Nervous about using LATCH

jessi f · Mar 5, 2011

Please talk me down

I know in my head that it's been tested and is safe when used correctly. I've never used it bc I dont have it in my car so even when the kids and I ride in cars that have it I stick with the seatbelt since that's what I'm used to.

The connectors and strap just dont seem as sturdy as a seatbelt that's made to hold a full grown adult. And the variety of weight limits for different cars and seats throws me off a bit.

We are hopefully going to buy a Mazda 5 on Monday

So I was thinking about needing to move the captains chairs up a bit if someone would be riding in the back. I've read about the wording in the cars manual and feel comfortable with not having the seats all the way back if we need space in the third row, thanks defrost

If I do a seatbelt install I'm assuming I would have to redo it to move the captains chair back and forth. So it makes more sense to use LATCH. If DS is still within the limits of the seat and the car, still need to check that. But now I'm randomly all worried about it.

Am I just being weird or does anyone else feel this way?

Judi · Mar 5, 2011

I have no issue using latch. I do 2 out of 3 of my 3 across with latch. Love it. I use whatever is easier for me at the time.

mommyfrog · Mar 5, 2011

The thought does cross my mind too. But we don't have LATCH in any of our cars so I don't have to worry about it!!

LISmama810 · Mar 5, 2011

I don't really distrust LATCH (at least for lower weights) but in general I greatly prefer seatbelts. I find them to be less time-consuming. I wouldn't hesitate to use LATCH if I needed to.

babyherder · Mar 5, 2011

Honestly, I've thought of that too. Its not that I distrust latch exactly. Its just that there's so many varying weight limits and confusion about them. And seat belts have been around for soooo much longer and they work very well. So why test out something I'm a little unsure of? But if you install and re-install often you're more likely to mess up the install. So in your case I would see that as a reason to use latch and I'd use it and know it is safe.

kater-tot82 · Mar 5, 2011

I usually try LATCH first just because my anchors are easy to get to. If I can't get a good install that way, I try seatbelt. I don't really worry about what I'm using as long as I get a good install. And in your situation, I wouldn't hesitate

Enjoy your new vehicle!

tarabelle · Mar 5, 2011

I generally do whichever I get an easier install on. For my cars, it's mostly LATCh. DH has to be able to replicate the installs also and he has an easier time with LATCH than the differing seat belt types and locking mechanisms of the seats. I don't distrust either system or trust one over another. IMO, The chances of either system failing are so low that I don't even think about it, honestly.

Kegracin · Mar 5, 2011

I use latch in my yukon on my MA70 but use the seat belt on my RA50 because its just faster. They are each rear facing on the buckets in the middle row both seats have latch but the RA50 doesn't have the independent latch things...and I was spoiled by my MA. Actually I used the seat belt with my Keyfit base too because idk its so easy to use the seat belt.

Go with what ever you can get the best install....congrats on the new car

skaterbabs · Mar 6, 2011

LATCH is *supposed* to be easier than the seatbelt. Sometimes it is... most of the time either it's the same as or more difficult than using the seatbelt.

The seatbelt is neither more nor less safe than LATCH, assuming each installs equally well. The increased safety of one or the other is when one is clearly an easier & more secure installation. I've seen vehicles in which that was without question the LATCH system. And I've seen vehicles in which the LATCH is just a PITA and totally worthless.

ketchupqueen · Mar 6, 2011

I rarely do LATCH just because I'm so used to vehicles in which either there is no LATCH, or the lower anchors are so inacessible as to be a major pain. If I had a vehicle in which it was super easy to use, though, I might well be happy with it, at least with some seats.

I've met two vehicle/seat combinations where the ONLY way to get a seat in remotely securely, was to use LATCH.

Pixels · Mar 6, 2011

Sure, LATCH doesn't seem as sturdy as a seatbelt, but it doesn't need to be. Seatbelt may be asked to hold a 300 pound person. LATCH isn't holding near that weight. I think of it like ... me holding a book, or an Olympic weight lifter holding a book. Sure, the Olympian is stronger than me, but I'm plenty strong enough to hold that book, so it doesn't really matter that the Olympian is stronger.

Mazda defers to the seat manufacturer. The LATCH limit on the Nautilus in your siggy pic is 48 pounds.

