Top tether

The short definition

The top tether is a strap at the top of an Australian child restraint that hooks into an anchorage point in the car.

What it actually means

It is the extra strap, and it is one of the things that makes Australian car seats different from the ones in overseas videos.

It has to be hooked in, and it has to be adjusted so it is neither too tight nor too loose. Forgetting to hook it in is one of the common errors a fitting station finds.

Where the anchorage point is in a particular car is in that car's manual. Which way the strap runs on a particular seat is in that seat's manual.

Where Dadda will hear it

From a fitting station, from the car seat manual, and from the car manual, which will use a different word for the same hole.

Not to be confused with

The seatbelt. The seatbelt holds the seat down. The tether stops the top of the seat pitching forward. A seat needs both done right, and a twisted or wrongly routed seatbelt is another of the common errors.

Also look at

• Read the full item: capsule or convertible car seat