Lap belt only? Still install in middle?

[Unregistered]

Hi. We just bought two Evenflo Triumph Advances. One for our Tahoe which has the latch system, and the other for my 2000 Stratus which does not have the latch system. We want to keep our daughter in the middle of the car, but since the middle does not have a shoulder belt, is it safest to keep her on the side so that we can use the should belt? (this is what the man at Babies R Us told us) or is it ok to keep her in the middle using just the lap belt?

She is 6 months old and right under 20 lbs at 28 inches.. she is obviously rear facing and will be as long as possible.

Thank you!

[snowbird25ca]

A lap belt is perfectly safe for installing carseats provided you can get a secure installation (less than 1" movement at the belt path,) and the vehicle allows you to install a seat in that seating positions .

You'll actually have an easier time installing a rf'ing seat with a lap belt in the vast majority of cases. :) Make sure you read through both your carseat manual and your vehicle manual before installing it, and you should be fine. If you have any problems or questions along the way, post here and we'll be able to help.

[NannyMom]

I totally agree with the previous poster. A lap only belt is often easier for installing a rear facing seat.

[flipper68]

Hi. We just bought two Evenflo Triumph Advances. One for our Tahoe which has the latch system, and the other for my 2000 Stratus which does not have the latch system. We want to keep our daughter in the middle of the car, but since the middle does not have a shoulder belt, is it safest to keep her on the side so that we can use the should belt? (this is what the man at Babies R Us told us) or is it ok to keep her in the middle using just the lap belt?

She is 6 months old and right under 20 lbs at 28 inches.. she is obviously rear facing and will be as long as possible.

Thank you!

For the record, most BRU (and most other stores) employees give LOUSY car seat information. For your friends/relatives/and your own next shopping trip, have the staff show you (ie - a manual) where they are getting their "knowledge" or just nod your head "okay" and move on.

The middle is the safest - assuming you can get a snug install. LATCH is "supposed to" make installation easier but it is not safer than ANY seatbelt system as long as you can install the seat w/< 1" movement at the belt path.

If your Tahoe has a "hump," a "funny" middle seat because of split fold down seats, it might not work to install the seat in the middle. Do double check the Tahoe owner's manual to confirm install in the middle is allowed.

1 other hint:
You can twist the stalk of the seatbelt up to 3x's to shorten it - if the buckle ends up right at the edge of the belt path, it might not tighten/stay tight.