Carseat placement for 3 yo and newborn

n&bcarlson · November 2011

Just wondering what others find easier. I have a 3 year old and another baby due in January. If they'll fit, I want to put one seat in the middle and one in the passenger side seat so that I still have a seat available in the back if needed. Which do you think would be more convenient- having my preschooler in the middle because she is more able to climb in and out on her own (but still needs me to buckle and unbuckle), or having the newborn in the middle and just climbing across the usually empty seat to pop the carrier in and out?

Cherryblossoms07 · November 2011

I don't know the answer since I will be having a 2 year old and a newborn soon. However, I would go with safety over convenience. I contacted our local car seat expert earlier this week to see what she suggests for placement in our SUV. I am still waiting to hear back since she is out of the office this week.

MainelyFoolish · November 2011

If I have another infant, I'm going to put the carseats on opposite sides of the car. I don't need my DD poking, prodding, or dropping things on top of the baby, which I'm sure she would do if she was in reaching distance.

June2007 · November 2011

I have Britax car seats which are huge and they will not fit properly with on in the middle. So I have my 3 year old behind the driver and my 1 year old behind the passenger. It has been like this since we had DD#2.It works well because I can reach back diagonally to DD#2 to hand a toy her if needed at a red light.

I think you are supposed to put the least protected child in the middle, so if your 3 year old is FF then she should be in the middle. It also seems like it would be easier because you could reach over the babys seat, unbuckle the 3 yr old and have her climb out while you handle the baby seat.

eaglesfan700 · November 2011

The middle is the safest spot so you would want the infant in the middle. The 3 year old is stronger and has a better chance than the infant on one of the ends in the event of an accident

My kids were 16 months apart and having DD in the middle and DS right next to her did not work at all. In retrospect, I am glad - it seems like a pain to have to reach over a seat to get someone out (whoever is in the middle)

eaglesfan700 · November 2011

CnAmom:
MainelyFoolish:

If I have another infant, I'm going to put the carseats on opposite sides of the car. I don't need my DD poking, prodding, or dropping things on top of the baby, which I'm sure she would do if she was in reaching distance.

Exactly.

We have always had the carseats on opposite ends of the car for that very reason.

HA! This is exactly what I meant when I said it didn't work out with DD in the middle!

wifeandmama · November 2011

We have our 2nd behind the passenger and our 1st behind the driver.

penguingrrl · November 2011

Technically speaking if you're using the middle seat you should put the least protected child in the most protected seat (which is the middle seat). If your 3 year old is forward facing they are the least protected child. If both are rear facing the newborn would be at "higher risk" of injury due to their age.

goillini823 · November 2011

My 3 year old is in the middle, and infant on the side. It has worked fine for us. She's never bothered him, and has actually kept him entertained at times. He likes to be able to see someone. DD can get in on her own so she clumps onto her seat while I put DS in. She buckles the top part of her seat on her own so I just have to do the bottom.

lucylea · November 2011

eaglesfan700:
The middle is the safest spot so you would want the infant in the middle. The 3 year old is stronger and has a better chance than the infant on one of the ends in the event of an accident

This is actually the opposite of what is recommended. The least protected child should be in the safest location in the car. So the older child in the FF or booster seat should be in the middle with the younger in the infant bucket or RF on the side. In general, but not always, safest is middle, followed by driver's side, then passenger's side.

JOEBunny · November 2011

We put DD on the passenger side when she was 3, and DS on the drivers side when he was a newborn. DD kicks the back of the seat and it drives me crazy, so better not to have her behind me. The infant seat would not install correctly in the middle seat of that car. I don't have a middle seat anymore and DD is still on the passenger side. It is easier to put her in the car on that side when shopping and then keep DS in his stroller or cart and go around to the passenger side. I always put DD in first, since she is harder to hold onto in parking lots.

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