Many people find it harder to take the child safety seat out than to put it in when using LATCH. If you follow these three steps, you should have an easier time removing your child safety seat from your vehicle.
Step 1: Before you start
Always put pressure on the child safety seat (a knee in the seat works wonders) when trying to loosen the lower anchor strap.
If your vehicle seat back reclines (like in a lot of minivans and SUVs), recline the seat back before trying to loosen or remove the lower anchor strap.
Step 2: Always loosen the strap before you disconnect the connectors
For push-button lower anchor connectors (these are made of black plastic and look a little like staplers), ALWAYS loosen the latch strap before attempting to disconnect the connectors. Put your index and middle fingers on the bottom of the connector, and your palm on the silver or grey bar that runs along the top of the connector. Squeeze the silver or grey bar into the connector and move it away from the car seat. This should loosen the strap.
For A-loc attachments, ALWAYS loosen the latch strap before attempting to disconnect the connectors. Flip up the metal tab so that it makes an L-shape with the strap (it should be flat on top of the strap when you start). Use your palm to press down really hard in order to flip the tab—it’s usually HARD.
Step 3: Disconnect the hooks
For push-button lower anchor connectors, simply press the red button on the end of the hook device and pull the device off of the lower anchor.
For A-loc hooks, use your index finger to push the metal on the underside of the hook. Then, push the hook toward the back of the car as far as it will go. Turn it 90 degrees. Then pull the hook towards you.
