Where is your car seat installed?

Mrschica · October 2012

behind your seat? Passenger side? Middle? We did passenger side, but one of DHs friends sai that the safest spot is supposed to be the middle... Never heard that before...

thoughts?

ellcore · October 2012

We heard that too, but ours is behind the passenger seat. We have a Kia Soul and it doesn't fit correctly in the middle.

Mrschica · October 2012

ellcore:
We heard that too, but ours is behind the passenger seat. We have a Kia Soul and it doesn't fit correctly in the middle.

similar issue here... Only I don't have where to install the mirror in the middle, and I don't feel comfortable with the seat facing rear and not being able to see LO

nycgirl88 · October 2012

We put ours in the middle. Our suv manual said that was the safest place!

tevagirl · October 2012

Ours is in the middle. In my Jetta, it's the only place it fits.

MichelleL1118 · October 2012

The safest place is wherever you can get the seat installed correctly, but statistically, the middle is "safest" in a collision. DS was in the middle in both of our cars until we had to install the infant seat again for DD. In one car, DD is behind the driver seat, and in the other, she's behind the passenger seat (DS is now behind the other seat, we couldn't keep him in the middle & get the infant carrier in next to him).

ellcore · October 2012

Mrschica:
ellcore:
We heard that too, but ours is behind the passenger seat. We have a Kia Soul and it doesn't fit correctly in the middle.
similar issue here... Only I don't have where to install the mirror in the middle, and I don't feel comfortable with the seat facing rear and not being able to see LO

agreed. I plan on riding in the back with her for a little while anyway.

Sillygirl85 · October 2012

Middle is the safest spot, followed by behind the passengers seat. This is what I was told by the nurse at the hospital. We use the passengers side in both cars though because of the latch. I tried the middle and didn't feel the seat was as secure using the belt as with the latch on the sides.

jerkyanne · October 2012

They say the safest place is in the middle in case there is side collision. Our infant carseat fits in the middle nicely, not the case in all cars.

But I know once we need a bigger seat, or switch to a convertible one we will have to move it to one of the sides because the infant seat just perfectly fits in the middle, so a larger one wouldn't fit at all. It will probably be on the drivers side because that seat in our car is easier to adjust. If you're going to be on one of the sides, there really is no safer side. Though some people find it easier to see the baby if necessary on the passenger side.

rnbeth477 · October 2012

We used the middle for DS, but now that we have baby 2 we've got one on each side in the back. No one in the middle.

irish city girl · October 2012

I have heard that,but we have to have 2 car seats due to ds1 so ds1 is behind the driver because his seat is forward facing and doesn't take up as much room. The infant seat is on the passenger side. When ds1 was infant,his seat was on the passenger side so I could reach back and hand him things if needed.

FinallyMom2B · October 2012

We've got it in the middle in my car. We haven't installed the extra base in DH's yet, but hopefully it will fit in the middle there as well.

kaleidoskpeyez · October 2012

Middle seat, since that's what the car seat manufacturer & car manufacturer both recommended.

DH pointed out that our car is equipped with rear side airbags, which means it would make sense to try to keep baby in the middle and away from those things. Plus, in the event of a side impact, the middle seat allows the most possible buffer between baby and the insides of the doors.

BronzeMama · October 2012

IN both of our cars, the owners manual says to install car seat on the passenger side or behind the driver. There is no option for middle. But frankly the damn seat is so big, the person in the front seat will have to sit with their knees on the dashboard. Won't be comfy at all. And no, we're not buying new cars right now... I plan on riding in back if all 3 of us have to go somewhere.

ThatWasAHoot · October 2012

The safest spot is supposed to be the middle, I've also heard. But since we have a toddler in a rear-facing car seat behind the passenger, LO is behind the drivers side.

projectbaby2012 · October 2012

We are having 2 babies, so we cannot fit one of the car seats in the middle. One is behind the driver's seat, the other behind the passenger's seat.

numberonemama · October 2012

DS was in the middle...I feel like that's the safest, but now that we have DD too we moved DS behind the driver and the baby to the passenger side. I would have moved DD behind the driver since DS really needs to be on the passenger side for school drop off but DD's seat didn't fit behind the driver side.

ChrisG83 · October 2012

Mine is behind my driver seat since I have a Chevy Tahoe with Captains seats there is no middle seat. I wish there was a middle seat though.

pb_bride · October 2012

Middle back seat. It is the safest spot in the car if the car seat fits and is installed correctly. It is the farthest point from any sort of impact.

In my infant/child safety class I took, the instructor reminded everyone NOT to hang any mirror or use any after-market products in your car seat. The after-market products have not been tested for safety, and the mirror = projectile object that will potentially hit/hurt your LO if you are in an accident.

As for the rear airbags, the instructor said that *most* of them fall like a curtain when deployed. So they don't really have that huge force/impact like front airbags do. That's why it's much safer to install car seat in the back. And even if you have a car seat on the side seat, chances are the rear airbags won't really hurt your LO because of the way they are designed.

danienross · October 2012

DD was always in the middle until we installed the seat for this baby. Now she's behind the passenger and LO will be behind the driver.

CnAnA · October 2012

According to the car seat installation guy at the fire station, the safest spot is wherever your car manual says to put it

goldengirl84 · October 2012

It's currently behind the driver seat because of the LATCH system, but I may switch it to the middle when I'm all healed from my csection. I think it'll be easier for me for now where it is.

Aussiemummy · October 2012

Ours is in the middle.

kingbritt86 · October 2012

Ours is in the passenger seat, we originally had it in the middle, but when we got it inspected, for our car it says the passenger side is the safest.

Vegasbb · October 2012

Middle - this is safest because it protects from side impact. That being said, it's really annoying in the middle (crowds both sides and I can't put the seat down for transporting bigger things), SO I'm not sure if this will be a long term solution for us.

schmidters10 · October 2012

I have a van and the only place that the van has the latches in the bottome of the seat to brace it is behind the drivers seat. This is where DD was until we installed the infant carrier. DD is now in the middle. She is in a booster now though. So all she needs is a seat belt.

DH has a truck, extended cab. The LO will be in the middle and DD will remain behind the passanger seat.