I'm 39 weeks pregnant and was wondering what the best place to install my babies car seat is... rear facing, in the backseat on one side or the other..... OR rear facing, in the backseat, middle? Someone told me the baby is safer in the middle of the seat, but I always thought it was safer behind the passenger seat or driver seat?
2006-10-26 11:16:44 · 14 answers · asked by ? 3 in Pregnancy & Parenting ➔ Newborn & Baby
I would think safer behind passenger or driver seat. But always facing the rear. We put our son behind the passenger seat, so we can peak at him when we stop at a light. I'm iffy about the middle, but have seen people do that. I'd ask your doctor to make sure.
2006-10-26 11:23:15 · answer #1 · answered by m930 5 · 0⤊ 1⤋
The middle of the back seat is the safest place to install a car seat IF you can get it there securely. Once installed, a correct fit means when you pull it from side to side or forward when grasping the car seat where the seatbelt threads through, you cannot move it more than 1". The tighter the better. The middle is the safest because it is furthest from any impact point, the center most portion of the vehicle. If you cannot get the car seat securely in the middle, you should move it to the passenger side which is slightly safer than the drivers side. There is no truth to the old myth that babies can be catapulted out the front window unless they are not buckled in at all.
Have your seat inspected by a certified tech after installing it to make sure you are doing it right, most parents don't (90%)
Check out www.seatcheck.org for a tech near you and www.cpsafety.org for more info on child passenger safety.
Good Luck and congrats!
2006-10-29 11:47:58 · answer #2 · answered by carseat xpert 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Its easier to access a baby if it is behind the passengerseat or drivers seat. However during an impact they are safer in the middle. Always rear facing until they are 20 pounds AND 1 year old
2006-10-26 18:40:40 · answer #3 · answered by texas_angel_wattitude 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
According to my pediatrician (I have kids) and my sister who is a public health nurse - placing the car seat behind either the passenger or the driver seat is best. She often participated in group parenting/pre-natal classes and taught about this. Although there is some conflicting thoughts on this - mostly dependent on the age of the baby and the TYPE of carseat you have.
If you place the baby in the middle of the rear seat - depending on the type of accident, they can be catapulted out the front window if somehow the seatbelt lets go and the momentum throws them forward. They are not protected in the middle by anything but air. My sister has a video from the local police dept. that shows how this can happen with "dummy" models (like they do car impact tests). Note - this was not an infant "dummy" model it was the size of a 12 month old.
Ultimately, please contact your own pediatrician or OB/GYN or local police station and they can make recommendations specific to the car seat that YOU own.
All the best to you!
P.S. - Just called my sister - better in the middle when your little one is an infant for the carseats these days (they've improved in 4 years since I had an infant) and until they are about 22-25 lbs. I think the laws vary slightly in every State??
2006-10-26 18:30:57 · answer #4 · answered by Evy 2 · 0⤊ 1⤋
Hi there!
It is considered the safest to install a child rear facing in the center of the back seat. If a chid were to sit behind the passanger seat or the drivers seat and someone were to hit you from the side, especially the side that your child is positioned on, there is more of a likely hood for the child to get injured.
2006-10-27 11:04:30 · answer #5 · answered by niche_retail1 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
The safest place for the infant seat is in the middle of the seat, backseat, rear facing as long as possible. It is very dangerous for infant carseats to be placed near the doors incase of a side impact accident or roll over. Ask someone at the fire dept or babiesrus. Theyll help you for free to install the carseat.
2006-10-29 18:57:09 · answer #6 · answered by Cyber Bullying Is Ugly 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
At a police department sponsored car seat inspection, they told me the best position for newborns was rear-facing, and in the middle. The reason for the middle position was to have more distance between the seat and any other object that comes at the car from the side.
2006-10-26 18:25:58 · answer #7 · answered by Vijay R 3 · 1⤊ 0⤋
I dunno which place is the safest.Does it really matter as long as it is in the backseat and is rearfacing? We always put our 10 month old in the middle.But now that we have a van she is in the backseat behind the passenger seat and our new baby who is due in Feb. will be behind the drivers seat, and our 3 boys ages6,4,and 3 sit in the far back seat.
2006-10-26 19:12:05 · answer #8 · answered by Dixie H 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
My doctor told me something along the lines of 'The younger the child, the closer toward the middle' they should be. This is because the middle of the vehicle is the safest place for the younger child that doesn't have the support nor the coordination to attempt to protect themselves in the event of an accident. They should definately be rear-facing as well.
Hope that helps!!
2006-10-26 18:28:55 · answer #9 · answered by stclairvicki 2 · 1⤊ 0⤋
I was told in the hospital that rear facing, backseat, passenger side. It also said so in the instruction manual.
2006-10-26 20:05:34 · answer #10 · answered by edkolover 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