Car seats

zizzabell523 · September 2017

So, this is still pretty early in the game, but I was wondering what some of you did or plan to do for mutliple car seat arrangements? I know the middle of the back seat is the safest, but what about if you already have a toddler seat back there? I have a sedan, so the back seat is just a bench seat. Is it too risky to try to squeeze the baby's seat in the middle and keep DD on one side or just put one on each side? TIA!

lincbeesmom · September 2017

I’ll have a toddler in the back and he’s behind the passenger seat right now. I’m tall so I have the driver pushed all the way back so I’ll probably put the infant seat behind my seat since he/she won’t need any leg room for a while.

I never had my son in the middle. It was easier getting him in and out from the side. Especially once they’re older than 6 months.

holli0801 · September 2017

DS is 2, and still in the middle, rear facing. Come May, I will put the infant in the middle, and DS behind the passenger (just so I can see him better). The reason the middle is safest is in case you were to get hit from either side. I could put up the third row and put them both in the middle but that would be a huge pain. One other, just practical reason I will not put them both on each side, is so someone else could easily sit back there with them and not have to squeeze between two car seats.

Ceridwen77 · September 2017

Some sources say that behind the passenger seat is safest, so that's where our convertible seat is now. I don't know what we're going to do, probably one on each side.

Saratiff · September 2017

We will the convertible for my toddler behind the passenger and the infant in the middle.

yesthisiskim0401 · September 2017

This is our third so I will have to bump my oldest in the back with the only anchor since she's still in a 5pt harness, if we can't fit 3 in a row in our bench seat. We will move her back up and probably to the middle once she's in a booster. My second is in her FF convertible behind the driver and baby will be in the bucket seat behind the passenger.

yiur cars manual should also give you more info on the best place in the car for car seats.

momo214 · September 2017

My toddler has always been behind the passenger seat. We will put one on each side of the backseat when baby comes.

christycalifornia · September 2017

I asked the police officer who did our car seat safety about this, and he said to put the front facing seat in the middle if you have the option. He said the rear facing seat is going to be more protected due to its orientation, so put the front facing in the most protected space. We're not front facing DD yet, but will prob flip her when the baby comes, and we're planning to follow that advice.

mileswithmyles · September 2017

Right now DS is behind the driver's seat in my car. I need to figure out where we will put the infant seat. I'm not sure if we will move DS to the middle or put the infant in the middle. We have an Explorer and we have to flip a seat down to get to the third row. I think I'd like to avoid putting a car seat back there if we can because we often keep the third row down for space for items, like a stroller or groceries, in the back.

sharkmama39 · September 2017

The safest seat for a car seat is the one where you get the best install. If your baby is in the middle, but the seat is not properly secured, it doesn't matter that it's in the middle. Try out the different options and check which one works best for your car and your car seat.

nanifrog · September 2017

Infant seat begins passenger because you need to move the from seat up to fit it and we want the driver to be comfortable. We put the FF seat behind the driver. So, one on each side. I don't think an adult sitting in the back it's comfortable whether it's in the middle or the side.

Current plan for 3: DD1 in booster behind driver. DD2 in convertible in the middle. Baby in infant seat behind passenger.

tincupchalice · September 2017

When I had two, I put one on each side. Don't freak about "safest place" stuff.

mommabmb · September 2017

We have a Honda Pilot. We have four car seats, baby will make for a 5th car seat. I put two on the middle bench, and fold down the jump seat. Then the back has two seats. When the baby comes, I'll just have to seatbelt the infant seat in on the jump seat after everyone else is buckled.

Note: Seating 3 accross is hard if you don't have at least 1 Diono (or other brand of extremely thin seats). There is a good website on this: https://thecarseatlady.com/fitting3across/. Here's another from consumer reports: https://www.consumerreports.org/car-seats/how-to-fit-child-car-seats-three-across/.

nanifrog · September 2017

Yeah, the diono makes it way easier!

@mommabmb I am amazed you are ever able to leave the house.

suchaglencoco · September 2017

tincupchalice said:

When I had two, I put one on each side. Don't freak about "safest place" stuff.

Yes, this. The most important things are to have the seats installed correctly and to habe the children in their seats the proper way.

mommabmb · September 2017

nanifrog said:

Yeah, the diono makes it way easier!

@mommabmb I am amazed you are ever able to leave the house.

You get used to being a freak show everywhere you go. And you pick places with the right carts, room for strollers, etc.

We leave for school every day at 6:45 (Montessori at 7 and daycare at 7:05 to meet the special ed bus at 7:10- me to work by 7:15). Life is a little nuts but you do get a routine.

sourapple1784 · September 2017

We have a minivan and the only one who’s still in any kind of a chair is our 7 year old. So, the baby will be in one captain chair and our 7 year old will be in the other. When our 7 year old was born, our other two were still in car seats and we had a sedan. We had our oldest two on the outside and the baby in the middle

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