Car seat positioning for baby and toddler

Corinna - posted on 09/24/2010

Hiya
I had my new bubs behind the drivers seat for the first six months and then when I converted her to a bigger seat I put her on the other side, purely because she is now turned around facing forwards and prefers to see me, whereas my son can lean forward and see me.

Amber - posted on 09/20/2010

my toddler sits behind the driver seat and i plan on puttin the baby behind the passenger seat i have an suv its easier to just put them next to the doors to get them in and out

Kelly - posted on 08/14/2010

i have my 6week old behind me ( as im the driver) and the 3yr old behind my husband... easier for him to deal with baby that way... plus means when i get out of the car i grab the baby and he will grab the 3yr old - easy for us.

See whats good for you and work from there.

Jane - posted on 08/13/2010

i have our 18 month old behind me and our 3 yr old in the back. i leave the seat next to the 18 month old folded down so the 3 yr old can get herself in and out of her seat. i used to have them next to one another but they started poking one another. this way, no poking (and complaining) and i still have two seats avaailable for other people to use. i put them both on my side of the car (driver's side) b/c i think if i have to swerve, i'm naturally going to swerve the driver side away from any oncoming danger. i would rather have them behind a seat instead of in the middle, i fear that they can be propelled thru the windshield in an accident. i'd rather have them bonk their heads on the back of the seat and be alive with a bump or two.

Aicha - posted on 08/13/2010

will be putting the infant seat in the middle and the toddler seat on the passenger side because my husband is really tall and has the seat all the way back

Ashley - posted on 07/31/2010

depending on what kind of car you have the middle seat in the back is best for babies but since you already have one that more and likely isn't possible. Now the sides are equal (i think) accidents happen, you can't predict if the car is going to hit one or another side....I would say put it where you feel comfy

Elysia - posted on 07/13/2010

my toddler will remain in the middle as i will be using a capsule for the new born so i need easy access to get it in and out of the car. The new baby will be on the left. In australia this is the next safest position for a child after the mild. if in america i guess the right side would be the safest after the middle as your roads are opposite.

Kelly - posted on 06/30/2010

I just had baby number 2 and have both kiddies on each side of the car behind each front seat.
When the new baby gets to 1yr and is forward facing then i will move them so my 3yr old is in the middle and the youngest on the outside.
So whats easier for you to get the kids in and out of the car.

Liz - posted on 06/27/2010

I have a set of b/g twins who just turned two. Currently my daughter is in the middle seat and my son is in the back seat. When their little brother will be born July 13th, with a planned c-section, his car seat will go next to his sister in the middle seat of the van.

Lori - posted on 06/27/2010

My sister in law just had a baby and went to the fire department to have her car seats installed. She has a 3 year old and then the new baby. She was told you always keep the forward facing seat in the middle and the rear facing behind the passenger. The toddler is more suseptible in a car crash being in a forward facing car seat. Putting the infant behind the passenger will allow you to see him/her when you are driving.

Medic - posted on 01/17/2010

i have mine positioned on opposite sides.....but i have heard that its safer to have the infant seat on the outside and the toddler seat in the middle because you want to put the safer seats on the outside....the toddler is more exposed than the infant

Ericka - posted on 01/16/2010

currently my daughter in the middle of the back seat because it is proven the safest place for a child to be if an accident happens. when the new baby comes it will be in the middle and my daughter will be on the passenger side. this also allows another person to sit in the back.

Nikki - posted on 01/16/2010

We have a minivan, so my toddler is behind the driver seat, since it is easier to get her our from that door if we are alone, also we have an automatic door on the passenger side rear, so gettin gthe infant seat in and out is easier from that side. When they ride in a car, we keep them on those respective sides to avoid confusion with the toddler.

Nikki - posted on 01/16/2010

I have my baby in the middle, as that is the safest spot to be in in a car if there is an accident, my daughter is on the passenger side, we had trouble deciding which side to put her on and which would be safest, they came up pretty much 50 50. The driver side is probably safer in a crash and research has shown that drivers instinctively turn there side out of danger in a crash, however if they are on the driver side then they are getting out onto the curb, when you are parked on the side of a road. So in that way the passenger side is better and also i find my toddler tends to kick the back of my seat sometimes which can get quite distracting. So it is your choose and it is quite a difficult decision, you just have to way up the pros and cons and find what is going to work best for your family!

Jennifer - posted on 01/15/2010

Personally when my toddler was an infant we had her in the middle & now that we are expecting another baby we have moved her to the passenger side so she is behind me when my husband drives. We plan on putting the baby in the middle again next to her that way someone else can still sit in the back, either one of us can see the baby if needed, & we can still get it out just as easily from the driver's side. I have heard that the middle is always the safest place for the smallest child & obviously if you have the other car seat properly installed the other child should be just fine as well.

Mandy - posted on 01/15/2010

my toddler sits behind me and the baby will sit behind the passenger side...i have a small car and cant put an infant car seat in the middle anyways...

Carina - posted on 01/14/2010

Hi there.... well I have heard and read that most accidents happen on the driver side front of the vehicle ( a survey they sort of did in South Africa) they basically state that children are safer on the back seat on either side... our toddler is behind the passanger seat and we will have our new little one behind the driver seat... this is also basically coz my husband generally drives so if something is wrong with the little one i can easily reach him from where im sitting.... I personally feel that as long as your children are seated in the back of the vehicle they are safer than being seated in the front and it doesn't really matter which side as your chances of having and accident from the rear sides are not as likely as from the front of the vehicle.... I hope this helps a bit.....

Kelly - posted on 01/14/2010

its all up to you. I have my toddler in the middle of the backseat now as he climbs in and out by himself. im wanting to put the new baby on the side so i can get her out easy... i also want it so if we have someone else int he car they dont have to climb over babyseats to get in the car...

if i have a porblem and my toddler wants to be mean to the little one then i will change him to the side also but i wanna give him the benefit of the doubt and make he realise he is a big boy now so much look after the little one.