when they leave. All rides with car seats have a Meet at car Must Be Met requirement. You can learn more about the Must Be Met requirement and procedures here.
Watch the videos and read below for detailed information about how to safely buckle and unbuckle a rider.
Securing a rider in the car seat
Follow these steps to safely secure the rider.
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First, loosen the harness. Push down on the harness release lever, a silver button located at the front of the car seat, and pull the harness webbing forward.
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Pull the buckle forward. Squeeze the lever at the back of the headrest and lift up or push down to put the headrest in position. Adjust the car seat's headrest up or down until the harness is just above the child's shoulders. We will double-check this once the child is in the seat.
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Next, remove any twists from the harness webbing. The webbing should lie flat on the child. For the child's safety, it is important to remove bulky coats before buckling. Don't worry, we'll show you how to keep them warm once they're safely buckled.
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Now, invite the child to hop into the car seat. Ask them to scoot back until their back is flat against the car seat. Ask the child to pull the buckle out from under them so it's accessible.
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Lift or lower the headrest again until it's at the correct level. Make sure the harness is coming from at or just above the child's shoulders. If you are having trouble adjusting the headrest, ask the child to lean forward for a moment.
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Place the harness over the child's shoulders and buckle. You will hear a click when buckle tongues are securely attached. Make sure that each tongue is securely attached.
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Buckle the chest clip. You will hear a click when the chest clip is securely buckled. Pull all the slack out from around the waist. Pull up on the harness. At the same time, tighten the webbing by pulling the strap at the front of the seat. The harness is tight enough when you are not able to pinch any webbing at your rider's shoulders. If you can pinch any webbing between your fingers, tighten the harness more.
- Raise the chest clip to the child's armpit level. In cold weather, you can add their coat backwards on top of the tightened harness. Have your rider put their arms out in front of them and then slide their coat on backwards to keep them warm and safe.
Now the rider is buckled correctly and ready to go. For more detailed information, you can consult the Graco Nautilus 2.0 user manual, specifically section 4A, pages 29 through 35.
Unbuckling a rider from the car seat
Follow these steps to unbuckle the rider:
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Loosen the harness. Push down on the harness release lever with one hand. It's a silver button located at the front of the car seat. At the same time, pull the harness webbing forward with your other hand, or ask the child to lean forward.
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Unbuckle the chest clip by squeezing the buttons on the right side.
- Press the red button on the buckle to release the buckle tongues.Securing a rider in the car seat