Carseat Placement

JenR85

I'm a FTM so forgive me if this should just be common knowledge but my husband and I were talking about where in the backseat the car seat should be placed and I wasn't 100 percent sure. Should it go in the center of the back seat or behind the driver side?

sloturtle

They recommend you place the carseat in the middle of the back seat. This is the safest place for it. Also, this information is in the car seat manual.

santoriello21

You do need to check the manual. Mine only worked in the rear passenger seat.

alexandra1818

Definitely check the carseat manual, and your car's manual as well.

You should also consider who's sitting in the front.  In my car, the car seat worked better in the middle, as it gave my husband more room to sit in the passenger side... and in his car, the seat would only fit in the passenger side.

Linzbut113083

The baby basics class we went to had a car seat tech present. She said center is the best, passenger side rear second and driver side rear third. She explained that accidents are more common on drivers side then passengers which is why they are recommended in such order.

supersarah77

The manual to our car seat says refer to the car's manual for best placement and the car manual shows three options but doesn't say which one is best. Mayo Clinic says middle back seat is safest in case of a crash.

https://www.mayoclinic.com/health/carseatsafety/MY00824

meltoine

Unless your car manual says differently, the center in safest followed by the passenger side and then the driver's side. 

My car manual says the sides are safest because the middle seat is too small. If you have a sedan, make sure to double check.  

PrimRoseMama

sloturtle:

They recommend you place the carseat in the middle of the back seat. This is the safest place for it. Also, this information is in the car seat manual.

Agree. However, if you have two they both can't go in the middle lol. So I say figure out what works in your car. We have to put the car seats on the sides (behind passenger side and driver's side) because the middle section of our car doesn't allow the attachment. We've tried a million different ways and taken them to the fire station. That's the only way that will work.

As with all other safety things do your best and drive carefully.  

JenR85

Thanks ladies. I have a ford edge so I will check out the manual and we plan on having it checked out by the fire department in the next few weeks anyways.

ellewoodsSC

Safest position is the middle seat if possible (check your car manual and see if additional latch positions are available, otherwise you may have to use the belt install)  I recommend you schedule a car seat installation appointment with a safety tech to make sure you're using the seat correctly and your installation is solid.  You can find safety techs for free through community programs or police and fire stations depending on your locale.   

ellewoodsSC

missymr:

Both of our cars only have latches on the side seats not in the middle seat.

Can you put a seat in the middle and use one of each of the latches for the driver side and passenger side seats even though they're a little further away?

Our manuals don't say, they just say where to find and how to use the latches.

That is usually NOT allowed, unless your car manual or carseat manual says otherwise.   

queenbone

My understanding is to place it in the middle of the second row if possible, further from a side impact on either side.

Once you get to #2 if you can't fit two car seats next to each other, or don't have a bench seat back there, it is better to put the new born behind the passenger seat. 

We always do that because it is safer to load from the curb side anyway and the older child can crawl across  to his seat anyway (And then I reach across from the curb side to fasten the seat belt.) I would not be comfortable carrying an infant seat around to the street side and loading from the street.  I guess to some degree this depends upon where you live, maybe it's not an issue in suburbia?

Aurora317

Linzbut113083:

The baby basics class we went to had a car seat tech present. She said center is the best, passenger side rear second and driver side rear third. She explained that accidents are more common on drivers side then passengers which is why they are recommended in such order.

This. My sister is a CPST and helped us practice with our seat last week. She said the preferred order is middle, behind passenger, behind driver. Basically, put the most vulnerable person (child) in the center of the back seat, then work to the sides.

She just had her 2nd child in late April, her 3yo is in the center, forward facing in a 5point harness, her 5 week old is behind the passenger. She said an infant seat provides more encompassing protection than the FF convertible seat, so baby is on the side and toddler is in the middle. FWIW she uses a Chicco Keyfit for the infant, and a Diono Radian convertible seat for the toddler.

Aurora317

JenR85:

Thanks ladies. I have a ford edge so I will check out the manual and we plan on having it checked out by the fire department in the next few weeks anyways.

FYI most vehicles do NOT have center LATCH, and using one latch from the two side seats is NOT recommended, depending on whether your infant seat uses rigid LATCH or flexible LATCH. We have a Mercury Mariner, which is Ford, and will be using the center seat seatbelt to install our infant seat.

To find the nearest location to have your seat inspected, go to seat check dot org. Many fire and police stations can provide a check, but some can or will not, it is not a universal thing.

https://www.seatcheck.org/