Cosco Car Seats Strap Instructions

by James Clark

Cosco car seats install in the back seat of a vehicle to hold children securely and safely in the event of an accident. The padded Cosco seat is held in place by the vehicle's seat belts, with two clips that attach to the latch anchors under the back seat. Proper installation of a Cosco car seat is vital for the seat to provide effective protection for your child. Follow these steps to install the Cosco seat straps correctly.

Proper Placement

The Cosco child safety seat should be placed in the center of the back seat of your car. This creates a buffer around the car seat and gives you a clearer line of sight from the rear-view mirror when you need to check on the child while driving.

Infant seats must be installed facing rearward. Children at least 1 year old and weighing 20 pounds or more can ride facing forward.

Connecting the Straps

Slip your hand between the seat and backrest of your car in the center seat to locate the two steel latch anchors. These are shaped like a wide U.

Underneath the Cosco car seat are two webbed straps with steel spring clips on each end. The clips hook onto the latch anchors by placing the hook over the latch and pressing down until it clamps into place. This is probably the hardest step to connecting a Cosco car seat because it is difficult to see the latch anchors unless you press down on the seat and point a flashlight inside. You may have to feel around for a moment before locating the latch and getting the clip on the end of the safety seat belt aligned properly.

Pull the center seat belt forward in the rear seat of the car and grab the belt webbing. The belt slips through the loops on the back of the Cosco seat to hold it against the back seat of the car. Click the seat belt into the buckle and let the belt retract as far as possible back into the holder.

Tightening and Adjusting the Cosco Seat

Each webbed belt clamped to the latch anchor has an adjust clip to tighten the belt. Press down on the belt release button and grab the free end of the webbed belt, pulling it as tightly as possible. You can take up slack in the car's center seat belt by pressing down with both hands on the center of the Cosco seat so the car safety belt retracts as far as possible. Once the center belt is as tight as you can make it, you will need to install the belt-retainer clip that comes with the Cosco safety seat. This clip is shaped roughly like the letter H and slips onto the center seat belt behind the Cosco car seat where the seat belt is inserted through the loops. Install the retainer clip by placing one edge of the seat belt through the top part of the H, then sliding the other edge of the seatbelt into the other side of the clip. The retainer clip should rest snugly against the back of the Cosco seat to prevent the center seat belt from pulling out.

Once the retainer clip is in place, pull on the Cosco seat to check for excessive movement or play. The seat should fit securely against the back of the car seat.

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