How do you keep a toddler from opening seat belt latches? I have a grandson (2.5yrs) that opens seat belt and car seats at will. Very disconcerting when you are driving alone and he climbs up front with you! Any ideas beside stapling him to the seat? How do you keep a toddler from opening seat belt latches? I have a grandson (2.5yrs) that opens seat belt and car seats at will. Very disconcerting when you are driving alone and he climbs up front... » Read More How do you keep a toddler from opening seat belt latches? I have a grandson (2.5yrs) that opens seat belt and car seats at will. Very disconcerting when you are driving alone and he climbs up front with you! Any ideas beside stapling him to the seat? « Show Less
111745
It's been at least a year since you posted this question, so I hope you've solved the problem by now. My parents had the same fight with me and my brother when we were young and solved it by slamming on the breaks when they saw our seat belts were off (obviously, they made sure the road conditions were safe for this!). I tumbled to the front of our van and my brother hit a cabinet. Then we got yelled at and (probably) spanked. We were unharmed, but very terrified by the experience and NEVER took our seatbelt off again. It's not a solution I can recommend, but it worked on me.
111746
If you still have the old seat, it maybe a good idea to continue its use until he is 3 and you can communicate better with him... By three they understand not everything is for play. If you don't have the old seat, try using a regular man's belt as added security,
439578
I think it depends on the size of the car seat and also the size of your older child. I find that we have plenty of room with ours (although our 2 year old is small), and my 2 year old loves being able to chat to the baby, although she has to lean forward a fair bit to do it. We have a fairly large car seat and we haven't found this to be a problem.
1583089
My daughter is very tall also, 100% for her age group. At 18 months and 35inches, she is at the next to the top shoulder strap. The manufacturer recommends turning it forward facing when they reach the top strap holder. I just asked our pediatrician at our 18 month check up what we should do when she reaches that point as I am sure it will be soon, and before she is 2 which is the law in CA. His response was to turn her around when she reaches the top strap even if it is before age 2 as she will then be big enough. That being said we bought this carseat for traveling. It is the smallest and lightest carseat we could find. She seems very comfortable in it. The bottom strap to attach it via car latches does not adjust on both sides which makes getting a perfectly tight fit impossible. It has good safety ratings but in comparison to the Britax carseat we use for every day, it really doesn't seem as safe or tighly secured in the car. Hope this helps.
1715268
READ THE MANUAL. But this one was unbelievably easy to install. We have it rear-facing and installed with the LATCH system as well as the top tether (not all have top tether for RF). The LATCH belts come pre-set in the rear-facing position, but they are easy to switch. However, the seat can only be installed with LATCH up to when the child in 40 pounds (I think). So by the time you switch to forward-facing, you probably need to install with the seat belt.
1805631
I have twin girls and my husband and I bought two chicco infant car seats that came with bases. The bases stayed in my car and he used the seat belt to secure them when in his car. I have since bought two foward facing seats for my car and the infant seats are still in his car with the base. We will have to buy forward facing soon for his car. So we have bought 4 so far and will need to buy 2 more. I suggest you buy two convertible seats, and let them buy 2 infant seats if they want them.
1427634
There is an opening secured with velcro for seat belts but not the latch anchors. You could easily cut an opening for the latch anchors and just stitch around the opening so the pad doesn't fray. I bought the cover for my dogs but just last night put my grand daughters car seat in there and the pad was perfect for her wet dirty boots.
1048669
You can use the car seat with a seat belt. In this respect it can be used as a high back booster. The back does not detach to make it into a backless booster. Be sure to read the owner's manual for specific information about securing your child into this seat using just a seat belt.
1534436
The seatbelt works just normal, this pops into the car - you don't fasten it to anything and you put the seatbelt on as if it wasn't there. It's a booster seat... kind of like putting an old fashioned phone book under your butt. Its what most kids use that are older. Hope this helps.
518829
Agreed with previous reponses--I would feel very secure using this seat in an older vehicle. The back/top tether is only "required" when using the seat with children over 65 lbs. Even with the latch option, I prefer using the seatbelt as it is easy to install/uninstall.
2011446
It is MUCH simpler to latch and unlatch than a normal harness car seat. Also, it is not absolutely necessary to use the latch system (I believe I read this in the instructions), because the latch system is just there to keep the booster in place when a child is not sitting in it with the seat belt on.
1098543
How old is your son? The vest is very secure but if he is old enough to unlock the seat belt this won't work.
642531
It really depends on the childs height. We started using it when our granddaughter was 3 years old and she was much more comfortable riding. Her legs were not pushing into the back of the front seat and she could move around a little more easily. For us her weight had increased, as it should, and it was much easier for her to climb into the carseat on her own and we can then buckle her in. She is now 4+ and can almost buckle herself in. It has been a great seat for us and her.
113393
Right, I've had that problem too. I think it has something to do with the smaller straps that hold those gray chest pads (forget what Britax calls them - HUGS pads?). I just pull the strap release (accessed through a slit in the seat cover near where the lower strap comes out between the child's legs), grasp the black clip that holds the 2 shoulder straps together across the child's chest, and pull that clip upwards until it moves no further. That's usually enough slack in our case to get our kid out easily. It does seem to run up against those little HUGS pad straps though.
911168
I don't generally loosen the straps each time I take him out. It was harder when he was a newborn because I didn't want to hurt him wrestling his limbs out of the harness! But now he is a few months old and actually moves his arm to help me get him out. If I have to tighten the harness while he is in it, I try and figure out how much I need to tighten it before I buckle it since it is really difficult to pull the strap to tighten it while it is buckled.
2133158
I will be honest with you. When I bought these two jeeps for my grandsons, ages3 and then4 I was not concerned with the seat belts or radio. There is a fake radio and there're are not any seat belts. My grandsons have been riding them for about 4 months now and there are not any problems without the seat belts.
318895
Yes, this really works best using the seatbelt. Plus the latch isn't recommended once hour child reaches a certain weight.
98559
Yes, I just tested it out at store and I don't have Latch either. It's a pain to initially install with the seatbelt, but seems it will stay put much better than our current base for our infant carseat. I tested a Britax as well and it was the same issue, so no difference on that based on brand.