'09 Ody w/ captain's moved over - install options

[aquamama]

I'm wondering about the options for installing my DD's car seat in the passenger side second row captain's chair, when the chair is moved over towards the middle, creating an aisle on the pass side of the car. Can we only install here with latch? Is it allowed to use the seat belt but not recommended? Not recommended for safely, difficulty, or not recommended because the belt would be across the aisle we created?

Right now I have a Diono Radian RFing there with a latch install. (As you may have seen in another thread) I am looking into a new RFing seat for her. I would rather she didn't have to switch to the driver's side. Some of the seats would allow for latch install. But one option is the Britax ClickTight seats. I read about them here: http://csftl.org/britax-advocate-clicktight-review/ And that explanation made me wonder if the ClickTight system would allow them to be installed here where others couldn't be.

And here's a related question. Do most seats allow latch install once FFing? I was reading this review: http://carseatblog.com/31265/best-c...cing-the-definitive-guide-for-savvy-shoppers/ and it said the NextFit couldn't use latch once over 40lbs and FFing...the rest (Britax and Gracos) didn't specify. Thanks!

 

[henrietta]

I'm wondering about the options for installing my DD's car seat in the passenger side second row captain's chair, when the chair is moved over towards the middle, creating an aisle on the pass side of the car. Can we only install here with a latch? Is it allowed to use the seat belt but not recommended? Not recommended for safely, difficulty, or not recommended because the belt would be across the aisle we created?

Right now I have a Diono Radian RFing there with a latch install. (As you may have seen in another thread) I am looking into a new RFing seat for her. I would rather she didn't have to switch to the driver's side. Some of the seats would allow for latch install. But one of the options are the Britax ClickTight seats. I read about them here: http://csftl.org/britax-advocate-clicktight-review/ And that explanation made me wonder if the ClickTight system would allow them to be installed here where others couldn't be.

And here's a related question. Do most seats allow latch install once FFing? I was reading this review: http://carseatblog.com/31265/best-c...cing-the-definitive-guide-for-savvy-shoppers/ and it said the NextFit couldn't use latch once over 40lbs and FFing...the rest (Britax and Gracos) didn't specify. Thanks!

I have an '09 Ody and a Britax Advocate Clicktight for my 15 month old.

First, all seats "allow" latch forward facing, BUT (huge BUT here!) there are weight limits for LATCH and they, of course, affect forward facing use much more than rear facing use b/c of the size of the kiddos using the seats. It is now the child's weight plus the weight of the car seat must be less than "X" to use the lower anchors...AND you also have to take into consideration the car manufacturer's LATCH limits. If the car has a 40 lbs weight limit on LATCH, but your car seat has a 48 lbs limit of kid+seat, you must defer to the lower limit provided by the car (or vice versa). Don't disregard the instructions for either. Really important to read the instructions of both vehicle and car seat! Obviously, the heavier car seats are more likely to have have a lesser weight limit for the child. Here's the latch limits for the Advocate: " It is important to note that the Advocate ClickTight only allows for lower anchor installation in seating positions with standard 11″ lower anchor spacing, and that the child must weigh less than 30 lbs rear facing or 35 lbs forward facing to install using lower anchors."

You can use LATCH in the passenger side captain's chair with it moved towards the center, as long as you follow those weight restrictions. It's definitely easier, when possible, to use LATCH when the captain's chair is slid over like that, b/c the seatbelt is not blocking the aisle that allows access to the third row. There's no other reason you can't use the seatbelt there. The aisle is the only issue. In some older vans, it used to sometimes be difficult get the seatbelt to hold the seat tightly enough in that position, b/c of the way the seatbelt went across that open space. It wouldn't hold the car seat as securely as we like. I haven't had a problem with that in the '09, but I also haven't had any seats installed that way for very long yet, either.

As for using LATCH with Clicktight, I can see how and why it could be HUGE PITA!!! You really, really should not snug up the belt of either install method anymore than just a little bit when installing...just to barely take the slack out..barely!!! It could absolutely get stuck and has gotten stuck for a few people. I decided if I needed to use LATCH and couldn't get it out, I'd cut the latch belt and then gripe to Britax. I refuse to ruin the Clicktight mechanism. I'm not going to ruin a $300 seat.

hths

 

[LISmama810]

Right, as stated, you can use a seatbelt to install a seat there, but then you've made the aisle fairly unusable.

You can install with LATCH there as long as you're within the limits. Honda has a 65-lb limit (child weight plus seat weight). New car seats will also have a maximum child weight printed on them.

You said in your other thread that you're using SuperLATCH on your Diono. That is allowed per Diono, but not allowed per Honda unless the combined weight is under 65 lbs. I forget the official weight of the Radian, but it's a heavy seat, so I'd check that.

If you want to install a seat in that position, and you want the seat to work for your tall older child (per the other thread), and you want to be able to use the aisle, I'd go with a Graco Size4Me/MySize/Headwise. They're lighter weight than the Dionos, so you can use LATCH longer, and they're taller, too, but install more compactly. I absolutely would not use a ClickTight with LATCH ever.

 

[thepote]

I have a 2005 Ody, so same generation. For my last three kids I've found that once they go FF I have to either put them outboard behind the drivers side or slide the off-center seat to the passenger side. It seems like a "waste" of a safer center seat, but the seatbelt across the aisle isn't practical for the older kids to access the third row. I find that the older kids don't have a problem climbing over either of the seats to get to the center aisle, though.

Right now DD is FF in a Foonf outboard passenger side, with the latched REACT and seatbelt, my compromise for not being able to have her in the center.

 

[aquamama]

Thanks all. Upon reflection I am now leaning towards the new Safety 1st coming out in April or another Diono (with 50lb weight limit). This seems like the best way to ensure I will end up with a seat I can use this year for my daughter, but also for my son (who is already 30 lbs at 9 mo!) in a year or two.

In theory we like the idea of the aisle allowing passengers to get into the third row. In practice the grandparents have a hard-to-impossible time getting in that way, and they are really the only people who'd be riding back there with any frequency. The rest of us could always get in through the tail gate too. And, it isn't that bad if we did have to switch my DS and DD's seats for the next year, to keep the LATCH install on the aisle side for as long as possible. I'm also considering putting DD in the 3rd row once she is FFing, but as someone said, once she's FFing people can go in front of the seat and use the center aisle to get into the third row.

The Diono Radian is 26.15 lbs, so the child weight limit for LATCH in the Honda Odyssey appears to be 38.85 lbs. So, this is something to consider when calculating how long my DD will be able to stay in this seat. (She is 35-36 lbs now.)

 

[aquamama]

Well, it turns out DD is about 39 lbs now, so not only do we have to get her car seat installed with a seat belt pronto, but the Graco MySize I was planning to buy to use until the new Safety 1st comes out is no longer an option. :/ Back to the drawing board!