Momma's with toddlers..

NovBabyX2 · August 2011

So, DS is 21 months and his car seat is currently in the middle of the backseat. I seem to be getting HUGE a lot quicker with this baby and it is getting so beyond difficult to put my 30 pound toddler in his car seat. Yes, he can climb into it on his own now but it takes him longer than I would like to wait when we are running errands and are in a hurry. I know I am going to have to move him to the side in a few months when DS #2 arrives but I feel guilty doing it now.

SO.. when did you OR when are you going to move your toddler to the side?

Thanks!

smilelari · August 2011

We put the car seat to the side (behind the passenger) when we switched to a convertible (I think LO was about 11 months old).

We will move his to behind the driver and put the infant seat behind the passenger when LO#2 comes along

Traycee1242 · August 2011

Is he still rear facing? Because that's so much more important than where the car seat is located.

We have a minivan with captain seats in the 2nd row... Its my only option to put him on the side as the only middle option is the way back...which is much to hard to get him in and out of. My Pedi said rear facing is safest, doesn't matter where the seat is located.

futureevans · August 2011

DD1 has been on the side the whole time. I have a bad neck and had issues with reaching to the middle to put her in. Plus our new car has 2 captain seats in the middle row.

NovBabyX2 · August 2011

No, he is not rear facing.

NovBabyX2 · August 2011

Thanks for your response ladies. Making me not feel as guilty moving him over to the side!

MrsPhunk · August 2011

DD's been on the side always. She's always been on passenger side in my car. DH had her in the middle when she was in the infant seat and when we transitioned to the convertible seats, he put her behind him. LO#2 will go behind the passenger seat in his car.

smilelari · August 2011

NovBabyX2:
No, he is not rear facing.

I'd flip him back to rear facing and not worry so much about where the car seat is. Rear facing is so much more important.

water-fairy · August 2011

We are not moving DS to the side. The infant car seat base, if secures with the seatbelt instead of LATCH, can fit to one side of DS's car seat in my Toyota RAW4. We will have to move DS once the baby is in a convertible (even though still RF) because two convertibles probably won't fit.

ShannonSky · August 2011

smilelari:
NovBabyX2:

No, he is not rear facing.

I'd flip him back to rear facing and not worry so much about where the car seat is. Rear facing is so much more important.

Agree! We moved DD1's seat to the side when we installed the baby's carseat a couple weeks ago, I was around 33 weeks. DD1 came early and we wanted to be prepared, and that was the last date I was comfortable with getting them inspected.

mattandbekah · August 2011

Our car has a 60/40 split in the back seat that was never compatible with the carseat anyway, so he has been on the side from the very beginning.

mabst196 · August 2011

I moved DD to the passenger side when she was like 15 months? I got a car with two seats in the back and not a middle seat so I had no choice. I would have moved her before now though maybe at like 2. Its too hard to put them in the middle even when not pregnant.

mabma80 · August 2011

They've each been on the side since they were 2. It's not a big deal. You need the room, you gotta move them.

junebugrbig · August 2011

DS has been on the side behind the passenger seat for a long time. Will move him behind me and put baby behind the passenger seat so I can reach her if I need to.

Sarahbear621 · August 2011

FFing carseats should be in the middle. RFing carseats can go on the side.

babes12 · August 2011

our car seat has always been behind the passenger side b/c that's where ours had to go. Not all cars can accept a car seat in the middle.

erin_aaronsbaby · August 2011

smilelari:

We put the car seat to the side (behind the passenger) when we switched to a convertible (I think LO was about 11 months old).

We will move his to behind the driver and put the infant seat behind the passenger when LO#2 comes along

This. Except, we've already moved DS1 to be behind the driver and have the infant carrier installed behind the passenger seat so everything's right ready to go.

peanut2b · August 2011

smilelari:

We put the car seat to the side (behind the passenger) when we switched to a convertible (I think LO was about 11 months old).

We will move his to behind the driver and put the infant seat behind the passenger when LO#2 comes along

Ditto

Bashert628 · August 2011

Right now DS is rear facing in the middle. DH and I are really tall (I'm 5'9" and all legs and DH is 6'3") so we both have to sit all the way back when we drive. Because of this, when the new baby comes I will be putting DS forward facing and behind the driver's seat. Otherwise I'm going to have a really hard time driving my car if I have to move it up as much as it will need to be moved to keep him rear facing.

megs68 · August 2011

I put DS behind me about 1 or 2 months ago. We have an SUV and it was getting just too hard for me to get him in and out.

MrsG.060708 · August 2011

Sarahbear621:
FFing carseats should be in the middle. RFing carseats can go on the side.

Not for every car. In my car, DD is FF and on the side because that's what the manufacturer recommends; in DH's car, she is FF in the middle...at least until we install the base for baby #2. It's not recommended to have 2 carseats next to each other.

nic326 · August 2011

babes12:
our car seat has always been behind the passenger side b/c that's where ours had to go. Not all cars can accept a car seat in the middle.

true. both of our cars dont have anchors in the middle so we use an anchor from either passenger seat in order to out the seat in the middle. once another car seat is installed they both have to be on a passenger side