I guess just wondering if anyone here has done it, and felt good about it? I know many people DO it, but are those the same ppl who normally buckle their kids in with the straps falling off and seats not installed right to begin with?
We RV at least once a year. We rented Class C motorhomes for 2 years with DD#1. We are in Canada and the models we rented had one TT anchor (same pictogram used for LATCH TT anchors here). The first year, she RFd, the 2nd year she FFd. We installed the seats at the dining table (ETA on the bench that faced the direction of travel -- that's where the TA was), with the table top removed (and stowed underneath in a cargo area, IIRC). The seatbelts were bolted to the frame of the RV, not the plywood. We installed the seat directly on the plywood of the seat (stowing the cushion).
My understanding is that US Class C motorhomes generally do NOT have TT anchors. I've never seen a Class A with them, though DH says he has seen a Class A with anchors up here. Class As are the bus-like RVs.
At that time, DH was pretty much not on board with much to do with car seat safety and this was about all I could get him to agree to.
In subsequent years (5 yrs?? possibly 6, I've lost track) we either rent 5th wheels or trailers. Mainly due to the car seat situation (now we have DD#2 too), but also for convenience.
It seems to me you have some parental decisions to make:
- Go in the RV, make the best of some not-so-great options.
- Take a 2nd vehicle (no way would I have ever been able to get DH to agree to this when he was still in motorhome mode, interestingly, we did exactly this last year for one trip).
- Skip the vacation altogether.
If you are determined to go all in the RV, some options might include putting your youngest FFg in the front passenger seat and having your oldest ride in a lap-belt only at the dinette. My understanding is that child restraints can never be installed on side-ways seats (like the couch) and never on a swivel seat (like the recliner). The RVs we have rented and seen at RV shows usually have stickers stating this.
None of this addresses the legality issues (ie., if your 5yo is at the dinette in the lap-only belt, can you be ticketed for non-compliance with any booster laws). There is also the issue addressed up-thread about projectiles.
This is really a parental judgment call. If you're looking for tech reassurance on the use of child restraints in motorhomes, its highly unlikely (from prior threads I've read here) that you'll find it here. JMHO.
HTH