Which side should the car seat go on?

KreecherMom

Driver's or passenger's?  Does it matter?

Do STMs have opinions?

mrs14678

I was wondering the same question!! Haha!

I'm thinking if I drive, passenger side..... If I'm riding, driver side.... So maybe middle??

Rratledge

The middle is supposed to be the safest. I don't think that it matters between passenger and driver side.

arz1215

Good question! I have been wondering this too. Where I'm from, there is a car seat/safety class available.. Think it might be useful

cedixon2

Middle according to the safety commercials on TV right now... But what happens when it's twins?? And u have to squeeze in 3 other kiddies. I'm planning left and right with the 6 yr old in the middle and the other 2 in the back.

ACarter0914

The middle!!! Safest place for baby but if you have two kids...baby goes passenger side and older baby/toddler behind you.

If you put the baby in the middle you can get a mirror to hang on the back seat so you can see him in your rear view at all times.

esscapelle

I hear all of you ladies saying the middle - but what about for those of us that have SUV's with two bucket seats in the back?!

Latina211508

I have always put my youngest/newborn in the middle. I have a Tahoe. My youngest 3 will sit in the second row while my oldest will sit in the third row. I'm not sure what the safest seat to put the baby if you have the pilot seats.

tesary

Middle is the safest. I was told after that drivers side because in an accident your instinct is to protect the side of the car you are on.

AlejandraN2

The middle is the safest but some cars don't come equipped with being able to have the car seat in the middle. So you have to check with your car manufacturer and see which is the safest. If the middle does not work, there have been numerous studies that typically find a negligible difference in safety for passenger vs. driver's side. I always heard anecdotally that driver's side is safest but not much data to support that. So do what works best. But of course rear face for as long as possible - rear facing is 5 times safer than forward facing. Our daughter is 2 and still rear facing (she's pretty slim and comfortable there so i see no need to move her). 

LaceyH13

I am pretty sure my car only has the Latch system on the passenger side and driver's side - not in the middle. I was thinking driver's side because of what @tesary said, and it will be easier going in and out if I don't have to walk around the car every time.That way when the whole family rides the person in the passenger seat will be able to reach back if necessary, too.

redfallon

When we had my Jetta, we put the baby behind me always because the seat wouldn't fit behind my husband. That was whether he or I was driving. She wouldn't fit in the middle for the same reason - his seat position would not have allowed for it and we didn't have LATCH in the middle.

Now we have an Acadia and she stays behind the driver's seat. We have bucket seats for the middle row.

Sure, middle is the safest, but that isn't always an option.

TomekiaB

I don't have carseat anchors in the middle and my middle has enough of a bump that getting a proper install would be hard (& most carseats are not installed correctly). I don't think you're supposed to use adjustable lap belts for carseats either. Every installation video I've seen uses a side.

violetigerlily

LaceyH13 said:

I am pretty sure my car only has the Latch system on the passenger side and driver's side - not in the middle. I was thinking driver's side because of what @tesary said, and it will be easier going in and out if I don't have to walk around the car every time.That way when the whole family rides the person in the passenger seat will be able to reach back if necessary, too.

FYI,  as long as it's installed properly, there isn't a safety difference between installation with the LATCH system and with the standard seat belt.  I think that on a population level the LATCH system helps because it's easier to install and thus more likely to be installed correctly, but if you want to go with the middle seat and use the seat belt install because there's no LATCH there (which is what we're doing) just make sure you get it checked out by a certified car seat inspection person. It's probably a good idea to do it anyway. We'd probably do the LATCH on either side if we had to hook it up every time, but since the base will stay in place I figured why not go with the safest position? 

Link on LATCH vs seat belt install: https://carseatblog.com/33050/mythbusting-latch-vs-seatbelt-installation/

Car Seat Inspection Finder: https://www.seatcheck.org/

violetigerlily

Adding on though,  it isn't safe to have the car seat touch the seat back in front of you so obviously in some cases you can't/ it doesn't make sense to put it in the middle. My point was just that you don't have to have the LATCH in the middle to put the car seat there safely.

DandT2point0

As PPs have noted, there are numerous variables and factors to weigh when deciding where to place car seats. Your vehicle manual AND car seat manual will provide guidance.

