Forward facing child car seat question?

Question

Here is my situation. I have a 2007 Hyundai Elantra sedan. In the car manual it says that I cannot use the LATCH system in the center rear facing, but does not say anything about forward facing in the center. Please do not say call the manufacture, been there and done that(they have no clue what I am talking about). The car seat that I am trying to use forward facing in the center position with the seat belt does not seem like it is in there as well as it could be.

Answer 1

Instead of using the latch system since you are not sure if it can be properly used I would suggest this.  Go to your local Babies R Us and ask them for a seat belt clip for your car seat.  They will show you a metal clip that will cost you about $5.  What it is made to do is hold the seat belt at the tightest position once you have the seat belted in.  It is really hard to explain you will just need to get one and follow the instructions.  I would try that first before using a latch system that the manufacturer isn't' even sure of.  

Good Luck!

Answer 2

Being a foreign car, they may not be required to install the LATCH system like American made models. They just don't have the same standards. Literally put your knee into the carseat when tightening it up, and put all your weight on it, this will help it stay tight. LATCH is made to only be used in the middle of the backseat, you cannot use it to the sides either, but the standard straps are just as safe if properly tightened.

Answer 3

Put your vehicle information on car-seat.org and a carseat tech with a LATCH manual can look it up for you.

Answer 4

If I were you and my carseat didnt fit right I wouldnt' mess around. Since it doesn't make sense to get a new car I would get a new car seat. One that will definitally fit no queastions asked. 80% of child deaths due to car accidents are because the car seat was not fastened correctly. Another idea....any firestation will put your carseat in correctly for free. Just drive up and let them take a look at it. Whatever you do don't take any chances!!! Hope this helps!

Answer 5

First, the manufacturer sounds like an IDIOT if they can't help you with something that simple!!!

I would use the latch for foreward facing in the middle, just make sure you sit in the seat when you put it in.  Im sure you know this but make sure it doesn't move at all after it's secure.  I am a freak about carseats after being in an accident!

(if you have 6 latch hooks in the seats and 3 on top, it was obviously ment for it!)

Answer 6

did you place your weight in the carseat when you try to buckle it in? (place knee in the seat area and put weight down).... That is the only thing i can think of on why it would not be in as good....

Answer 7

Is there a hump in the middle section of the car?  IS that why it doesn't fit snugly?  If so then any car seat is not going to fit well there.  Why not try a window seat?  A car seat doesn't *have* to be in the middle and certainly if you ever have more than one child it won't be.

But if you really want it in the center they why not call the fire department who will have a trained tech on site to install the car seat for you, correctly.

Answer 8

I don't know anything about the latch system in your car but I wanted to comment on the seatbelt method.  Make sure you are using the metal clippy attachment for the seatbelt, if the seatbelt is the kind that goes across the lap and shoulder.  It comes with the car seat and looks like a letter I or H, not sure what the proper name is.

Answer 9

It is never a good idea for a child to sit in the center seat.  The back seat is used as a barrier so that the child does not fly through the windshield.  I'm not sure about the latch system but you can get more info from the police station.

Answer 10

I'm pretty sure it is safe to use the LATCH system forward-facing since it only states that its not safe for rear-facing.  I'm honestly surprised that the LATCH system wasn't able to be used on rear-facing though.  Isn't that the point of the whole thing?  I'm also a bit shocked that the manufacturer had "no idea" what you were talking about.  Its their job.  They should know.  I would definitely call again just to make sure.  If you don't get a straight answer, ask for someone else until you get someone who knows what they are talking about.  If you don't want to do that, then take the car and the carseat to your local police or fire station.  They can install it properly for you.

Answer 11

I know police departments can help you. They can make sure you do the right thing, set the car seat up right, etc. All you have to do is stop by.

Answer 12

I read through all the other answers before posting - and WHOA its amazing, such BAD info, all except KAK22. Sheesh!

