This was so helpful! I wasn't getting a tight fit with my new carseat. The instruction manual described the different retractors latch plates and I realized I needed a locking clip (not included with the seat 👎). I couldn't for the life of me figure out how it would help, but now I get it. Thank you!
I'm so glad to have found a video explaining this! We have our seat in the middle and the LATCH system is only on the side seats. We had a police officer help us initially but now I have to drive a rental while my car gets fixed so I have to install the seat on my own and this video has eased my anxiety about properly installing with the locking clip. Thanks!
I'm so glad you found the video helpful. However, I would recommend avoiding a locking clip installation whenever possible. In your rental I would install the car seat on one of the side seats using the lower anchors instead of the seat belt - as you are MUCH more likely to get it installed securely that way.
Thank you very much for the great install videos. When I was growing up we hardly used car seats. Times have changed, two of our three vehicles are equipped with LATCH anchors. Our 2001 VW van is not. This video about lock clips is a great deal of help in getting our 4yo seat and our 15mo seats safely secured in the rear of the van. Thank you!
I have had so many issues with the seat raising on the shoulder strap side, I was about to just attach the middle seat to the latch system to have it share with the car seats on each side and use the seat belt as a back-up ( I know this is against the rules but I couldn't get the car seat to install tightly). I have read the manual thoroughly and I thought this was only used for seats that didn't have the self locking feature. Thank you for this detailed explanation.
I have a question.,i have a scoda kamiq (2024) ,this car is not manufactured in USA,so there is no locking mode ,do you recommend any other solution to install an infant's car seat with out isofix,by using only the seat belt?
So this works with a lap belt installation only, NOT the european routing path style (with the shoulder part wrapped around the back clip of the car seat)?
Use of a locking clip requires the lap AND shoulder belt to travel the same path together. A locking clip does not work with an infant car seat with a European belt path as the lap and shoulder belts travel separate paths. The car seat shown in this video is a convertible car seat - and the lap and shoulder belt travel together in the same path through the car seat. When installing an infant car seat using the European belt path, you do not need to use a locking clip even in situations where the seatbelt does not switch into its own locking mode when you pull it all the way out. Simply install the infant car seat using the European belt path and do not check if the car seat is tight after you install it - as checking, will actually loosen the seat belt in this specific situation where the seatbelt is not in a locked mode. In Europe and most areas across the world, except for the United States and Canada the seatbelts in the backseat do not switch into a locking mode when you pull them slowly out to the end. If you look at the manuals to infant car seats in Europe and elsewhere that use the European belt path, you will notice that they do not instruct you to use a locking clipas it has been found that the European belt path keeps the car seat tight enough during normal driving and until the seatbelt locks when you slam on the brakes
Hello! I'm curious if you can use this method on an infant seat base? Our infant seat came with a locking clip and the manual doesn't specify if it can only be used for the seat itself or also to install a base? One of our vehicles doesn't have LATCH or ratcheting seatbelts(it's a 2000) it has a center lap belt, but we have 2 children now and the big kid seat didn't come with a clip.
Will be traveling to UK with Nuna Pipa. Would it be safe or possible to install this carseat with seat belt alone through european belt path even if the seat belts do not lock (one of your articles seems to suggest this)? If not, would you recommend bringing the Nuna Pipa base and using the rigid LATCH (into ISOFIX anchors) or seat belt lock off RATHER THAN the locking clip and an american belt path seat belt alone installation? We will be using many different vehicles (ubers, family cars, national express bus) so it will be hard to carry the heavy Nuna base but want to have the safest install for our baby. Thanks for the help!
The Nuna Pipa carrier sold in Europe is identical to the one sold in the US except for there being a chest clip on the US version's harness. The instruction manual for the Pipa sold in Europe (as well as every other infant seat sold in Europe) shows to use the European belt path - it does not show to use a locking clip or an American belt path.
Thank you for your reply. But, this is the point of confusion - in the US when installing with a european belt path you still activate the automatic locking feature of the seat belt and tighten until the carseat cannot move more than 1 inch. If in the UK, the seatbelts do not lock, is it safe to install the seat with the european belt path with presumably an install in which the carseat will be able to move >1 inch until the locking of the seatbelts take over during a crash? It appears in the manuals for english carseats that they are installed with the european belt path (and no other lock off feature) but I'm confused as to whether this is indeed a safe installation for my child. Thank you for your help!
