Installation is one of the most important things you will do with your child car seat. In fact, nearly half of all child car seats are installed incorrectly according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), which is a staggering amount when you consider that they exist to keep children safe. However, it does not have to be a stressful experience for your family. If you ensure you follow the important steps outlined below, you and your family will be able to install your car seat correctly, every time!
It’s not at all unusual for those new to parenting and childcare to find themselves bereft in the back of their car, fumbling with car seat fittings and scratching their heads—and the same often can be the case for seasoned parents who’ve simply bought a new one.
That’s where Child Passenger Safety Technicians (CPSTs) come in. We spend our days immersed in car seats, so we can break down exactly what’s involved in correct installation and fitment.
This guide covers the essentials of how to install a car seat: choosing a method, installing with LATCH, installing with the seat belt, the top tether, and confirming the install is tight. There’s also more information in our video, Car Seats: How to with the Gurus, and in our accompanying article Car Seat Safety: Mistakes, Expiration Dates, and Care.
- What Are the Two Ways to Install a Car Seat?
- How Do I Install a Car Seat Using LATCH?
- How Do I Install a Car Seat Using the Seat Belt?
- Do I Need to Use the Top Tether?
- How Do I Know My Car Seat Is Installed Correctly?
- Where Can I Get My Car Seat Installation Checked by a Professional?
- Frequently Asked Questions
- Bottom Line
| Question | Short answer |
|---|---|
| Is LATCH or a seat belt installation safer? | Neither—NHTSA considers both equally safe when installed correctly |
| What's the LATCH weight limit? | 65 lbs combined child + car seat weight for the lower anchors (check your seat's label—some set it lower) |
| Do I need the top tether? | Yes, on every forward-facing install, regardless of whether the base uses LATCH or the seat belt |
| How do I know the install is tight enough? | The inch test: less than 1 inch of movement side-to-side or front-to-back at the belt path |
What Are the Two Ways to Install a Car Seat?
There are two ways to install car seats: LATCH and seat belt. Both are equally safe as long as they’re done correctly, but you need to choose one or the other. They should never be combined.
LATCH stands for Lower Anchors and Tethers for Children and refers to built-in vehicle anchor points that let you install a car seat without the seat belt. There is a federal standard that limits LATCH connections to 65 pounds including both the seat and the child, so they’re typically found on infant seats designed for newborn babies to children up to 18 months old. Typically, they are easiest to use in outboard seats where the anchor points are easily accessible.
Seat belt installations involve threading the belt through a designated path in the child seat. Both the lap and the shoulder belts should thread through the base of the car seat and click into the seat belt anchor—just as they do when adults connect a seat belt. Unlike the LATCH method, there is no weight limit with seat belt installations, so they become the only option when children have outgrown infant seats with LATCH fittings, and they work equally well in outboard or center-seat positions.
| LATCH | Seat belt | |
|---|---|---|
| Safety | Equally safe when installed correctly | Equally safe when installed correctly |
| Weight limit | 65 lbs combined child + seat (lower anchors only—check your seat's label) | No combined weight limit; becomes the only option once LATCH is outgrown |
| Best for | Outboard seating positions with accessible anchors | Center seating positions, or once the LATCH weight limit is reached |
| Rule | Never combine with the seat belt at the same seating position | Never combine with LATCH at the same seating position |
How Do I Install a Car Seat Using LATCH?
LATCH systems are really simple to install, and it’s always best to start by locating the lower anchors in the vehicle’s seat. These are not the anchor points for conventional seat belts—they’re the metal bars in the crease of the vehicle seat. Your vehicle’s Owner’s Manual can help locate the LATCH anchor points.
Infant car seats—the type usually fitted with LATCH attachments—typically have a detachable base, which makes for two big perks. The first is that it’s easy to move a sleeping child—you just unclip the seat shell from the base and carry it or place it in a compatible stroller—and the second is that you don’t have to navigate installation every time you use the seat; you simply install the base once, then click in the infant seat the top of it every time you ride with baby.
Make sure the base is at the proper recline angle by lifting the recline foot adjuster. You can do this by looking at the bubble in the spirit level in the car seat’s base, which falls between the lines when the recline angle is correct. When it’s level, pull the base straps tight to secure it in place, and don’t forget to push down on the base while you’re tightening the straps to remove slack, because this is where most loose install errors occur.
We walk through everything described above in our video Car Seats: All you need to know with CarGurus and Chicco, so you can see what it looks like in practice.
