2+ moms carseat Q

catie333 · June 2011

Need your help and expertise. We have the LATCH system in our SUV, but not in the middle seat. We installed the carseat behind the passenger seat because I thought it would be easier for me to see/reach to baby if need be. but, I absolutely cannot see in the seat from my driver's seat.

Is it better ot have baby behind you or passenger seat for practical purposes? What is your experience?

TIA!

jillybean222 · June 2011

I had two close together and now am having my 3rd - they can't all be in the middle! I think as long as the seat is installed correctly, position doesn't matter. Also, seatbelts are as effective as LATCH if you want to use the middle.

As a 3rd timer, it is easy to get caught up with what your children need in the back while you are driving, but it is not a good habit to get into. It can be VERY distracting. I still have to constantly remind my girls that I am driving a car and need to pay attention so everyone stays safe, but it doesn't stop them from asking for things. With a newborn, if the paci falls out, leave it out. If s/he is hungry, pull over and feed him/her, don't try to hold a bottle and drive - not smart. They make mirrors that attach to the seat so you can see when you look in your rear view mirror, but, again, it can be distracting (not to mention dangerous if you are involved in an accident). GL!

tawillers · June 2011

I drive a mini-van that has two seats, not a bench, in the middle row. So we'll have a carseat in each seat.

We have mirrors attached to the headrests of each seat so I can see both carseats in my rear-view mirror (while they're rear-facing, of course).

Kristin131 · June 2011

We put DS behind the passanger seat, but mostly bc we are both tall and with a rear-facing seat, we can't move our driver seats back enough to be comfortable. But we had those mirrors that strap onto the headrest so you can see LO. I preferred to have him over there especially once he was FF since I could see him easier.

jesss1022 · June 2011

We put ours behind the passenger seat. I have a Honda Civic (not very big:(), and now have 2 car seats in the back, the other one behind the driver's side. They are also hooked up with LATCH system. I tried the middle with DS#1, and I still couldn't see him very well, so we put him back on the passenger side.

Hunter22 · June 2011

We would do the passenger side with a mirror to watch them. If DH was driving it would have squeezed the seat with how far he moves it back.

tosababy · June 2011

Car seats properly installed with the belts are safter than the Latch system. Also, the safest place for baby is in the middle. I'd put baby in the middle using the belts.

anakalia10 · June 2011

Kristin131:
We put DS behind the passanger seat, but mostly bc we are both tall and with a rear-facing seat, we can't move our driver seats back enough to be comfortable. But we had those mirrors that strap onto the headrest so you can see LO. I preferred to have him over there especially once he was FF since I could see him easier.

This exactly (we couldn't even put the seats back far enough if he was in the middle seat but that was moot because our car manual says not to put carseats in the middle position).

In our SUV, the carseat is in the middle.

MilMom2B · June 2011

I don't understand the reasoning of wanting to be able to reach baby from the driver's seat while they're in the car seat as a reason to put it in whatever position. If you're driving (even at a stop) this is incredibly dangerous. And if you're parked, you can get out and open the back door. Right?

Whenever I took my nephew out as a baby and the entire week I watched my friend's baby while she was in the hospital I put their carseats in the middle. If they were fussy I would just talk to them out loud or play soft soothing music. If it had gotten serious where I needed to address it more hands-on I would have pulled over.

Also, FWIW I found it easier rather than more difficult to maneuver the seats in and out of the middle seat. I could rest the car seat on the empty side seat while I climbed part way into the car and the hoist it onto the base (or vice versa). Or if the seat is already in there I can be kneeling on the seat while strapping baby in. Whenever I get carseats out of the side I feel like I have a weird grip on it from releasing it and then trying to pull it out while I'm hunched over is awkward. Same with just taking the baby and not the seat, I'm all hunched over trying to do it, whereas if it's in the middle I can remove baby, get a good grip as I remove us both from the car. But, that's just me.

trplL06 · June 2011

in our old car we had him in the middle. But we just got a new SUV with bucket seats and put him behind the driver seat. The main reason for that was so that i can pull the car into the garage and still get him out. Also, it's nice when we're in a parking lot, I don't have to walk around the car to get him - which is irrelevant in a few weeks anyway since we'll have 2.

Structenggal · June 2011

DS is on the passenger side, mainly so that I am not standing in traffic to get him in/out of the car anytime I'm parked on the street.

12bailey18 · June 2011

We put ours behind the passenger seat. When LO turned a year and we bagan to forward face he went to the center. This LO will be behind the passenger.

mbritto4 · June 2011

I have no middle seat in my second row, it's 2 captains chairs. In my last car I put DD in the passenger/middle position where the latch was. Otherwise my seat couldn't be a comfortable distance from my wheel. I have LO behind passenger and DD behind driver in my traverse.

lissiealkie · June 2011

We have DS behind the driver's seat and we will be putting DD behind the passenger seat. Its a minivan and there's captains chairs instead of a bench. We moved DS from behind the passenger seat because we're usually all in the car together so its just easier for whoever is in the passenger seat to reach over and take care of whatever needs to be done. I will be sitting in the back more once DD is born because I did the same thing when DS was an infant. I just felt like I needed to be right there with him.

skimball09 · June 2011

The middle is the safest place for a carseat so if you only have 1, you should go with the middle...If you don't have LATCH in the middle just use the seat belt (I used to just use the inside LATCH of the two outer seats, but I don't know if that's good advice to give out!)

It's much easier having the carseat near the door, but I still put DS in the middle because I know its safest, even if my short a** has a heck of a time getting him that far over

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