Ok so that answers one of my questions. How would you secure a base for an infant carrier without a LATCH system?? I have been floored looking at a 2016 model mind you Ford F-250 super duty truck. I cannot believe they do not have the LATCH system! From my understanding 2016 back they didn’t have the latch system in the ford super duty trucks. In 2017 and current models they do and of coarse I can’t quite swing the current body style. So aggravating. My work truck is also my personal truck and I have the car seat on one side and the infant carrier on be other. If I can’t secure the infant carrier base then I guess I’ll have to stick with Ram or find a Chevy. Thanks for the video at least I know I can secure my oldest and feel ok about it in an F-250 truck
You may want to install the carrier without the base in this truck - see here for more on this - thecarseatlady.com/carrier-belt-path-european-vs-american/ If your oldest is forward-facing, make sure you are using the tether strap (read the F-250 owner's manual carefully to make sure you route the tether strap properly - it is not a usual path).
We have this same situation with a seatbelt coming from the ceiling in the center. I could never get a satisfactory installation on any car seat we have. Does the Graco Milestone in FF mode have a lock-off? Or should I use a locking clip?
The Milestone does not have lock-offs in either the rear or forward facing installation. We would strongly recommend considering installing with the lower anchors on the side seats (if your child is under 40 pounds) as a locking clip installation is very challenging and carries a high potential for misuse. We would recommend meeting with a trained child car safety technician if attempting a locking clip installation.
I have the baby trend nexton in my 08 Hyundai Elantra and for some reason no matter what I do I can Never get the base secure. If I lock the seatbelt and tighten the base as tight as it should be, the belt comes unlocked so hopefully the clip will work
Please help my baby's rear facing convertible carseat is all hooked in "correctly" but pushing down on the top it leans back (towards the front seats) idk what to do!! Or why it won't secure. I've tightened and tightened and can't seem to keep it from tipping back if applied pressure..
Please find a trained car seat technician in your area for one on one help with the installation in your car. www.nhtsa.gov/equipment/car-seats-and-booster-seats#installation-help-inspection
The locking clip is only ever used, if at all mentioned in the car seat manual, right? So in European seats you‘d not expect a locking clip installation at all right? Sadly the Scenera Next is not allowed in Europe😞
You can use a locking clip on a car seat that mentions its use in its manual. A US family can travel to Europe for a few days and use a US car seat abroad, but if you move to Europe you must purchase a seat that complies with European regulations (which the Scenera NEXT does not). We would STRONGLY advise traveling with a seat where you will not need to use a locking clip - either by finding a seat that has built in seat belt locking devices (often called lock-offs) or if you are traveling to Europe or other areas where you will have the LATCH system in the vehicle, installing the car seat with the lower anchors instead of the seat belt.
If your vehicle doesn't have a seat belt locking feature AND your car seat doesn't have a seat belt locking device, then you need to use a locking clip in order for the seat belt to hold the car seat tight during normal driving and in the beginning stages of the crash until the seat belt's own locking mechanism takes over. All seat belts will lock in a crash - but car seats need the seat belt in a locked mode before the crash.
I NEED HELP. I bought a 1993 Toyota Camry and I'm trying to install my son's carseat. Not only do the seatbelts not lock, so I'll have to order a locking clip, but it also doesn't have a top tether clip whatsoever, nor can I find the part anywhere. PLEASE RESPOND AND SEND ME A SECRET LINK TO THIS FREAKING PART.
Ive been doing it wrong for 5 years. This is a pain in the ass. I'm never taking my husband's buick ever again. Only care with belt locks of some sort. The only way I could get it tight enough was with the male part of the seat belt buckle literally still in the seat. It's so hard to plug it into the (horribly fucking long) female end like that.
I despise that this is a two-man job. Not everyone has a second person to help. I get soooo frustrated and start to rage because I’m always doing this alone and it’s so hard. I know it’s not your fault, I just need to vent about it. 😢