Angela · Mar 6, 2011

I install mostly with seatbelt in my car. I can usually get a better install with it. It depends on the seat that I'm installing though.

My usual suggestion for parents installing a combo or convertible is to at least try it with the seat belt even if they're going to usually have it installed with LATCH. That way when the child gets to the LATCH limit you know you can still install it with seat belt without any problems. I don't usually say one over the other though, as long as you get a good install with the one you choose.

joolsplus3 · Mar 6, 2011

I once read, years ago, from the one of the top engineers at Ford, that LATCH was, in fact, safer. Lots of techs argued with him, and he backed down (it probably IS safer for joe shmoe and his ultra loose top tetherless seatbelt install, but maybe not for those of us who can get a great belt install

), but that's always stuck in my mind and I've never had a fear of LATCH being less safe :thumbsup:

tiggercat · Mar 6, 2011

I have no concerns at all about using LATCH to install my seats. I am cautious about weight limits. Usually, I use the lower anchors for rearfacing convertibles and infant bases without lockoffs. For forward facing seats at clinics, I use seatbelts more often, especially if the seats is a higher weight limit harnessed seat. That avoids the need to switch install methods as the child grows.

jessi f · Mar 6, 2011

Thanks so much guys

I really do "know" it's a safe option. I'm just a little prone to silly moments of panic when faced with new (to me) things. I have to step back for a bit to process and obsessively research before I can accept that it's really nothing to worry about. The responses on this thread and reading through older threads on the forum has helped me quite a bit in my little process

DS rides in a TF in my car (siggy pic is from grandma's car). The LATCH limit for it is 48 lbs, right? Jonas has been hovering around 41 lbs so we would be good there for quite a while. We do have an XTSL for him in dad's car but I'm still on the fence about SL...

I'm so excited about getting this car. I'm going to be really sad if it doesnt work out. We thought we had found the perfect one a couple weeks ago but the deal fell through at the last minute bc we found out the title had a lien on it.

teekadog · Mar 6, 2011

From my joe shmoe perspective, I prefer LATCH, just for ease of use (and now that my kids are getting bigger, for no-slippy boosters). Sometimes I wish I had a couple rigid LATCH connectors sticking out of my butt cheeks- how cool would that be

? I wish LATCH limits went up to my weight

And I do use the LATCH in the 2nd row of my Mazda5 so that we can still use the slide function of those seats. But I won't buy a seat that I can't also get an acceptable belt install with.

Defrost · Mar 6, 2011

I will admit it took me a while to get "into" the idea of LATCH. Keep in mind, my oldest is 16, so I was the queen of the locking clip at one point, too! I was very, very comfortable with my seatbelt installs, and this whole "LATCH" concept was just freaky.

It only took me a couple months of using it to get over that, though. Now I like them both about equally - it all depends on the vehicle and the seat in question.

You're right that you'll want to use LATCH in the 2nd row, though. When I had to switch back to the seatbelt for my dd and my friend's dd because they were both over 48lbs, it was a pain in the rear to have the seats "stuck" in place, yk?

mamom · Mar 6, 2011

I use latch when it is the easy aligator britax style...but I never use latch on my dorel seats, I think it is kind of a pita

Ninetales · Mar 6, 2011

I have never used latch because it's been a huge PITA every time I've tried it. My SR had lockoffs, and I could never get a good install with the Scenera or the CA. I didnt even try with the MR.

But if you can get a good install I don't believe it's any less safe. The weightlifter/book analogy is a good one.

Mom-of-Two · Mar 7, 2011

I have only ever used LATCH- just what is easy and in my vehicle and my Britax seats go in super tight and easy, so I have never had a reason to use the belt- however, since my kiddo is still harnessed in a Regent at 6.5, I am thinking I should move over to seatbelt install. She is 44ish lbs, so I am not to the 48 lb weight limit for LATCH yet (Toyota and Britax)

However, maybe a good idea to move over to seatbelt install since she is a higher weight?

She is now boostered in dad's car but will stay in her Regent at least a few more months, as we have a 12+ hr trip in the early summer and there is no way she'd go for a booster, as she states she is never leaving her Regent.

They need to sleep on the trip so I am not changing anything up just yet!

Is it easy to install the Regent with seat belt?

Nervous about using LATCH

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