I was just curious on where most people have their kids carseat placed in the car. I have a 5 month old and everywhere I look I see them in different places in the back seat. Yes, I know you only have 3 choices!!! Where and why do you put the carseat there?
2007-02-14 05:18:40 · 25 answers · asked by qtiequawn 3 in Pregnancy & Parenting ➔ Newborn & Baby
There have been some good answers so far, but I wanted to add my two cents and comment on a few things said that aren't quite true.
The middle IS, indeed, the safest spot provided you can get a good install there. A tight install trumps the "middle is the safest" theory every time.
If you can fit an infant seat, you can fit a rear-facing convertible in almost every case. I know folks who have Britax Marathons rear-facing in tiny cars like the Chevy Cavalier, Pontiac Sunfire and even (gasp) a Porsche 911! It is possible.
A 45 degree angle is ONLY necessary for newborns. More upright is actually safer in a crash, as upright as about 30 degrees, but newborns and babies without good head control can slump forward and not get enough oxygen if they are more upright. So generally, if baby has outgrown the infant carrier they are old enough to have the convertible seat installed more upright than 45 degrees. That will help the seat fit. Also, most convertible seats are fine touching the front vehicle seats. Only Evenflo infant seats and one or two Evenflo convertibles actually prohibit touching the front seats.
Kids should stay rear-facing to the maximum limits of the convertible carseat. In the US, Evenflo and Graco convertibles rear-face to 30 pounds, Britax and Sunshine Kids to 33 pounds, Cosco, Safety 1st and Eddie Bauer to 33 pounds. Kids can stay rear-facing to that weight limit or until the head is even with the top of the seat shell. There is no concern about legs being too long to safely rear-face. There is not a single documented case of leg or hip injury due to extended rear-facing, while there are countless cases of severe injuries and death due to forward-facing when the child still could have been rear-facing.
Hope that helps some!
2007-02-14 07:38:09 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 1⤋
I put my 5 month old's carseat in the middle seat. It is better there for 2 reasons that I can think of off the top of my head:
If you are hit from the side, the seat being in the middle has a less chance of being hit than if it is in the side seats where the impact of another car will hit it harder/come closer.
It is also kind of anchored between the 2 front seats when it is in the middle.
It is safer to do it that way. It recommended it in the instruction manual we had, as well as when I did internet research before he was born, and by friends and family with babies.
2007-02-14 08:30:26 · answer #2 · answered by JadeAMurray 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
The safest place is in the middle, assuming a good install in that spot. If you can't get a good installation there, there is no difference (statistically) between the driver and passenger sides). Your little one should continue to rear face until between 30-35 lbs, depending on the convertible seat you buy.
You'll also want to check the manual of the specific seat your buy. My boys are in Britax seats primarily, and they recommend bracing the carseats against the front seats. The Cosco Alpha Omega also allows bracing. Our spare seat, a Cosco Scenera, does *not* allow this.
It is also not required to keep the seat to a full 45 degree angle for older infants. My 10 month old ds would hate to be at a full angle, LOL. He wants to sit up and see the world! The Britax manual specifically says "not to exceed 45 degrees."
Oh, and your original question. My 10 month old is rear facing in the "center" of the 2nd row in my mini van, and my 5 yr old is forward facing behind the driver. This is easier for us because in inclement weather, I can get all the way in my van and close the door while I buckle the baby.
ETA: I said my Scenera couldn't touch the front seats, but I think I'm wrong, so don't hold me to that. The best thing to do is to read the manual of your seat.
2007-02-14 10:07:43 · answer #3 · answered by starlight 2 · 1⤊ 1⤋
The middle of the backseat is the safest, as it is the farthest point from any impact. However, it is not the safest if you cannot get the car seat to fit securely. It is better to get a great fit on the side, than a so-so fit in the middle. If the child is forward-facing(after one year and 20lbs), then I would really try to get them in the middle. A rear-facing car seat is inherently very safe, so a rear-facing child on the side would be fine. For two children, the least protected child in the most protected spot is what I follow. That means, the rear-facing infant should go on the side and, if the other child is Forward facing, they should go in the middle, if it is possible to get both seats side-by-side. If this is not possible, the infant should go behind the passenger and the older child behind the driver.
Hope this helps!
2007-02-14 05:38:17 · answer #4 · answered by Jacky L 2 · 2⤊ 0⤋
Until recently, ours was always in the middle of the back seat. I figured that was the safest place in my opinion in case of being hit from one of the sides. However, we're now within a month of having baby #2 so we've moved our daughter's seat behind the driver's seat. I guess that to me felt more "comforting" for some odd reason... but really I don't think there is any logic behind it. It is a little more inconvenient when it's just me and her in the car because I can't reach back and hand her juice, or she gets frustrated trying to show me something and I can't look around and see it. But like you said, there's only so many options and with us having a second car seat coming in soon, we could only choose driver side or passenger side at this point.
2007-02-14 05:31:22 · answer #5 · answered by missionhtg 4 · 1⤊ 0⤋
I have one daughter and since she born we put her on the middle of the back seat and shes 3 yrs now and still there i think that is the safest place to put the carseat. but now comes the dilema because we are trying to get pregnant again and i dont know what to do with two carseats where to ubicate them?
2007-02-14 05:24:23 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
The middle is safest because of side impact BUT with some cars even infant seats will not fit in the middle, and almost all convertible -when rear-facing have to go on the side. Usually the passenger side because you have to pull the seat up and drivers need more leg room.
Ours is on the passenger side, we had to switch to the coveritable one at 5 months. It is good to have your seat professionally installed BUT you need to know how to it yourself as they can slip out. Ours needs to be adjusted at least once a month.
They key things to remember is that a rear facing seat must be at a 45 degree angle -buy a torpedo level and that there must be at least 1" between the back of the car-seat and the back of the seat in front of it. And that the car seat can not shift more than 1" in a SIDEWAYS direction when you pull on it.
2007-02-14 05:29:20 · answer #7 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 1⤋
Middle is the safest, the best spot is whichever seat your carseat has the best fit in - in the backseat of course!
My 3 year old daughter is passenger side rear-facing until she hits 33 lbs, then she will move to forward-facing in the middle.
2007-02-14 05:27:12 · answer #8 · answered by CPS Fanatic 2 · 2⤊ 0⤋
The middle is the safest, but our car is small. When we had the infant carrier, it only fit on the right side. If it was on the left or the middle my husband didn't fit in the driver's seat. Now we can fit the new car seat in the middle so that is where it is.
2007-02-14 07:22:08 · answer #9 · answered by jc2006 4 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Middle backseat, rearfacing. She's 7 1/2 mos old. It's the safest, plain and simple.
On the odd occasion that she rides in my husband's Jeep Wrangler, she goes on the side in the back, rearfacing, but that's because there's no center belt in the jeep.
To the lady above who now has one on the way...new baby goes center (safest). Your other child should be behind you (in my opinion). In an accident, the driver will instinctively try to protect his side of the car as much as possible.
2007-02-14 05:57:52 · answer #10 · answered by katheek77 4 · 1⤊ 0⤋