LATCH system

~Roo'sMama~ wrote: Does anyone here use the LATCH system instead of seat belts to install your carseats? I have always been afraid to try it, but I've heard that it's actually better and I want to use it. I know how to buckle my kids' car seats in tightly with the seat belts, but I can never get those lock things on, so they keep getting looser and I keep having to tighten them. But what if I use the LATCH system and do it wrong and would have been better off with the seat belt? Anyone have any experience with them?

Danalana replied: I have a friend who is very knowledgeable...she says the LATCH system is no better than the seatbelt when both are used properly. If you can't get the little lock thing on, you might be better off using the LATCH, since they need to be secure. Could you take it to the fire department? They are supposed to be certified in installing carseats correctly and do it for free!

Celestrina replied: They are the safest. Call your local police department; most will inspect them and install them for free.

boyohboyohboy replied: we use the latch system with ours also..
we have used the police department..and one time they came to our house to put it, so the kids didnt have to roam around while they did it.
and also satarn dealers do it.
our local hosp. also..
I like to have them put in professionally just for peace of mind.

but in our car the seats do seem tighter with the latch then the seat belts..also then I dont have to worry about the other kids pushing the seat belt button and letting the seats lose..they cant get to the latch system..
we also tether them in.

mckayleesmom replied: I do the seatbelt and the latch thing...It was really hard to get them in at first, but I have now mastered it.

DVFlyer replied: *pet peeve alert*

IMO- there is no way a car's regular seat belts will hold a carseat as well as the LATCH system.

The regular seat belts fit loosely by design and then lock (some retract slightly, I think) in an accident. The problem is the car seat is moves around due to being loose.

If installed correctly, using the LATCH system a car seat will not move around.

I have gone through this with my wife and friends and each time they are amazed at how secure their child seats are with the LATCH system after "I" put them in.

Here is how I do it. If you try this and are not convinced the car seat is more secure this way, I'll be amazed.

Position the car seat in the car in the correct position (this is usually more upright than most realize).

Latch the LATCH system belt to the latches in the crease of the seat.

THIS IS THE MOST CRUCIAL STEP:

YOU must get in the car seat on your knees facing the back of the car seat

Tighten the car seat WHILE YOU ARE KNEELING in the seat using your weight and force to press car seat into the car's seat. I typically bounce up and down a bit while I'm pulling on the seat to increase the weight.

My wife, while strong, is not strong enough to do this properly, so have your husband do it for you. (no offense intended).

When I am done, the car seat WILL NOT MOVE. It feels as though it's part of the car.

After this step is done, the child, of course, must be secured properly in the seat.

(please note, this procedure will cause creases and dents and possibly marks on your car seats.... get over it. It's for your child's safety).

mckayleesmom replied:
This is how I do it too...sometimes I make dh kneel in the seat while I buckle it.

Calimama replied: Wow, I thought everyone used the latch system. I took mine to the fire department. It took 2 huge guys to get it in as tight as it should be. Now that DH knows how to do it, he can but it takes all his weight and force to get it done. To me just using the seat belt doesn't make it 1/4 of as tight as it should be... just my opinion though.

lisar replied:
That is how I do it also, I get dh to put his knees in the carseat (more weight) and I will pull on the seat belt as hard as I can and get it as secure as I can. When I am done the seat itself wont move at all. As for the straps that go on Raygen well she has now mastered how to get them undone. What do I do?

moped replied: DVFLYER that is 100% correct!

After many arguements with Tom about this - he gets it!!!!!

That car sear cannot move an inch or I will lose it!!!!!

A&A'smommy replied: AND i use the seatbelts its hard and it takes a little while to do it but if you have trouble take it to someone that is certified... call the fire dept they are suppose to be certified.

~Roo'sMama~ replied:
Well, I can usually get the carseat tighter kneeling on it myself - not that Dh isn't strong I'm just fussier about it. I can get the carseat tight enough with the seat belt to where it can not move around in any direction when I pull on it HARD. But the seatbelt loosens over time and that is why I'm wondering about the LATCH system.

