Seatbelts won't work for seat install + too heavy for latch = HELP please!

[celestialdreamer]

I never noticed that our seatbelts in our 2001 Dodge Grand Caravan are not the locking type until I went to change 6.5 yo dd's Regent from latch to seatbelt. She is 47.5lbs so almost to the latch limit and we had actually been discussing putting her in a HBB because the Regent is soo huge and hard to move. After some research it seems that we don't have the t ypical ratcheting/locking belts. Apparently they are some system where the lap belt portion is supposed to say relatively snug but the shoulder belt moves freely until you slam on the brakes or whatever.

I can't see how the heck that would be remotely safe with a carseat?? Or even with a booster?? I don't get what in the world is the point of a minivan that you can't use the seatbelts for a carseat or for a young child in a booster. :-(

[StephandOwen]

My Dodge Stratus has those same belts and they drive me insane. When my ds reached the limit for LATCH I had to figure out the same thing with his Regent. I could never get a tight install with the belt. I ended up using a locking clip and it's in nice and secure now.

[chickabiddy]

Your belts lock at the latchplate. They are safe for carseats and for people.

[celestialdreamer]

Originally Posted by chickabiddy

Your belts lock at the latchplate. They are safe for carseats and for people.

They don't seem to lock though? A carseat can freely wiggle around. If I switch dd's Regent to the belt instead of latch it can literally tip to the side because the belt moves freely. What about using a HBB- is it okay that the belts would not be snug against the child? This.seems like they would be more likely to wiggle out of place and be injured in an accident when the belts suddenly tighten.

[chickabiddy]

Try flipping the male end 180 degrees before buckling, if the latchplate is not locking.

In a booster, the belts should be in contact with the child, but they don't need to be taut like they are when installing a carseat. They will lock on impact.

[Llyra]

The lock-at-the-latchplate belts can be frustrating. My Grand Caravan has those, too. They do lock, though, and they're safe. But it can take some work-- at least it does for me. What I do is to buckle the seat in, and tighten it down properly. Then I unbuckle, and twist the male end one half turn, and then rebuckle. I have to kneel in the seat and push down with my knee to get it buckled, and then it's tight enough. It's the lap portion that locks-- the shoulder portion will still pull freely, but that doesn't matter as long as the seat doesn't move side-to-side or front-to-back at the belt path. And even with a seatbelt install, a seat that has top tethers should still be tethered.

At age 6.5, though, I would be very comfortable putting a child in a highback booster. My 6 year old has a Turbobooster, and I feel that she's very safe in it. And the seatbelt isn't supposed to be in locking mode with a booster, anyway. The belt is meant to work the same way it does for an adult-- it will lock on impact.

[goodheartedmama]

I have a 2001 dodge caravan, and installing the regent with the short belt path with the belt was sooooo hard.