Your manual says not to use LATCH in the middle rear facing, you can not use LATCH in the middle at all, and actually, this is very common. There are only a few vehicle manufacturers that actually allow LATCH to be used in the center.  Yes, you can install the seat in the center using the seatbelt. No you do not need a locking clip to do it! In a 2007, you have a lap/shoulder belt in every position, and they lock all by themselves and don't need that "$5 clip".  The locking clip is to be used when seatbelts don't lock on their own - but all seatbelts in vehicles '97 and newer lock without one. If you can't get a good installation in the center using the seatbelt, than that seat will not work in the center. Install it outboard using LATCH or seatbelt (never both). Use whichever gives you the best installation. LATCH is not safer than seatbelts. They are equally safe. LATCH was invented to be more convenient and universal, though that's really not how its happened b/c of such great variances between vehicle manufacturers.

The safest position for the car seat is where it installs the best. If it installs equally well in every position, then the center is safer than outboard. But if it doesn't install well there - it isn't safe there at all. Everyone always says 'center is best' but the fact of the matter is that the way the middle is in many vehicles makes it difficult or impossible to get a good car seat installation there.

And you are correct that most vehicle manufacturers are generally clueless when asked specific questions about their LATCH systems. KAK22 gave great advice - the person you need to speak to whenever you have a car safety or car seat installation question is a certified CPST (child passenger safety technician). And you can NOT just drop by any fire/police station and expect to get good advice. Not every police officer/fireman is a CPST, though most will good naturedly try and help you, they often give disastrous advice b/c that's just not something they're trained extensively in. Make sure whomever you speak with is a true CPST. One easy way is visiting that forum: http://www.car-seat.org

Rest assured - your 'foreign' car, lol, does have the same LATCH system as all the other cars allowed for sale in the US. And it is allowed inthe outboard positions, in fact, in most cars, that is all its allowed for.

And some extra info that you didn't ask for, but I'd like to share anyways...

How old is your child? What size? If he/she is under 2 years old and/or under 30-35lbs, he is safest rear facing and should stay that way as long as possible. The old 20lbs/1 year rule is just that. OLD. It came about in the 1980's when our seats were only capable of rear facing to 20lbs and we didn't know any better. Now we definitely know better and all current convertible seats rear face to at least 30lbs, but its hard getting people to realize this.

Turning kids forward at 20lbs/1year is an outdated practice that could cost you your child's life!

1)A forward-facing child under 2 years old is 5 times more likely to be killed or seriously injured in a crash than a rear-facing child of the same age.

2)A child's vertabrae do not fully fuse until 3-6 years old, before then, she is at great risk for internal decapitation. The spinal column can stretch up to 2 inches in a crash BUT the spinal cord can only stretch up to 1/4 inch before it snaps and baby is gone.

3)Current research suggests that children under the age of two years are 75 percent less likely to die or be seriously injured when they are riding rear facing.

4)In a recent article from Injury Prevention, it was found that the odds of severe injury to forward facing children age 12-23 months old was 5.32 times higher than a rear facing child. (Car Safety Seats For Children: Rear Facing For Best Protection; Injury Prevention 2007; 13:398-402.)

It works this way: when you get in an accident and run into something, the car stop suddently, but everything and everyone in the car keeps moving in the direction the car was moving when it stopped, in most accidents, this is forward. So in an accident with a child in a forward facing seat, his head, the heaviest part of the body on babies and toddlers, flies forward very forcefully and easily snaps. If that same child is in a rear facing seat, his head tries to fly forward but is supported by the back of the rear facing seat, so there is no stress put on the child's neck and spine.

Check out this photo album exclusively of rear facing kids, many of them much older than 12 months: http://www.cpsafety.com/articles/RFAlbum...  There isn't a single documented case of a child breaking their legs b/c they were rear facing in an accident. There are, however, lots of cases where children have been killed and seriously injured where a rear facing seat would have protected them better. And  most kids actually prefer to be rear facing b/c they can rest their feet on the vehicle seat back. When they are forward facing, their legs don't receive enough support and will frequently fall asleep.