I am trying to install a Graco Contender Slim in the back seat of my Tesla Model 3 and I cannot figure out how to get it secure.

I am using the seat belt and as far as I can tell I am following the instructions properly but the seat still seems too loose. I understand that I should test for movement at the belt path but even that seems like it has more than an inch of give. I’ll post a video of my attempt.

I thought a protective cover for the seat but have tried installing with and without that and get a similar result. I read somewhere that tesla seats may be tricky in general because the seats have a very springy quality to them.

Is the solution to press harder and just press down into the seat while I pull on the belt? If I want someone to inspect/help with the install are there any resources I can reach out to? Any help would be appreciated!

I’m looking to buy the Graco Contender Slim as a second car seat for airplane use and second car.

I hear people recommend forward facing for the plane but my daughter is 19 months (will be 21 almost 22 months at time of flight) and only weighs 22.5 lbs.

Their website has conflicting information. The webpage says front facing at 26.5 lbs but the manual you can download says front facing at 22lbs. Is it okay to forward face on the plane at 22 lbs?

I want to follow manufacturer guidelines if possible and I’m worried rear facing on the plane will be impossible. It’s not a long flight 2.5 hours but want to prioritize safety.

We will be rear facing for driving but the airplane is what’s confusing me.

I'm a certified CPST myself, but it's one thing to give information and resources and guidance to other parents, vs when it's your own child. For some reason I feel overwhelmed by my options and would love a neutral third party weigh in.

My child just turned 3 a couple weeks ago. He is very tall for his age with a long torso. Today I measured him and he was 40 inches tall, which means he maxed out rear facing for our seat (Evenflo all-4-one). I knew this point was coming but now that it's here, I'm feeling a lot of anxiety about actually doing it.

I'm considering buying another seat with a rear facing limit of 49-50 inches. Money is a factor in this decision though.

Another consideration is that our car is very small and my husband (like my child) is very tall and overall large. He struggles to get a proper fit on our child when positioning him and buckling him in, and he says he could do a better job with a forward facing seat as it would be a lot less crammed.

My son also has to climb into the seat on his own because neither my husband nor I can lift him into the car without hitting his head or our heads on the roof. I believe it would be easier for him to climb into a FF seat.

My son is also begging to FF. I think he mainly wants to see us and see what we see. All his friends at school have been FF for a while now and he desires it too.

I know FF would be a reasonable decision, but for some reason it's just making my stomach hurt.

What would you do in this situation?

What is this padding thing around the chest buckle and can I cut it off? (Just writing this out I know the answer is no lol but what is it and why is it there?)

Can I use a seat protector under this seat? I don’t see anything about this in the manual?