OT: car seat placement

JEPES1348 · January 2015

DH and I both drive cars, so we always have P in her seat in the middle. With #2 coming in March, it's obviously safest for the infant to be in the middle, but I'm worrying about on which side to put P in her convertible car seat. Is there a statistical difference between the driver or the passenger sides regarding where more accidents occur? I'm starting to freak out about putting her next to a window, since I've never had to before. Probably a little irrational, but @nanabanana06 any suggestions?

edit for Nana's SN

unaveragejane · January 2015

I remember we had a thread about this several months ago, but I don't recall which one. I think it boiled down to there's not a lot of difference in safety bn the driver and passenger sides. Personally, we had to put our toddler behind the driver's seat when he was still RF bc his seat created such a blind spot in my sedan.

flummadiddle85 · January 2015

I think you need to figure out if you can get a proper install with an infant seat and convertible in the Middle and outboard. I don't think that's always possible. And ditto what Jane said, I don't think there's a lot of difference b between the two sides. Both my boys are in outboard seats. G is on the driver side, so if we are parking in the street, all I have to do is gran his seat. Then I can go to the sidewalk and unbuckle V from his convertible.

nanabanana06 · January 2015

First off, it's not safest for the infant to be in the middle. It's the least protected child that goes in the middle, so if your first child is FF or in a booster then they go in the middle. Secondly, there is no scientific or statistical difference between either side, so pick whatever side works best for you. I put Cade's seat on the passenger side so he's always getting out not in traffice (in case I have to put the infant seat down). However, now he's in the drivers side as Rosie gets the passenger for school drop off and pick up.

nanabanana06 · January 2015

Also, it's weheverever you can get both seats 100% installed correctly every time that is safest.

ElleBeeDub · January 2015

Look in your car's owner's manual. I'm pretty sure mine told us which side to put it on.

nanabanana06 · January 2015

missmimsyy said:

If I recall from the car seat class at the hospital; one seat, center; two seats, two sides.

That us terrible advice from a hospital. Terrible.

freezorburn · January 2015

State police can be wrong. I sent MIL to a supposed car seat expert to help install a convertible seat in anticipation of our visit in September. And despite me telling her multiple times that we preferred RF, she let this guy tell her it was safer to FF.

nanabanana06 · January 2015

Police =/= CPST. The middle is the safest place, but not every car can install in the center and when you have 2 seats it's beneficial to keep one in the center if you can. It's advice like that that get people installing seats in the center incorrectly cuz they think it's where it has to go.

nanabanana06 · January 2015

Most police officers and fire fighters are not CPST. They get a single class and never update themselves on current information. It makes me so mad since most of our local ones do the car seat install events and they always do things wrong or give terrible advice.

freezorburn · January 2015

nanabanana06 said:
Most police officers and fire fighters are not CPST. They get a single class and never update themselves on current information. It makes me so mad since most of our local ones do the car seat install events and they always do things wrong or give terrible advice.

I think this was probably the case for the officer that MIL went to. I can't remember what website I looked at but he was listed on some car seat safety website for her state. I probably should have done a little more research.

nanabanana06 · January 2015

freezorburn said:

Most police officers and fire fighters are not CPST. They get a single class and never update themselves on current information. It makes me so mad since most of our local ones do the car seat install events and they always do things wrong or give terrible advice.
I think this was probably the case for the officer that MIL went to. I can't remember what website I looked at but he was listed on some car seat safety website for her state. I probably should have done a little more research.

Safe kids has a CPST database. That's usually where I send people. Even if they are CPST I've seen some iffy ones. Like, I really dislike most of the ones that BRU brings in since they are all pretty much forced to push Britax seats, cuz that's in BRU's marketing contract.

freezorburn · January 2015

nanabanana06 said:

freezorburn said:

nanabanana06 said:
Most police officers and fire fighters are not CPST. They get a single class and never update themselves on current information. It makes me so mad since most of our local ones do the car seat install events and they always do things wrong or give terrible advice.
I think this was probably the case for the officer that MIL went to. I can't remember what website I looked at but he was listed on some car seat safety website for her state. I probably should have done a little more research.

Safe kids has a CPST database. That's usually where I send people. Even if they are CPST I've seen some iffy ones. Like, I really dislike most of the ones that BRU brings in since they are all pretty much forced to push Britax seats, cuz that's in BRU's marketing contract.

I just looked back through my emails and it looks like I did send her the link for Safe Kids in her area. Oh well. At least she was willing to turn the seat around when I asked her to.

bumpuser5078523 · January 2015

Our car only has two sets of hooks for latch. So if I have two kids using latch, I have to have them in the door seats.

