Question Car seats, tethers, and the Buick Enclave

[Unregistered]

I have a 4.5yo, a 2.5yo, and a 6 month old. My Acura MDX was recently totaled in an accident, so I am looking for a new car. In my MDX, the three kids were sitting three across in the second row and I had the third row folded down for the stroller, dog, groceries, etc etc etc.

I am looking at an Enclave as a replacement and like that it would give me more functional seating (in that the third row would actually be accessible) than the MDX did. However, I'm a bit flummoxed as to how to arrange my kids. I would like to put the oldest two in the third row and the baby in one of the captains chairs, leaving the second captains chair free for another passenger (or for me, when we are stopped and I need to tend to the baby). But there is only one tether in the third row, and that is in the center. The sales guy at the dealer told me I could use that tether for any seats in the back row (meaning I could put my two oldest in the two outside seats in the third row and tether their seats to the single tether). Is that right?

As an aside, I think I need a tutorial on tethering in general.... is it to be used when using the seatbelts but not when using LATCH? Or are you supposed to tether when doing a LATCH install as well?

Any insight is appreciated. I am all worked up over this decision!

 

[wendytthomas]

Welcome. I hope everyone was ok in the crash. You've replaced the seats, right?

You cannot tether two seats to one tether, nor can you tether from the left seat to a right tether. No shock that the car salesman didn't know this.

I'd have the 2.5 year old rear facing (therefore no tether needed), the 4.5 year old forward facing where the tether is, and then the baby in the second row.

You use the tether forward facing with LATCH or the seatbelt. It's required with LATCH (that's what the T in LATCH stands for) and it's optional and highly encouraged to use the tether with the seatbelt (unless you're in Canada where it's the law to use it on all forward facing seats). It reduces head excursion, so it's vitally important for any forward facing harnessed child.

But if you rear face your two year old and forward face your four year old you can put them back there with just the one tether. Then in a year or so when your then 3.5 year old goes forward facing (or even longer, say 18 months) you put your then 5.5-6 year old in a booster (doesn't require a tether), the then 3.5-4 year old in the position forward facing with the tether, and your then 1.5 year old is rear facing in the middle row.

Wendy