New year, new car seat rules
Happy New Year! Today, as we all consider our new years resolutions, add this one to your list: figure out the weight of your child plus the weight of their car seat.
The reason? Effective next month (February 2014), the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSSA) requires that the LATCH system should be used to secure your child's car seat ONLY if the combined weight of the child + the car seat is less than 65 pounds.
LATCH anchors, found in cars built after 2002, are an attacment system for car seats (LATCH stands for Lower Anchors and Tethers for Chidlren). LATCH was designed with the goal of making it easier to install child car seats. And for anyone who hasn't had the pleasure of wrestling a car seat into proper position, I will attest that it can be really, really hard to get those darn things installed without those blessed LATCH anchors.
Unfortunatley, car manufacturers cannot guarantee the strength of the anchors when adding the additional weight of the seat, thus the need to modify the law. 
Car Seat, LATCH, new rule | in In the News, Practical Parenting, Safety Alert, To Do Posted on Wednesday, January 1, 2014 at 10:12AM 
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