This is a question that comes up frequently within Car Seats for the Littles: "Why is the harness on my NextFit so hard to tighten?" I've gathered together several answers to this question, as well as a list of tips and tricks to make it easier to tighten the harness.
These tips come from several different moms who own the NextFit, and none of them are anything I've discovered on my own (except for one trick, which other moms have confirmed works...but that is the only one I found out on my own). Unfortunately, I don't remember exactly who first brought each tip or trick to my attention first. So, to any moms on CSFTL who have helped me with the straps on my NextFit, you have my eternal thanks and gratitude!
The Theoretical Information
The harness can be difficult to adjust based on several factors. When the headrest is in lower positions, when the straps are really far down the back (but the next notch up places them too high), when the recline angle has the orange adjuster button right next to the vehicle's seat back, and (of course) when everything is just so new you can still smell the new car seat smell. Some of those things you can adjust (can you try a different recline level? If you raise the headrest, are the straps still below the shoulders?). Some you can't, and sometimes just using the seat over and over breaks the straps in.The Practical Application
Okay, now for the practical advice.1) You might try taking off the shoulder pads. This sometimes makes it easier to adjust the straps in and of itself. Granted, if you feel this causes the straps to dig into the neck, you'd probably prefer to keep them on and move on to the next step. If you have the old-style non-Velcro shoulder pads, there is a video on the Chicco website called "Installing the Shoulder Pad Replacement Kit". It's the second-to-the-last video in each column. This quick and easy video shows you how to remove the shoulder pads without destroying the or the seat. If you have the velcro shoulder pads, they are easily removed: just undo the velcro.
2) Depending on how cooperative your little is, you might be able to get away with not loosening the harness all the way when getting them out of the seat, which means there would be less to tighten when you put them back in. This is what I do for my guy, but he's usually fairly cooperative. On days when he's extra squirmy though, all bets are off...and those straps are loosened all the way so I can have more room to "convince" him to sit and get buckled.
3) When you're loosening the straps, don't just pull one strap loose and then get your little out of the seat. Give a tug on the other strap as well to make sure it's loosened to the same length. Sometimes I've found that one strap loosens when I tug on it, but the other strap doesn't seem to move, so when I tighten the straps the one is already as tight as it needs to be, but the other is still loose.
4) When tightening, after you've buckled the crotch strap and clipped the chest clip, slide the clip (and shoulder pads if they're on) down closer to the crotch buckle. Gently tug on the straps above the crotch buckle to remove the slack in the hip/thigh area. Not enough to tighten the straps down, just removing the slack. Tighten the harness enough to pass the pinch test at the collarbone, then slide the pads and chest clip back up into position.
5) And now for the best tip I can offer: a video. This is hands down the best way I've found to tighten the NextFit straps.
Some moms have good luck when they use their thumb in the loop, I usually get enough leverage just by grabbing the end of the strap, but the rest of the video is spot on. My big, huge thanks to Hiedi for posting this video and making it available to the NextFit community!
6) Give it time. I don't like this answer, because I live in a "want it now" world, but sometimes this is the only answer. Sometimes the seat is just so new that everything is tight and needs to be broken in. Once the straps are broken in properly, you might not need to follow all of the steps above, or you may always end up using the push/pull method in Hiedi's video. The point is, it does get better. Either the seat will get easier to adjust, or you get so good at it that you won't even recognize it's tight.
UPDATE: I made my own video showing everything except for how to actually do this in the car! Hiedi's video above is still the best I've seen for that advice. However, there have been several questions lately in CSFTL about doing the pinch test with the NextFit and releasing the straps so they don't rub against the neck. So, here's a video showing how I do it. (Note: I'm not pleased with where the video camera was placed, so I might redo it at some point. Also, I was moving pretty fast because I fully expected my model to run away at any moment. Then again, that's about how fast I have to move in the car when he's actually squirmy, so it is pretty realistic of what we go through on a regular basis.)
Wrapping Up
So that's it. Still having trouble with your NextFit? You can find me and other NextFit owners, as well as CPST techs, on Car Seats for the Littles, and we're always happy to help!
The views, instructions, and opinions in this blog are solely my own. I am not a CPST, I am not affiliated with CSFTL, nor am I a Chicco representative. No money was made from this article, and though I strive for accuracy in all things, any errors are my own.
Mine has now been in use for 2 years. Yes, two years. Which means the head rest is now high, and it is thoroughly broken in. Yet it is STILL to difficult for my wife to tighten. Do yourself and your little one a favor and avoid this seat; it is so difficult to properly tighten, it should have been recalled.
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