Information on LATCH & Using the Center Seating Position

[fangy47]

It's often confusing whether you can or cannot attach the car seat in the center position of the vehicle using the LATCH system. This is because it depends on what car seat you use and what vehicle you have.

Here's two links that can help guide you on checking whether using LATCH in the center position is allowed:

Excerpt from a published LATCH manual:
http://www.saferidenews.com/pdfs/pg_126_max_wt_07.pdf

"Car Seat Lady" link on certain car seat and vehicle guidelines:
The Car Seat Lady - The LATCH System: Using Side Anchors for the Center Seat

The big DISCLAIMER always is that you should check your vehicle owner's manual and child seat instructions. If you aren't sure even after reading the manuals, you can use the seat belt to attach the child seat in the center, try a different seating position, and consult a CPS tech.

I hope this helps everyone with picking the seating position and attachment system. There are some that have posted their installs in the car seat database with vehicles using LATCH in the center when those are probably not designated anchoring points (such as Honda Accords re thread: Can I use LATCH in 2007 Honda Accord in the center position? - Car Seat.Org - Carseat, Vehicle & Child Passenger Safety Forums). Notice that these seats in the database also haven't been checked by a CPS technician!