Car seat configuration for two

RedInLove · April 2017

Those who are going (or have gone) from one car seat to two, how did you configure them? DD (almost 3yo) is in a convertible in the center right now. I'm thinking I'll put her outboard passenger side so I can reach over to her, and see if infant carrier will fit center, otherwise he'll go outboard driver side. What have you all done?

NotAPlaya-JustCrushAlot · April 2017

I haven't installed the infant bases yet. I've never installed a car seat in the middle. I prefer to use latch so we have DD behind the passenger seat. She's still RFing but I may turn her when baby comes. She'll be over 3 1/2 by then. She'd fit better FF'ing behind the driver, but I'm not sure I'll be able to handle her kicking my seat and I think it may be harder to hand her stuff if she's right behind me. I need to see if the infant seat will fit behind the driver in both of our cars.

BeachMommy2B · April 2017

I'm basically in the same boat as above except DD is already FF, but still not sure if I want to move her to behind drivers side or not. Its easier to hand her things right now when shes in the passenger side. I have to turn in the my car (lease) by June 1st so it will also depend on the type of vehicle I get to replace it.

ETA:
Also... jinx @NotAPlaya-JustCrushAlot I didn't know we had picked the same newborn fail for the signature!

kat81 · April 2017

I love that someone is asking about carseat configurations and I might just have to hijack this post to see if anyone is attempting 3 across. This is the main thing on my mind right now, baby-wise...and kind of even just in general.

To answer your question, we did middle seat installation for DS when he was an only child, at least as long as he was in the infant bucket, but I think we might have kept him like that even when he graduated to the seat he is still using.

Once we had DD we put her on one side and DS on the other. I don't even remember the initial configuration in terms of who was on what side, but for the past year or two we've had her behind the driver and him on the other side. She is still RF as she is in a clek foonf and they do extended RF. I think she will continue to RF for some time, even though she is 3.5. I think it has been good that DS is the "reach back" kid even though he's older. He is FF so there is more upside/ability to reach back. He is also more prone to dropping shoes, toys, etc, and freaking out about it. Then again, if I'm driving and DH is the picker-upper, it is hard for him to reach DS's area. The driver has better access in a lot of ways.

We currently have one car, a toyota corolla, and just managed to safely and properly install all 3 carseats. You get a lot more leeway/flexibility with belt installations than with latch installations. It was huge when I discovered that the infant base can be installed with a belt. I didn't realize this -- I thought that the base needed latch, and belt installation meant traveling without the base (also totally possible, but I love being able to snap the seat into a base.)

We are in the market for a 2nd car, because we really need to have two, and because I guess we think we probably need a larger vehicle. The type of car we want, a normal car-based station wagon, does not exist anymore, especially not in manual transmission, which is our strong preference. Everything is an SUV, crossover, or minivan. Luckily we also prefer used (as they are always such a better deal) and used cars are more likely to fit what we like, but they are few and far between, especially ones that don't already have 100K miles or whatever.

Anyhow, we are so far considering:
Subaru Forester (2013 or earlier, preferrably pre-2010, as these are more car-like than the newer ones)
VW Golf SportWagen
Perhaps Subaru Crosstrek

Prius (regular size/model)
Prius V (if we can't get the right manual transmission station wagon we might as well get something with great mileage that is also super safe and practical, which the prius vehicles are.)

schnitz9 · April 2017

I am not doing center seat installation because according to my manual a carseat should never be in my center seat (2014 Nissan rogue). Plus there is no latch installation in the center and you can not latch share. My 2 year old will RF til 40lbs and he's behind the passenger seat so I guess this little guy is going behind the driver seat.

mcvgal · April 2017

We moved DS1 outboard passenger when DS2 was born and DS2 was behind the driver. It worked really well. Now we have a minivan with seats that fold into the ground. DS1 is in the very back seat passenger side. DS2 behind driver and the seat behind passenger is folded into the ground.
I have not decided where we will put DD. Either we use the passenger seat, but that makes school drop off a bit more of a hassle. Or, we move DS2 to the back row as well and DD behind the driver.

nda_roxybabe · April 2017

Obviously I don't even have the 1 kid yet, but if I were doing 2 I'd likely do the 2 outboard seats and puzzling middle and outboard can be tricky. Another thought is will your older child mess with baby if they're right next to each other? You can probably help the older child easier than the baby, so I'd put the baby behind the driver. When you go to get everyone out of the car I am guessing it'll be easier to grab baby first so toddler is still secured while you do that. Another advantage of putting baby behind the driver.

