LATCH stands for Lower Anchors and Tethers for Children and is a system used to make it easier to install a child seat into a vehicle. All passenger vehicles and child seats manufactured after September 1, 2002, are required to have special anchors for attaching the child seat directly to the vehicle rather than securing the child seat with the vehicle’s seat belt.
To use LATCH, both the child seat and the vehicle must have LATCH parts that work together. Refer to your vehicle owner’s manual to determine if your vehicle has LATCH and where each LATCH seating position is found.
Although the definition for LATCH refers to Tethers, LATCH is now commonly being used to mean the lower attachments or anchors. (Click here for more information regarding tether use.) Lower anchors are one of a pair of horizontal bars in the areas of the vehicle seat bight. These bars are used in place of a seat belt to secure the base of the child seat to the vehicle.
All Britax seats that come equipped with LATCH feature premium push button connectors. This type of hardware works by using a spring-loaded latch that fastens automatically when pushed directly onto the LATCH bar ensuring a quick, simple and tight installation.
For more information about LATCH, be sure to read our Frequently Asked Questions.