What do you reach for first?

sb518

New member

• May 4, 2011

• #1

When installing a new car seat. LATCH, or the seat belt??

Poll to follow!

I always try the belt first.

 

wavegal

New member

• May 4, 2011

• #2

I said it depends, with the ss1 i always do seatbelt its just too easy not to. With my BV70 I always try latch first since I hate the way the belt routes in the new models. I find it a pain. I know how to and currently have it installed that way but if i move it it would be latched(as long as allowed)

 

Angela

New member

• May 4, 2011

• #3

It depends on the vehicle, seat, and parents choice. If it's a forward facing convertible or harness I make sure parents know how to install it with seat belt for when/if the child goes over the latch weight limit. Most rear facing seats I give the choice, if the vehicle allows.

 

mom2juliarose

New member

• May 4, 2011

• #4

Seatbelt, but that's because my car is the first car we've had with LATCH. I tend to forget it's there, honestly!

 

christineka

New member

• May 4, 2011

• #5

I have lots of car seats, lots of positions to use, and two different vehicles.

In the civic- seatbelt because the latch anchors are buried and hard to get to.

In the sienna- latch for the second row, seatbelt for the third row. The second row latch is easily accesible and a seatbelt install would hinder third row accessibility. Third row latch is either no there, off center enough that three seats wouldn't fit, or just not needed/usable.

 

Mae

Well-known member

• May 4, 2011

• #6

Seat belt, always. I have this irrational dislike for LATCH so I only use it unless I *have* to. Of course, this is in my car, not in cars such as seat checks.

 

zactayaus

Well-known member

• May 4, 2011

• #7

I usually go for latch first. I'm not really sure why, except I do prefer it if another child will be riding next to that seat in a booster or seat belt because it is so easy for them to accidentally undo the seat belt holding the car seat in (not so easy for them to undo latch).

 

momtotwogirls

New member

• May 4, 2011

• #8

Seatbelt. I know how to use them and install properly with them and my car doesnt have LATch so seatbelt is what I use so i have no default.

 

Chely7425

New member

• May 4, 2011

• #9

Totally depends... I generally do seatbelts with Radians or any other seat my bigger kids are in because then I don't have to worry about latch limits. I am hoping that I can use LATCH for both seats that will be in the captains chairs of our future van just so i can slide the seats easier.

 

luckyclov

New member

• May 4, 2011

• #10

Typically, I go for LATCH with RF'ing seats and seatbelt with FF'ing.

An exception would be the CCO - I prefer to use the seatbelt, euro-style, to install RF'ing.

 

mamom

New member

• May 4, 2011

• #11

I tend to use LATCH with the alligator style clips, but if they are the 1 piece i.e. dorel style then I use seatbelt for ease of use

 

NannyMom

Well-known member

• May 4, 2011

• #12

Latch if it's available. Except the SS1 in my van I use seatbelt because I get less fishtailing.

 

jennzee

Active member

• May 4, 2011

• #13

I usually go for the seatbelt. The car we owned when we learned how to install our first ever carseat didn't have LATCH, so I didn't learn how to use that for several years. I guess I've always just been more comfortable with the seatbelt because that's how I initially learned and used the longest. I do use LATCH in our current car most of the time in the seats that it's available in though.

 

Pixels

New member

• May 4, 2011

• #14

In my Civic, LATCH, because the outboard seatbelt anchors are forward of the bight and it often causes incompatibility or at least a difficult install. DH's car doesn't have LATCH.

For my seats in others' cars, it usually depends on how the seat is set up. If the seat was last used with LATCH and the strap is already routed, then I'll use LATCH because otherwise I have to un-route the LATCH strap and store it. If it was last used with seatbelt, then the LATCH strap is stowed and so it is more effort to use that than seatbelt.

At seat checks, if the seat came in partially installed, I'll usually try whichever method the parent used first. If not, then educate and let the parent decide, and/or try it both ways and see which works better (and then let the parent decide).

 

scoutingbear

New member

• May 4, 2011

• #15

For me it totally depends on the seat. If I'm installing my CCO outboard, LATCH (no LATCH in center position in either car). If it is a push button LATCH connector and I'm installing in dh's car, then seatbelt. It is almost impossible to use those type of connectors in his car due to the positioning of the LATCH bars. If it is a clip LATCH in his car, then I will try LATCH first. In my car, it depends on how many times I've installed the seat and how I've done it. (Of course, this is all a mute point right now since we have 3 across in both cars and it only works with seatbelt installs!)

 

Keeanh

Well-known member

• May 4, 2011

• #16

I've tried LATCH (UAS) once in my whole entire life, and although it worked, I ended up needing more room on the bench & reinstalled with the seat belt. I don't have LATCH in either of our daily-use vehicles, so it's totally off my radar. I've installed a few seats in my mom's car (a 2006) and it never occurred to me until THIS MINUTE that I could have tried LATCH . Seriously, it never even crossed my mind before.

 

Genevieve

CPST Instructor

• May 4, 2011

• #17

I said it depends. If the LATCH anchors of the car look easily accessible, I'll go for that first (provided the child is not over the weight limits). If the anchors are buried or just look awkward, I'll do seatbelt first.

And, if I'm installing a rearfacing seat with a switchable retractor and the seat does not have lockoffs, I'll try LATCH first.

Hmmm....I guess I don't really have a 'go to' method. I tend to evaluate the car and the seat and try what I think would work best.

 

Mama Jo

New member

• May 4, 2011

• #18

I always do seatbelt first. I don't think I've ever used the LATCH on any of my current seats except for the Frontier in booster mode. I have a personal preference to a seatbelt install unless it's completely incompatible.

 

jourdysmom

CPST Instructor

• May 4, 2011

• #19

My van: LATCH on Captain chairs so I can tilt them forward to access 3rd row, (can't tilt if seat belt used) Seat belt in 3rd row as I need all 3 seats.

DH's car (2004 Chevy Malibu Classic): Seatbelt. The LATCH bars are SO buried that I tear my hands up every time trying to get to them. So I don't bother!

Other vehicles: I show parents both ways, for me personally a seat belt is just easiest.

 

Cryssy Jane

New member

• May 4, 2011

• #20

Mae said:

Seat belt, always. I have this irrational dislike for LATCH so I only use it unless I *have* to. Of course, this is in my car, not in cars such as seat checks.

Click to expand...

:yeahthatlove: Totally the same way. I used LATCH for the first time on a FR 85 in my subi to get it to the meetup place to sell and well I could have had it in better and faster had I done seatbelt. I seatbelt everything honestly. The CCO is the only seat I've really latched, and that's on the slider captains chair so that I can slide it to center if needed.