I assume you can have two buckles on one hook, right? I have a van now, so we don't have to worry about that much.

Any tricks to getting an infant base in tight with the latch? I can't seem to, and I have experience. I get a super tight fit with the seatbelt, though. Is that okay to use?

Edit- We have the Britax B Safe infant seat. I love the latch straps on our NextFit convertable! Super easy to use!

BoothBaby · January 2015

doeie04 said:

Any tricks to getting an infant base in tight with the latch? I can't seem to, and I have experience. I get a super tight fit with the seatbelt, though. Is that okay to use? Edit- We have the Britax B Safe infant seat. I love the latch straps on our NextFit convertable! Super easy to use!

I have the Britax B Safe. I literally climbed in the car and knelt on top of the base while tightening it. It was the only way I could get it tight enough to have less than 1" of movement (in fact I could get it so tight that way, there was virtually no movement). HTH!

nanabanana06 · January 2015

May car has no latch connectors, but 3 anchors. I usually install with seat belt, even for clients. LATCH is great and I like it, but it can be so fiddley and many people can find it more complicated than a belt install. More so for grandparents. Plus now that LATCH is being so used there has been some findings on it's limitations. This a big reason why the easier to sntall seats are either brainless LATCH installs (Like the Chicco Nextfit) or belt installs (like the Britax Click Tight). Also, many people who use the belt do not engage the locking mechanism in the belt to keep it from tipping. If it gets slack it's more than likely the locking unlocked, I have to redo mine every few weeks since my belts are older and the belts like unlock.

bumpuser5078523 · January 2015

I have four loops to connect the latch clips to. So two sets. I have three seats. So if I latch the seat in the middle, I have to use one (inner) loop of each outside seat. So I can't latch one seat in the center and one seat on the outside. Sorry that wasn't clear.

bumpuser5078523 · January 2015

BoothBaby said:

doeie04 said:

Any tricks to getting an infant base in tight with the latch? I can't seem to, and I have experience. I get a super tight fit with the seatbelt, though. Is that okay to use?

Edit- We have the Britax B Safe infant seat. I love the latch straps on our NextFit convertable! Super easy to use!

I have the Britax B Safe. I literally climbed in the car and knelt on top of the base while tightening it. It was the only way I could get it tight enough to have less than 1" of movement (in fact I could get it so tight that way, there was virtually no movement). HTH!

That's how I get it so tight with the belt!

I'm sure I look like a crazy person when I move seats. Haha

nanabanana06 · January 2015

@doeie04 that's called borrowing anchors and is a huge no no. If you get a better install using the seat belt over the LATCH anchors than use the seat belt. They are both just as safe as the other, LATCH is merely just a convenience feature.

bumpuser5078523 · January 2015

I don't borrow anchors, I figured they were only meant for one seat. If the kids are in the car, I use the belt for the middle seat and the latch for the outer seat. We hardly ever use the car with the kids because it's a tight squeeze. I drive our van now, and have issues getting the infant base tight with the latch.

Good to know the seatbelt is just as safe.

JEPES1348 · January 2015

Thanks ladies! Sorry to post and run. We were doing some rearranging of furniture yesterday and room-swapping to prep for the little guy's arrival. I'll check my manual and also see if we can install properly with one in the middle. And both will be rear facing still, one in an infant seat, one in a convertible, so I don't know who would technically be the least protected.

Nvywife · January 2015

Does anyone use these? https://mobile.kohls.com/product/prd-1020125/diono-mighty-tite-car-seat-tightener.jsp?ci_mcc=ci&srccode=cii_17588969&cpncode=36-32488660-2&CID=shopping15

kmc84 · January 2015

Nvywife said:
Does anyone use these? https://mobile.kohls.com/product/prd-1020125/diono-mighty-tite-car-seat-tightener.jsp?ci_mcc=ci&srccode=cii_17588969&cpncode=36-32488660-2&CID=shopping15

OMG no no no no no!!!! Do not use that! They over tighten seats and damage seatbelts. Their use is not approved by ANY seat, including Diono seats.

kmc84 · January 2015

JEPES1348 said:
Thanks ladies! Sorry to post and run. We were doing some rearranging of furniture yesterday and room-swapping to prep for the little guy's arrival. I'll check my manual and also see if we can install properly with one in the middle. And both will be rear facing still, one in an infant seat, one in a convertible, so I don't know who would technically be the least protected.

If both are rearfacing, the youngest is your least protected and ideally would be in the middle, provided you can achieve a correct install.

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