[RMG&EMG]

Thanks so much for the response SusanMae.

Good point about self-installed LATCH, I'll scratch that as an option. I just wondered if there was a kit out there to do that, probably not.

I talked to my wife some more last night about this, and she said since she enjoys the extra time with our child it is not a big deal to add the half-hour to her commute. But we do need to have this as an option in case she needs to work late. I suspect I will not have to pick up our child on the way home but once, rarely twice per week. So that helps reduce risk substaintially.

I hadn't considered RF, but can I install a child car seat like that using the seat belt? The seat belt is not door mounted, not seat mounted, and does not retract over the shoulder automatically (like some 90's model cars did when you close the door). It is a traditional single loop belt that has one end bolted to the frame by the passenger hip (right-side) and clips in on the other side (by the hip on the left). The belt retracts over the right shoulder through a slotted belt guide on the seat then into the car's interior paneling itself. This picture is not from my car, but it is similar:



(Please don't let this pic I found on the internet make you think I foolishly spent a ton of money on my car... I bought my 2-seater over 3 years ago, used, less than a new Accord. Also the crash safety rating for my 2-seater is the best I know of for such a car, 4-star all the way around.)

I did some more looking around and really like the Britax Boulevard. Can that be installed RF with the seat belt?

	Britax - Click for more info Britax International has been producing reliable child safety products for over 30 years. Not only does Britax have decades of experience creating car seats and other children's safety equipment, Britax has a long standing reputation as an industry leader and innovator. Britax International is headquartered in the United Kingdom, but Britax car seats are designed and manufactured at facilities in Germany, Austria, and the United States. In the summer of 2002, Britax strengthened their commitment to creating the safest car seats with the opening of a brand new, state-of-the-art crash testing facility in North Carolina. Britax car seats have a reputation around the world for being some of the safest, most reliable, and best designed child safety seats ever made.

	Rear Facing Car Seats A rear-facing seat is one in which the infant faces the back of the car. Always install a rear-facing seat in the back seat of your car. This is the safest position for an infant. NEVER place a rear-facing seat in the front seat of a vehicle with passenger airbags.

	Britax Boulevard - Click for more info It is all about the wings with the Britax Boulevard convertible car seat - head and torso safety wings help keep your child from harm in a side-impact crash. And this matters - side-impact crashes are the leading cause of death for 6 - 14 year-old children. Of course, the safety wings are only one of the many safety features that the Britax Boulevard offers: built-in lock-offs, 5-point harness with front adjuster, tangle-free webbing, a push button release LATCH system with Versa-Tether®, and a sculpted base, ensuring an easy installation with a secure fit.

	LATCH LATCH stands for Lower Anchors and Tethers for CHildren. It is a system mandated by the Federal government in an effort to standardize and simplify the installation of child restraints without using the vehicle's seat belt system. New vehicles and child safety seats manufactured on and after September 1, 2002 will be equipped with the LATCH system. Cars, minivans, and light trucks will be required to have anchor points between the vehicle's seat cushion and the seat back in at least two rear seating positions, and a top tether anchor (with the exception of convertibles). Child safety seats will have a lower set of attachments that fasten to the vehicle anchors. Most forward-facing child safety seats will also have a top strap (tether) that attaches to the top anchor in the vehicle.