I wanted to do our seat in the center, and I did get a good install. However, I have a rigid latch and it's 1000x easier on the outboard positions and it's where I can do the load leg so it makes more sense since I have both those "safety" features.

hp_momma · April 2017

This is what I have always been told is the safest *as long as you can get a correct and tight install*

For one child: Middle seat or behind driver.

Two children: Youngest behind driver, older child behind passenger seat. The theory is that the driver will instinctively protect their side of the car first in an accident and receive the least impact, so you would want the younger and more vulnerable child on that side.

For our three kids, our older two are still in FFing convertible seats. DD1 will go to the back row (in the middle). DD2 will be behind the passenger seat and LO will be behind he driver seat in his infant seat. We have a Toyota Highlander with three rows and the second row is captains chairs so I don't have to attempt 3 across.

Kipperoo · April 2017

We currently have DS forward facing in the middle using the latch (car is a Subaru Forester). We flipped him forward facing about a month ago in anticipation of baby coming and because he was CONSTANTLY complaining that his back hurt and the pediatrician recommended trying it. We can't fit one in the middle and one on the side with the latch system, so we will likely move DS behind the passenger seat and DD will go behind the driver seat. We haven't installed it yet because my mom is coming into town on Friday and I'm trying to enjoy our last few days of having a mostly available back seat.

ChristinaWild · April 2017

I'm so glad you started this thread @RedInLove . We're planning on installing the bases soon and I've been trying to figure this out in my mind, as well, so thank you!

0408Bear · April 2017

We are putting DS (1yr) in the middle of the second row and each infant on the sides of our Toyota Sienna. And DS (15yr) and DD (11yr) will be in the back row. We now have two Sienna's and are looking to trade our older one for a suburban for DH and will configure the children the same way.

We we have a Grace 4ever for little DS and two Graco click connect 35's for the twins

BeachMommy2B · April 2017

@hp_momma I have read the same thing, except I thought I had read about keeping the older child behind the drivers seat if they are FF because they are less protected then newborn/infant in RF seat. Maybe I misunderstood what i was reading.

nda_roxybabe · April 2017

Another FB group recommendation. If you're not already, join the Car seat for the littles (CSFTL) group on FB. They're rather...stringent, but the advice and information is so so valuable.

mdlorenz · April 2017

DH and I have been debating our future configuration. DD is currently in a Britax convertible (FF) and we have two Chicco buckets for the twins. I figured they would puzzle together fine with DD in the middle and the twins outboard but DH thinks DD will try to climb over the babies to get out of the car. He also wants to find a narrower seat for her. The Britax is already pretty narrow (18.5") but heavy (20#) and he hates lugging it around if the seat needs to go elsewhere. I know Dionos are narrow but not willing to pay that much for a harness booster for DD at this point. Found that the Cosco harness booster (not visually pleasing but first world problem) is as skinny as any other "narrow" convertible/harness booster (17") so we will probably go with that (the $50 MSRP isn't bad either). Still need to decide who sits where...

RedInLove · April 2017

nda_roxybabe said:

Another FB group recommendation. If you're not already, join the Car seat for the littles (CSFTL) group on FB. They're rather...stringent, but the advice and information is so so valuable.

I'm in that group, but forgot about it because I unfollow most groups to keep my news feed clean. I'll check there as well, thank you for the reminder.

RedInLove · April 2017

I'm not sure yet if DD will try to reach for DS a lot, that's a good point. But having space to get someone else in the back seat if necessary (which would be pretty rare even if I had one outboard free) would be eliminated with two outboard install, especially when DS outgrows the carrier.

