A child seat or child restraining system for securing a child to a vehicle seat, and method of installing the car seat are provided. The child seat, which is configured to be secured to a seat of a vehicle, includes: a seat base secured to the seat of the vehicle; a child receiving portion supported by the seat base; and a belt tensioning system incorporated into the seat base. The belt tensioning system is configured to receive a belt that couples the seat base to the seat of the vehicle. The child seat also includes a controller operatively connected to the belt tensioning system and configured to automatically actuate the belt tensioning system. The belt tensioning system may be configured to drive the at least one belt in a pay-in direction to apply tension to the at least one belt.