Latch and shoulder/lap belt

[afain73]

I have a Cosco Alpha omega car seat. I am changing it to a booster. Do I still use the latch system to install the seat to the car and then buckle her in with the shoulder and lap belt?

Thanks so much for your help

[cryswilkins]

I am pretty sure that you have to stop using LATCH (including the top tether) with all of the Eddie Bauer seats (or Cosco).

[MomToEliEm]

Only a few seats when used as a booster can utilize the LATCH strap. The britax frontier and graco nautilus are two harnessed combination type seats that do allow it though. I think the Graco CarGo also can do, but I will have to dig out an old post to verify this. I am fairly certain that the alpha omega does not allow latch while in booster mode.

When using the alpha omega in booster mode, test it out to see where the lap and shoulder belt falls on the child. One common issue with this seat is that the lap portion of the seatbelt rides too high on the child's belly. It needs to fall down low on the hip and thigh area. If it is too high, this could cause internal injuries to the child during a car crash. Also, see how the shoulder belt falls on your child's shoulder/chest. If there is too much room between the child and the belt, it may not provide adequate protection during a car crash.

See how your child fits in your seat, and if he doesn't fit well, then you may need to get a different booster. From your previous posts, it looks like this seat will be for your 4 year old. Most people on the board would much prefer to see a 4 year old in a harnessed seat, but as long as your child meets the minimum requirements of a booster seat, it is up to the parent to decide whether to harness or booster a child.