My vehicle is a 2014 Ford Edge. DS will be in a Britax B-Safe, while DD is in a Graco Size4Me 65.

kat81 · April 2017

mdlorenz said:

DH and I have been debating our future configuration. DD is currently in a Britax convertible (FF) and we have two Chicco buckets for the twins. I figured they would puzzle together fine with DD in the middle and the twins outboard but DH thinks DD will try to climb over the babies to get out of the car. He also wants to find a narrower seat for her. The Britax is already pretty narrow (18.5") but heavy (20#) and he hates lugging it around if the seat needs to go elsewhere. I know Dionos are narrow but not willing to pay that much for a harness booster for DD at this point. Found that the Cosco harness booster (not visually pleasing but first world problem) is as skinny as any other "narrow" convertible/harness booster (17") so we will probably go with that (the $50 MSRP isn't bad either). Still need to decide who sits where...

I agree that puzzling RFs on either side of the FF seat is probably best. That is what we are doing right now.

We have the lowest level of Diono and it did not cost much. It is also a good seat to have for a LONG time. The Cosco one could be a good choice and probably weighs about 1/5 the amount of the Diono, a huge bonus! I would try to go with something narrower than your britax. There are some great websites for helping with fitting 3 seats across. You can even search by car (just google your car and 3 car seats and a result will pop up from the site.)

As for DD climbing over the babies, just leave her restrained while you get both babies out. Can she unbuckle herself?

hp_momma · April 2017

BeachMommy2B said:

@hp_momma I have read the same thing, except I thought I had read about keeping the older child behind the drivers seat if they are FF because they are less protected then newborn/infant in RF seat. Maybe I misunderstood what i was reading.

Hmm that is interesting, and I never really considered it but it does make sense! My dad is a police officer and my brother is a firefighter, so I just hear from their recommendations and what they have noticed to be the safest areas after car accidents.

0408Bear · April 2017

We also have the Costco seat. We only use it on trips that require an airplane ride for that exact reason...it is super narrow! It works wonders for us (esp if we are squished in a rental car)

nda_roxybabe · April 2017

hp_momma said:

BeachMommy2B said:

@hp_momma I have read the same thing, except I thought I had read about keeping the older child behind the drivers seat if they are FF because they are less protected then newborn/infant in RF seat. Maybe I misunderstood what i was reading.

Hmm that is interesting, and I never really considered it but it does make sense! My dad is a police officer and my brother is a firefighter, so I just hear from their recommendations and what they have noticed to be the safest areas after car accidents.

Yes, a rear facing child is the safest and middle is the safest SO if you can put a FF child in the middle seat that is best as the RF child already has the protection of being RF. Does that make sense?
A lot of vehicles can do FF in the center seat though.

chickyclg · April 2017

We will be doing 3 across. DS#1 behind driver side, DD middle (both in Chicco Nextfits), DS #2 in a Chicco Keyfit bucket behind the passenger seat. All latched.

We are planning on FFing the twins (I'm a little nervous about this) when #3 gets here that way I can tighten DD from in between the 2 front seats.

Same set up for DHs truck but seat belt install the middle seat.

I have always had the twins side be side so I can "load" every one from one side, the only exception was in DHs truck with the buckets so the bases were latched in.

pshaortao · April 2017

DD will stay where she is, RFing behing thr passenger seat. Infant seat will be install behind the driver side. DD has in the last month has preferred to climb into the car and up on the middle seat before plopping herself into her seat so I'd like to leave the middle space open for her to be able to continue that. Plus it will probably help me a ton with postpartum restrictions. We had considered putting the infant seat in the middle but were nervous about how DD will be with her little brother within her reach while hes still so tiny, so better safe than sorry.

achays11 · April 2017

We just bought a Pilot and MH and mom insisted on turning DD, who just turned 3 FF. I am against it, but there is no turning her back now. She is currently in the middle seat of the second row. I thought that I had read that was the safest spot, even for FF. I'm thinking of putting this LO on the passenger side because I will be able to reach them better if I need to.

Obviously I need to do a bit more research to see what is best. But thank you for posting this. I know we had discussed this before and I was just thinking of searching for the thread.

chickyclg · April 2017

pshaortao said:

We had considered putting the infant seat in the middle but were nervous about how DD will be with her little brother within her reach while hes still so tiny, so better safe than sorry.

Ummmm, yea, this has not even crossed my mind until now.

