LATCH or belts

[Mamaholly]

How do you decide whether to use seatbelts or LATCH? I have 2000 odyssey.

[joolsplus3]

Honda has a technical top limit on LATCH of 40 pounds (child's weight), I'd generally use the LATCH up to that weight, and then use the seatbelt for a seat that harnesses over 40 pounds. ALWAYS use the top tether for a forward facing harnessed seat, though.

[Patriot201]

1) Honda has a 40-pound limit on the lower anchors, so if your child weighs more than 40 pounds, you don't have a choice... you MUST use the seatbelts.

2) Honda doesn't allow "borrowing" of outside LATCH anchors, so you must use the seatbelts to install in the center if there aren't a set of anchors for the center (only some new Hondas have center lower anchors).


3) If you are trying to do a three-across, you are probably going to have better luck if you use seatbelts because you can then install the seats further "out" on the seat.




Otherwise, I use whatever (LATCH or seatbelts) gets me the best installation. :D






ETA: Does a 2002 Odyssey have lower anchors? All of the above might not be relevant if there are not lower anchors.



ALWAYS use the top tether, though!

[joolsplus3]

Oh, yeah, I think 2001 was the first year for the Ody to have lower anchors, 2000 it had top anchors (top anchors meaning for the top of the car seat...they are actually U-shaped metal rings on the bottom of the captain's chairs).

[Jeanum]

Time for a quick LATCH manual lookup because I'm not certain a 2000 Odyssey has lower LATCH anchors.... :) Okay, per the LATCH manual, the 2000 Odyssey doesn't have lower LATCH anchors, but it does have factory equipped top tether anchors for the second row. Thus seatbelt installations would be the way to go, along with using the top tether for forward facing harnessed seats in the second row. You could also retrofit the third row with a top tether anchor for each third row seating position according to the LATCH manual if you wish. There are three 8 mm weld nuts in the rear tailgate sill, and the Honda tether anchor retrofit part number is 82410-SE3-C01, called a "plate assembly," and costs approx. $13 per part at a Honda dealer service dept. or slightly less online if you google Honda parts. Installation instructions would be in the vehicle owner's manual, and you can probably install the anchors yourself with a torque wrench.

Jools beat me to the lower LATCH anchor info. The joys of wrestling my LATCH manual away from my toddler who always thinks it's a great purple covered coloring book. ;)

[joolsplus3]

But you did a much more thorough job than me... :D (so it was worth the wait and I don't mind being echoed with much better information, lol).

OP, I hope that helps!

[Unregistered]

Thanks everyone!