Placement of Both Toddler and Newborn Car Seats in Car

Hmmmm...I have always heard the center seat is dangerous. I have a toddler and a nb and they are set up one on each side. Works great. : )

I am not sure about the person who responded below me stating that the center seat is the most dangerous, this is not true. According to the fire department, the center seat is the safest, the second safest is the seat behind the passenger seat and than lastly behind the driver seat. Call your local fire department and make an appointment with them. They are there to help you with that and they receive training on this. Good luck, and Congratulations!!

I was always told never to put a baby seat in the center. If for some reason the seat came detached during a crash there is nothing in front of that car seat to prevent the baby from going straight out the windshield. My husband is a police officer and this is what he has been told.

I had mine professionally installed and it could not be safely put next to each other...my son was 2 and in a forward facing convertible seat when I had my baby.

I had them on either side with the baby behind the drive so I could reach. The fireman that installed mine said that it's more important that it's installed right than where (center or side) it's installed. In fact my sons seat was moved to the side before we put the baby in because the seat was more secure and stable there.

wow....lots of opinions.....i would check with the fire dept, i would think they would be the most up to date on the safety. Personally, I have my infant behind the drivers seat, if you use the baby mirror, then you can see the infant from the drivers seat. I moved my toddler to the passenger side after I had the 2nd, because you can easily see/talk to them when on the passenger side. Good luck and congrats....mine are 15 months apart too....lots of work...but so wonderful and rewarding!!!!!

We were told in our baby CPR class a few weeks ago to put the toddler and the newborn's seats on the opposite sides of the back seat, instead of one in the middle, so that the toddler can't reach the baby or put things in the baby's car seat.

The child in the safest seat goes behind the passenger seat. Since your toddler is forward facing, he would go behind the driver seat. If you turn your toddler rear facing again, he would go behind the passenger seat. At 15 months old I would definitely turn his seat rear facing again. The AAP is recommending children stay rear facing until 2 years, but keeping them rear facing to the limits on your seat is best (usually 35lbs on most convertible seats). In an accident your child is 75% safer rear facing.

If you google "Extended Rear Facing" you'll find a ton of information supporting it.

Call your local fire or police department. They're usually happy to help with car seat installations. :-)

Lots of good legal and saftey focused advice here so I won't repeat. what I will offer is this; My daughter was about 20 months old when her brother was born. Having the 2 of them sitting next to each other yeilded some cool benefits. She began to bond with him during car rides and was much better at letting me know how he was doing than any mirror set-up I could devise.
It also spurred on her desire to speak as she would try to speak up on his behalf.
Babies are tougher than we think and I beleive designed to handle the exploration of older siblings.
Blessings and good luck with #2

I don't know about which placement is safest, but I have my infant and toddler at both ends because I didn't want my toddler poking the newborn all the time. They're 19 months apart. When I decided on placement, I thought of it from a logistics point of view. I want to minimize the amount of time I have a kid in the street when I'm loading them in and out of the car. I have my toddler behind me because I can keep her next to me on the curb when I pop the infant seat in the car, and then walk her around to the traffic side to quickly put her in her seat.

Call your local police department. They have a community officer that takes special training about infant safety, car seats, etc. They will install the car seats properly for you. You can also try your local fire department.

Hi S.,

I put my toddler on the side and placed the newborn facing backwards in the middle. My toddler was three when her sister was born, so she was quite helpful in replacing pacifiers, etc. I started out by having one on each side and no one in the middle, however, the newborn fussed less once I put her right next to her sister. Congratulations on your upcoming new arrival!

The safest place in the car is the middle of the back seat. They even did a study recently and found the best place was over the "hump" that everyone hates. I don't know if there are still humps in cars, I have a mini-van. Anyway, the best way to place the seats depends on the type of car you have and the type of seats. You may need to place one on each side so they are secure. That is the best position. The seats should not bump each other but should be secure with the belt. I was told you should be able to put a finger between the seats.

S.

Since you have two children and only one middle spot put the youngest in it. However if you have a sedan that is on the smallish side there is no way to secure two car seats side by side in a safe manner. I personally always put the baby behind the driver for ease of getting in and out of places. Congrats on number two! Good Luck to you!
J. O
mom to 5

Hi S.,

Congrats on your baby girl! Having 2 children will warm your heart in so many ways!!
My oldest daughter was 3 when my youngest was born, and we have a Trailblazer, so it was easiest to have them both next to a door. (Besides, I don't think there is enough room to have anyone in the middle.) As my youngest grew older, they could see each other well and would laugh at each other! Now that my youngest is front facing, they're partners in crime. I think the placement is safe either way you look at it, but whether or not you want to break your back every time you load them in the car! Good Luck!

I would place the baby behind the drivers seat facing the back of the car. Then put the toddler on the passenger side facing the front of the car so you can keep an eye on him while driving. You'de be surprised how the older ones like to poke the baby in the eyes when you're not looking. I would never put them right next to eachother. Good luck

Susanne,

I am not sure. Ask your Auto Insurance carrier, your local Fire or Police Department. Some carrier will give you a car seat and and install for you.