MrsFreeman2010 · April 2017

I was just working through this last night as I was trying to fall asleep. DD (2.5) is RFing in the middle right now using latch. I think the plan is to move her behind the passenger, still RFing and put the new baby behind the drivers seat. Can't latch share in the middle and I think I can get safer installs with both of them on the outside.

redheeler · April 2017

@kat81 I haven't read the rest after yours I just wanted to give you some options on cars (car based station wagons)
keep in mind I'm in a different country so names may be different there.
I drive a Holden commodore, which comes in a manual station wagon (I have the sedan) they're Australian made and I believe sold in the US as a "Chevy SS"
Chevy Cruze should also come in a manual wagon
Subaru Outback
Subaru liberty (new models don't come in manual)
Subaru Impreza (more of a hatch back than a wagon)
Volvo do quite a few wagons and they are quite nice these days, although not manual. Mazda do a wagon version of a few sedans
There are also a couple of options from VW, Audi, Mercedes, BMW etc, but these are obviously at a higher price range.
I hate how hard finding a manual is now, drives me insane, just because other people can't drive doesn't mean nobody can drive!

------

I plan to put DS2 behind the drivers seat and DS1 in his FF seat behind the passenger where he is now.

redheeler · April 2017

hp_momma said:

This is what I have always been told is the safest *as long as you can get a correct and tight install*

For one child: Middle seat or behind driver.

Two children: Youngest behind driver, older child behind passenger seat. The theory is that the driver will instinctively protect their side of the car first in an accident and receive the least impact, so you would want the younger and more vulnerable child on that side.

For our three kids, our older two are still in FFing convertible seats. DD1 will go to the back row (in the middle). DD2 will be behind the passenger seat and LO will be behind he driver seat in his infant seat. We have a Toyota Highlander with three rows and the second row is captains chairs so I don't have to attempt 3 across.

I actually want to disagree with the safest place statement. Passenger side is safest, any accident you get in on that side, you should be at fault so it's easiest to avoid and therefore safest.
plus the driver is always in the centre of the road and closest in the case of a head-on collision, which is the most dangerous accident scenario (higher impact speed) I would always pick the passenger side for a child over the drivers.

mamatowildones · April 2017

We had ds1 on passenger side and DS 2 behind driver. They fit best that way. I would just play with it. We played with it with 3 and it just didn't fit comfortably across the back. So the oldest moved into the 3rd row and the 2 babes will be in the middle behind passenger and driver.

WombThereItIs · April 2017

I envy @PartiallyDomesticated for living in a country that appreciates a good wagon! I adore them but couldn't find many options his last car shopping go so I have what feels like a land yacht of a sedan.

I have my one kid RF on the passenger side. He's always been there. UO? I don't get why everyone is so LATCH focused, I'm all about that seatbelt install.

When I install the infant base it will go in the passenger side and my 2.5 year old will FF behind me. Neither my husband or I can have the seat back enough to comfortably drive with a rear facing seat behind us so it was an easy decision.

hp_momma · April 2017

PartiallyDomesticated said:

hp_momma said:

This is what I have always been told is the safest *as long as you can get a correct and tight install*

For one child: Middle seat or behind driver.

Two children: Youngest behind driver, older child behind passenger seat. The theory is that the driver will instinctively protect their side of the car first in an accident and receive the least impact, so you would want the younger and more vulnerable child on that side.

For our three kids, our older two are still in FFing convertible seats. DD1 will go to the back row (in the middle). DD2 will be behind the passenger seat and LO will be behind he driver seat in his infant seat. We have a Toyota Highlander with three rows and the second row is captains chairs so I don't have to attempt 3 across.

I actually want to disagree with the safest place statement. Passenger side is safest, any accident you get in on that side, you should be at fault so it's easiest to avoid and therefore safest.
plus the driver is always in the centre of the road and closest in the case of a head-on collision, which is the most dangerous accident scenario (higher impact speed) I would always pick the passenger side for a child over the drivers.

Like I mentioned earlier, this is information I received from my police officer dad and firefighter brother who have been on MANY accident calls. We can agree to disagree! Ultimately, if your baby is in a correct fitting seat, RFing as long as possible, straps are in the appropriate place, and the install is tight and correct, then your baby *should* be safe on either side or center.

vrj0522 · April 2017

I put DS (oldest) FF in the middle, DD is FF behind driver's seat, and baby will be behind passenger seat. I find this the most helpful because then I can reach baby easier. I feel like DD is old enough that she can wait more easily for help. In addition, DH is a tall guy and he wouldn't be able to move the driver's seat back comfortably without touching the infant seat, which they don't recommend.

