OH Man, I'm having a kid and my truck isnt ready

So I got my taco 2 years ago and put a ********* ported sub box behind the rear seat, and to do that I had to take the child seat hooks out. Thought nothing of it, cuz im not having kids any time soon right?? Wrong. HAHA.

So my question is, is it possible to secure a child seat with only seat belts? or am I screwed, and have to take my sub out and weld some child seat brackets back into the truck?

 

You can, all car seats have instructions for seat belts and LATCH system.. though the LATCH seems to be far easier to use.

 

Let this be a lesson to all; as truck owners it's very important that we properly tie down our loads.

 

Yeah, those child seat hooks aren't needed. Just use the seatbelt to secure the car seat down.

But as a life lesson, wrap it before you tap it

 

You are going to run into issues if the car seat you purchased makes you use the top tether (which is most if not all) in addition to the seatbelt. I have yet to see a car seat that uses the seatbelt and not the top tether as well. You are asking for trouble if you just use the seatbelt with no top tether. The tacoma manual specifically states that you have to use the top tether if the car seat calls for it.

 

you dont want to ONLY use seatbelts for an extended period of time. Is your childs safety worth the subs?

 

You have time to figure it out. Infants go in rear facing carseats which don't use that top tether anchor point.
Once child grows to a safe weight for a front facing seat, you should use top tether.

edit: don't deafen the baby...

 

Seat belts can actually hold more weight...you have to stop using the latch system once your kid hits a certain weight. It can be done without the latch hooks with no issues but they are much easier to use if you take the seat in and out a lot.

 

You will be fine with just he seatbelt to start with, infant seats wont need the tether like stated above and you will probably install in the middle which doesn't have latch anyways.

 

First, congrats on the new addition to your family. That's a big deal.
The infant seats are rear-facing, so you're going to be good for the first year.

Kids are a life changer, but in a good way. Enjoy this time of your life.

 

Dont need latch at first for the rear facing infant seats. Will need it when they get to the front facing seats (around 18-24 months). Subs arent worth risking your kids safety. Enjoy the little pain in the ass.

 

Put the latch back on. You're gonna need it. I wouldn't put my kids without. Welcome to fatherhood. Enjoy these last few months and congrats!

 

First off, Congratulations! As everyone said already, you are good to go with just the seat belt to strap in the rear facing. Also most states are now requiring a rear facing car seat until the child is 2 years of age. After you flip them around you will need a top tether. I can not wait, I get to flip my daughters seat around in 2 weeks and finally move the front seat back some.

 

Then you get to start enjoying them kicking the back of your seat.

 

Brian if you need any welding done you know where to find me

 

DCSBFTMFW

 

But my plate on the truck says otherwise

 

Two solutions to that, one Toyota provided with the table top on the pass seat back which might help/hurt, and two I have a few rolls of duck tape and I am not afraid to use it.

 

Thats right, you tell that Commie bastard to take his little wheel barrow bitch bed back home to mommy