The 1 Car Seat Rule You Might Not Know

This post is brought to you by Kim’s Nissan.

I always try to stay on top of all the car seat recommendations and while I was at a car inspection recently they weren’t aware that cars have weight limits for the LATCH system.  While I was very grateful for the service of them inspecting my car seat was used correctly, giving me a discount on buying a new car seat while they disposed of my expired car seat, I couldn’t believe they weren’t up to date on the LATCH system facts.

Here’s the deal…

Most newer cars and car seats use the LATCH system which stands for Lower Anchors and Tethers for Children.  The LATCH system attaches the car seat to the car through anchor points installed in the car, which makes for an easy peasy installation.  Using this system can eliminate numerous potential errors resulting from improper car seat installation with a seat belt.  However, many parents (and sometimes car seat inspectors) aren’t aware that the 65-pound weight limit for using the LATCH system includes the weight of your child in addition to the weight of the car seat (most average around 20-25 pounds on their own). (By the way, the site which I linked to in this paragraph is wonderful for all information on car seat safety.  They also have a Facebook group which I’ve found incredibly helpful. It’s called Car Seats for the Littles and if you join make sure to read their User Agreement before you post because they have a lot of folks in the group.)

If you check and your little one is over 40 lbs and has reached capacity, simply consult your vehicles owner’s manual and car seat user guide (most are online now if you’ve misplaced yours) to make sure you’ve correctly installed your child’s seat using a seat belt and tether.  Car seats are a paaaaain in the rear.  There’s nothing I hate doing more than installing a car seat.  It’s so much work but it’s all worth it to make sure our most precious gifts are as safe as they can possibly be.