And for the record I don't know of any mom who would give a fig about the carseat causing dents in the seats of their car - it's just what happens when you have kids. It happens when you use the seat belts to put them in too... if it didn't there would be something seriously wrong!

Does anyone have a mini van that they use the LATCH system in? I saw a thing about using the LATCH system in the paper today and the picture showed the strap going down behind the seat and hooking onto the floor. So it seems like either it could only be used in the very back row of seats, or people sitting in the back row would be tripping over the strap, or kids sitting back there could pull on it. I just got out the owners manual for our van and now I don't even know if I can use the LATCH in it... it doesn't have anything about it in the manual and I know that manufacturers have only been required to put them in since 2002 - the van I am driving right now is a '98. It's an extra of my mom's... our other van is a '93 and I don't know if that one has it either.

~Roo'sMama~ replied: Ok now I just read something online that says I should be able to use the LATCH system even if my van doesn't have it. I'm going to look at my car seat manuals and see how to do it. Oh and all the things I've read online say that it was meant to be easier to install, not necessarily safer than installing the carseat with seat belts, as long as you do it right - I guess if I can't get the LATCH thing to work then I will try the seat belt locks again.

Danalana replied: Yep, that's what I was saying...if installed correctly, both methods are equally safe

My3LilMonkeys replied:
How do you use the LATCH if your car doesn't have it? My minivan is reallllly old - an '89 I think - and I know it doesn't have LATCH but if there's a way I can use it anyway that would be great.

~Roo'sMama~ replied:
hehe yes I remember now that you said that.

~Roo'sMama~ replied:
This is the web page that I saw that says you can, but it doesn't say how. It shows and talks about the lower anchors, but I checked my van and it doesn't have those. In my car seat owner's manual the instructions only say how to do it with those lower anchor things too, so I don't really think I can do it now. Unless there is a way I'm not seeing... I guess I'll just have to use the locking clips.

DVFlyer replied:

If you don't have the LATCH hooks in your car, I don't see any way to use the latch belt.

DVFlyer replied:
Slight correction:

It says you can use a LATCH compatible Car Seat in a non-LATCH equipped car because the Car Seat is backwards compatible... i.e. it's designed to use the seat belts.

~Roo'sMama~ replied:

My husband has gotten it on with the seat already buckled in, but it was REALLY hard and then of course we had to put the seat in his car one day, and then switch it back, and it's so hard to get on. But since we can't use LATCH and I'm tired of tightening the seat every time we go somewhere I guess that is what we will do. I had to move our car seats around today so when I put them back in their normal places I'll put the locking clips on.

~Roo'sMama~ replied:
Ahhh I see. I didn't catch the meaning in that... I thought it was saying you could use LATCH in a car that doesn't have it, if you had a LATCH compatible car seat.

mom21kid2dogs replied: If you are driving a '98 and a '93 vehicle you don't have a LATCH system unless you've had the vehicles retrofitted for it. It didn't exist in any vehicle before 2000 models and then only in a very select few. Some vehicles can be retrofitted with the system. If you call the vehicle manufacturer they can tell you if it's possible.

ETA: Do you have retractable locking seat belts in your vehicles? These are the belts that when you pull them out all the way and then let them go back in they make a clicking noise? If so, when installing your seats, you should do all the things recommended (kneeling in the seat, etc) and when you latch the male to the female part, pull your seatbelt all the way out and let it retract back to the locked position. There is no way a locking retractable seat belt should loosen over time. If it does, you need to have them checked out. They aren't safe for any passenger.

~Roo'sMama~ replied:
No I don't think they are the retractable locking ones - just the regular shoulder strap seat belts.

mom21kid2dogs replied: You could consider switching to Britax seats. The locking clip is actually a part of the seat and much easier to manage than the metal ones. It's been a couple of years since O was in a convertible seat so I don't know if any other seat has this design but Britax definately does.

~Roo'sMama~ replied:
I wish. Those seats are nice, but they're way out of our budget. We have the Graco CarGo car seats that can be used as a five point harness seat and then a booster when they get older. They were $100 when we bought them, which is about as high as we could go.