[jocelyn179]

Hi! I'm expecting baby number three in November and really am hoping to keep my current vehicle - new car seats are far less expensive than a new car I have a 2005 Ford Focus SW. My daughter is 7 years old, but bitty - only about 43 pounds, 46 inches tall; my son is 4 years old (5 in October) and about 41 pounds, 44 inches tall. They are both currently in Cosco Summit convertible booster seats (daughter using car shoulder harness, son still using 5 point harness) but I'm assuming I'll need to replace both of these because they have extremely wide bases and leave very little room in between for a new infant car seat. The center position does have a shoulder belt, not just a lap belt. There are tethers for all three seat positions, but I believe there is NO LATCH position at the center seat. My husband measured the rear seat and figures we have about 51 inches to work with. Thanks in advance for any assistance you might be able to give. I'm not so much concerned about the cost of the car seats as I am safety and simply fitting them all in!!!

	Convertible Car Seats Convertible seats are for infants and toddlers. The seat can be used as a rear-facing seats for younger children, and switched to a forward-facing seat on the child's first birthday if the child weighs at least 20 pounds. However, experts recommend keeping the child in a rear-facing position until he or she outgrows the weight or height allowed by the safety seat.

	Infant Car Seats Infant-only rear-facing seats are for babies up to about 22 to 30 pounds, depending on the specific car seat. You will need a new seat when your child gets bigger. Infant-only seats have handles that allow you to move the seat from the car to the house or other locations. Some have a base that you can leave installed in the car, so you can just click the car seat into place each time you use it.

	Booster Seat A booster seat raises your child up so that the car's lap and shoulder belts fit correctly. The lap belt should fall across the upper thighs. The shoulder belt should go across the middle of the shoulder and chest. A booster seat is used for older children up to about 80 pounds. Some states have passed laws requiring booster seats for children up to age 8 or 80 pounds. Check your state's law.

	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.