DS is in the middle because then he can be a helper in the back and I wouldn't have to worry about his interactions with the baby; although this is a trial for now because DD and DS next to each other seem to fight a lot so if it get ridiculous, DS will go on the 3rd row and we'll take out the middle seat on the 2nd row.

For moms wanting to put a RF car seat in the middle: you might want to check your seat latches. Our van doesn't have middle latches so if we are using the outboard ones, the middle seat has to be FF'd using the seat belt because there is no latch sharing.

NotAPlaya-JustCrushAlot · April 2017

You can install a infant seat base or a rf'ing convertible using the belt in the middle.

pshaortao · April 2017

@WombThereItIs I personally feel like latch is much easier to install most of the time, but it is good to know how to do a seatbelt install too especially for travel.

@vrj0522 I've never heard of having to install forward facing only with seat belt. I have installed rear facing both the infant and convertible seat with a seat belt when needed.

I was going to throw in another thought but got sidetracked and forgot. Ah well.

vrj0522 · April 2017

@pshaortao - Interesting! That's just what our seat belt tech told me last week when we took the car in for car seat inspection. Maybe she just didn't know what she was talking about.

pshaortao · April 2017

@WombThereItIs I personally feel like latch is much easier to install most of the time, but it is good to know how to do a seatbelt install too especially for travel.

@vrj0522 I've never heard of having to install forward facing only with seat belt. I have installed rear facing both the infant and convertible seat with a seat belt when needed.

I was going to throw in another thought but got sidetracked and forgot. Ah well.

redheeler · April 2017

Quick question, because the latch system is really new here (isofix?) aren't you supposed to use the seatbelt as well anyway?

Also the latch is only safer because the install
is more "foolproof" so if your seat is installed correctly then there shouldn't be a difference in the safety.

@WombThereItIs our most popular car (the commodore) also comes out in a ute (sedan based truck) so it's really easy to turn them into a wagon. I actually really hate wagons personally, but I appreciate having the choice! Surprised there aren't more options there.

pshaortao · April 2017

Oh yes, I remember now, your post brought my sidetracked though back @PartiallyDomesticated

Neither one is safer than the other, as long you install the seat correctly. However, latch and seatbelt SHOULD NOT be used together, only one or the other. ETA: Had to look up the reasoning but a combination of both has not been tested in car seat crash tests.

In case some mamas here didn't know, or FTMs. I think DH used both at the same time when he did the install for the infant seat. That got fixed as soon I learned so much more about car seat safety.

redheeler · April 2017

@pshaortao I'm sure that the install manual for my car seat said to use both, but I could be wrong, it's a moot point because I don't have the latch points. Different countries and different requirements though I suppose

eta: what is the minimum requirement there for RF I see a lot of people with 3yr olds who haven't turned them, my 3yr old barely fits in his FF seat as it is so just curious.

bacorrea · April 2017

I am responding so late, but we have a Dodge Grand Caravn with captains chairs in the middle. DD (3 on the 26th) will be FF behind the driver and DS will be in the infant bucket RF behind the passenger. DH and I are both tall and the infant bucket can't get a proper install behind the driver.

Again, it's whatever gets a proper install in your car like many others have mentioned.

NotAPlaya-JustCrushAlot · April 2017

@PartiallyDomesticated. Here, most places require rf'ing to 1 yo by law. Some states have upped it to 2yo. However the safest recommendation is 2-4 yrs or until the kid is 40lbs. Some seats might go up to 50 lbs now. DD is 3 1/2 and still comfortably rfing. If we flip her when LO arrives, it will because we can't fit a RF seat behind the driver.

CherryBananas · April 2017

I've learned so much from the CSFTL Facebook page. I honestly had no idea how little I knew about car seat safety.

@schnitz9 that's really interesting about what your manual says. I also have a Nissan and aside from stating that I can't use the LATCH in the middle (I'd have to borrow from the side seats) it doesn't say anything about not placing a car seat there. It's older than yours (an '09) but I'd be suprised to hear that they changed things that much. I should email them and ask if the recommendations have changed since my car was purchased.

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