MorganW24

DandT2point0 said:

As PPs have noted, there are numerous variables and factors to weigh when deciding where to place car seats. Your vehicle manual AND car seat manual will provide guidance.

This! Some car seat manuals advise not using the middle position, along with some car manuals. We had baby behind the passenger seat because when he was behind the driver seat it rubbed and wouldn't fit properly. Toddler will transition to behind driver because I can get his seat to fit there and baby will be on passener side.

ToneGirl

Middle is best but will not always work for everyone.  I put mine on the passenger side because when I park on a street, it's safer to get baby out on the sidewalk than on a busy road. 

Cmagno

esscapelle said:

I hear all of you ladies saying the middle - but what about for those of us that have SUV's with two bucket seats in the back?!

I had a pretty big Land Rover until recently and made it work with infant seat in the middle. It was a stretch to pop the seat into the base but I liked that she was safe and sound in the center of the car.

herewegrow

We put DD1 on the passenger side so I could see and reach her easier. Will probably put the newborn there for the same reason and my older daughter is to the point where I can dangle things in her general direction and she can grab it. They both will be rear facing for a while, so I'll have to get another mirror so I can see them both.

MegStark

I'd do middle again if possible. This time I'll have baby behind driver seat and DD behind passenger. I might still try infant in the middle, but I'm not sure my 2 year old will leave him alone. 

If middle isn't possible, I'd say choose a side depending on your parking situation. I know it's easier for me to get a full size infant seat out of my side (driver) when I'm parked in our garage. But, like PP mentioned, if you park on the street often, it might be safer/easier to have them on the passenger side. 

Rynney1979

Ok for you ladies who have SUVs that have 3 rows but the 2nd row is bucket seats and NOT a bench, where do you favor the car seat? It doesn't seem practical to try and side the 2nd row forward to try and utilize the middle seat in the 3rd row. I too have an Acadia.

redfallon

Cmagno said:

I hear all of you ladies saying the middle - but what about for those of us that have SUV's with two bucket seats in the back?!

I had a pretty big Land Rover until recently and made it work with infant seat in the middle. It was a stretch to pop the seat into the base but I liked that she was safe and sound in the center of the car.

Bucket seats mean that there is no middle option.

redfallon

@Rynney1979 said:

Ok for you ladies who have SUVs that have 3 rows but the 2nd row is bucket seats and NOT a bench, where do you favor the car seat? It doesn't seem practical to try and side the 2nd row forward to try and utilize the middle seat in the 3rd row. I too have an Acadia.

DD sits behind the driver seat because that is easiest for me. I can reach to hand her things behind me to keep her busy. I haven't decided yet where we will put LO. Right now, I am thinking to put LO behind the passenger seat because he will not need as much intervention as DD still does. At least not right away. If that changes, then we will reevaluate things.

I have an Acadia with bucket seats for the middle row. I also have a mirror for DD and will get another one for LO so that I can see them both.

USCnurse42

We have a Sienna and Highlander. In both, the baby will go in the drivers side. In the Sienna if I am driving, it will be for ease of getting him out. If I am not driving, it will make it easier for me to reach. In the Highlander we found it is easier to stick the oldest in his booster in the middle because he can buckle himaelf.

tralalablah

Just want to reiterate that LATCH isn't any safer than a proper seatbelt install with a good fit. We do middle to improve side impact protection. DD is in a Foonf and the new LO will be in a Nuna Pipa bucket. They're both rear-facing, so likely the infant will get the middle and DD will go outboard. Haven't decided which one next. But when DD eventually goes FF, I might switch and put the "more vulnerable" rider -- the FF -- in the middle and the RF outboard. But that's years away.

snooker51

tesary said:

Middle is the safest. I was told after that drivers side because in an accident your instinct is to protect the side of the car you are on.

this

kittyberet

When it was just the one we put him in the middle. Now that we are having twins, a bigger vehicle (pilot) and lots of houseguests we have a different setup. Twins will go driver side & middle 2nd row, oldest will go driver side 3rd row. That way we can fit 2 extra adults and access the 3rd row easily.