tether straps for your car seats!

[murbis84]

Hi I own a nissan maxia 98. my car is not eqiped for a car seat. Im due for my baby in 3 months. I am woried because My funds are very low and I dont know where to get a tether strap installed! if anyone knows of any place I can get this done for cheap or even free pls reply! thank you.

[t2009]

I don't think the tether is absolutely necessary. Safer than without? Maybe. But not an absolute.

We have a '96 toyota & installed the car seat based (for the infant car seat) in the center seat without the latch & without anchors. We used the clip that came with the car seat to make the center belt adaptable & safe. Most cars with the latch/tether don't allow for a center installation, which was important to me. We don't drive very often & always checked to make sure it was tight & not moving more than an inch in any direction -- I was (and am) comfortable not using the tether. 

But if YOU are not comfortable without it, I'd start with your police station or fire department. In most cities, there is someone who performs car seat safety checks. You can have them install the car seat for you (or check your own installation) & talk to them about the tether. They may have ideas of whether it's necessary & (if so) who can do the job for the least amount of money.

Good luck & congrats on your upcoming birth!

[chickabiddy]

Your car is equipped for a carseat:  it has seatbelts.  All carseats can be installed with seatbelts.  Rear-facing seats, like infant seats or rear-facing convertibles, do not need to be tethered.  Your child will ideally be rearfacing for 2-4 years:  if you still have the same vehicle when your child is ready to be forward-facing, you can have a tether anchor installed in the rear filler panel.  The top tether reduces head excursion in forward-facing harnessed children:  it is not mandatory in the US, but it's highly recommended.

[lifeguard]

Some forward facing carseats DO require the top tether! But rear facing you don't use the top tether anyway.

Check with the dealership - some will install the tether hook for free. The cars already have the spots set up so the installation is actually very simple for them to do.