I nanny for a little girl and in the mornings, I drop her sister off at her nanny's house. I have to take out the car seat from their car and I've noticed they only strap in the seats by the seat belt. I use the belt, clip and the click things that fasten in the seats by a hook...so three ways of securing it.
Should I say something to them? They are wonderful parents, so I'm wondering if they just don't know how to do that? They're from India, so they grew up in a totally different world and may not realize how the seats work.
Post by karinothing on Dec 17, 2012 11:50:00 GMT -5
I would.
ETA: Oh, if what Token was saying is right then I agree with her. I think I misunderstood what you said. Yes you either use LATCH or the seatbelt. Not both.
Post by dcrunnergirl on Dec 17, 2012 11:54:45 GMT -5
When we used the seats without the base, I think you only used the seatbelt. You just weaved it through the hooks, but I could be remembering it wrong.
Post by mollybrown on Dec 17, 2012 12:04:28 GMT -5
Agree with everyone else. Review the manuals to make sure you're installing the seat correctly.
You can safely secure a car seat using only a seat belt. Our 2000 vehicle doesn't have latch, and that is the proper way to install the car seat. Latch is an option, and both ways of installation are correct.
I nanny for a little girl and in the mornings, I drop her sister off at her nanny's house. I have to take out the car seat from their car and I've noticed they only strap in the seats by the seat belt. I use the belt, clip and the click things that fasten in the seats by a hook...so three ways of securing it.
Should I say something to them? They are wonderful parents, so I'm wondering if they just don't know how to do that? They're from India, so they grew up in a totally different world and may not realize how the seats work.
It sounds like you don't understand how the seats work. By installing a car seat using the seat belt AND latch (ie: "the click things that fasten in the seats by a hook") you are actually very, very wrong. You choose one or the other but NEVER both!!!!! If done correctly both are very safe installs but when done together it's not safe in the least.
Post by biscoffcookies on Dec 17, 2012 12:07:35 GMT -5
What is the "clip" you mention -- does it have anything to do with locking off the seatbelt? (Our infant seat came with a metal piece that does this.) If so, and they are not using the lockoff, then I would say something. If we had only used the seatbelt on the base of our infant seat, the seatbelt would have not held the seat securely at all times.
If that's not what you are talking about, then ignore me.
Ugh, thanks! I had someone show me how and she told me that is was super important to use all latches. She has three kids, so I figured she was right. Thanks, everyone!
Is the "clip" you mentioned the clip to the rear tether? If so, the then you should continue to use the LATCH and the rear tether--but not the seatbelt. In other words, you should be using one method of anchoring the bottom of the seat, and then the tether that attaches to the back of the seat, assuming that you have a rear tether.
"Car seats are designed to handle crash forces in specific ways. While we know, thanks to federally mandated crash testing, that baby's car seat will withstand crash forces when installed with the seat belt, or with the LATCH system, we do not know if the same car seat will withstand crash forces when both systems are used at the same time. Putting two installation belts through the same belt path could put stress on the car seat shell from two different angles during a crash, causing breakage. Using two installation belts could also concentrate more crash force on a small area of the car seat."
Just curious, why does it become unsafe to use the seatbelt in addition to the latch?
Because it is not tested to be used that way. Not all vehicles have LATCH and therefore a seat belt installation option is necessary.
A car seat must pass testing using only LATCH as the fixture method, and then pass again using only the belt. It must pass both of these in order to be certified.
Its also good to note that the Latch system is only recommended to a child who weighs less than 40 lbs. Then the seatbelt is recommended to secure the seat because the extra weight in a crash may break the latch attachments.