When and Where to Place Front Facing Car Seat

The middle is the safest in case of a side impact collision.

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If you only have 1 child, then I would put it in the middle. If you are in a car crash and was hit on the side of your car, your son will be more protected.

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I put my kid behind the passenger seat so I could more easily reach back to give him things and I could turn and see him if needed.

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D.,

The middle seat is still the safest. Place him in the middle~

M.

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Hi D.. When we had one child, we had her in the middle until I realized I could better hand her toys or hold her hand with her behind the passenger seat. We have two now and our oldest is forward facing behind the driver seat and our 22 is rear facing behind the passenger seat. We initially had the baby in the middle but her sister would fiddle with her, so we separated them.

Our baby will rearface until 24 months as per the new guidelines from the Academy of Pediatrics http://aapnews.aappublications.org/cgi/content/full/30/4/.... I know it seems like it would be better to hve them turned around! I hate that our curious little one can't see whatever we are pointing out. But I would rather some frustration than a severe injury in a crash.

M.

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While it would be easier to hand our daughter her dropped toys or needed a sippy cup behind the passenger seat, we opted to place her in the center. In the center, she was safer from the side glass and air bags in the event of an accident. She's 8 and still sits in the middle in her booster seat.

(She also learned to not throw her toys because no one picked them up.)

Stephanie

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I can not tell you how to protect your child. I am an insurance adjuster and from my personal experience and with my own child you never put them in a forwarding facing car seat in the center of the back seat, although that seems logical in terms of a side collision, however I can not tell you the number of accidents I have seen with windshield impacts. I am certainly not trying to scare you! Us as parents we worry enough about the what if's. Your car, especially if newer is built to protect and should have air bags. I have always put my daughter in the back seat behind the passenger seat the easiest and fastest way for you to reach them. They can see the side of your face and you can reach back without distracting your vision. Just my thoughts... I am sure what ever you decide it will be fine. =) god bless.

one year and 20 lbs, so your son is legal. I moved my kids to the side at that point because getting them in and out in the middle was too hard on my back by that point. :)

I was always told that the middle of the back seat is always the safest spot, rear-facing or forward facing. If & when he becomes a big brother, then you don't have much of a choice. ;)

You should keep him in the middle, according to what I've heard, because you don't want him near a door in case you get in a side-impact accident. Hope this helps! :)

Keep him rear facing as long as possible. You can get car seats that are called "convertible" and be rear facing and then forward facing. Middle of the back row is best if possible due to protection with side impact. Also, get your car seat inspected by qualified technicians. Go to www.seatcheck.org to find places near you. It's a free service. Majority of people install their car seats wrong. The car seat is too loose or the harness straps are too loose or car seat is wrong for the car. If the car seat is not put in correctly and/or the harness straps are not secured/positioned correctly, you'll be sabatoging the reason for having your child in a car seat in the first place.

Good luck and best wishes.

I think it mainly depends on your car and how well you get your sweetie in and out of the car. For us, we can only put our daughter's seat in the center of my car because the headrests in the backseat don't come off. Plus, being short and hugely pregnant, it helps me to be able to sit next to the car seat to put her in it. Standing outside and leaning in really puts a strain on my back and ankles. I would play around with installing your car seat (center vs. side) and see what is safe and what works for you and your car. If you try it and you're still confused, you can always go to CHP and ask them to help you find the safest way to install your car seat. They are more than willing to help out. You can also go to Babies 'R Us the next time they have a car seat safety workshop. They can help you out too.

I hope this helps!! Good luck!!

the safest recommendation would be to put him in the middle. That being said, he could also be placed on one of the sides. It's strange, I had my daughter in the middle until we turned her around, and then she was on my side. Not sure why that made it easier, but it did. Once you have more than one child, you HAVE to place them on the sides so...... Piece of mind came for me by knowing that I had a great seat for my daughter that was securely installed. That's a tough call, just do what feels right for you!

To be honest, I am not sure. But wanted to let you know that a friend of mine took her carseat down to CHP (you have to make an appointment) and they installed it in the best place based on your car. They told her that depending on what type of car you have will determine the best placement for the carseat. I hope that helps.

Just wanted to echo putting your son in the middle of the back seat. If his carseat won't install properly in the middle then put him behind the front passenger seat so when you're parked at a curb parrallel, regardless of the side of the street, you will always be standing on a sidewalk & out of the traffic to unbuckle & buckle him into the carseat. Call your local highway patrol as they install & do carseat checks for free.

I chose center because I commute daily on the freeway and wanted to know that I have at least a 2-3 ft cushion between my baby and the door. Just peace of mind for me and added safety.

Sorry, I can't answer your question but just wanted to say I so admire your warrior and you for being a warrior's wife. Thank you so much for your sacrifice. May God bless you and your husband and family.

what is the rear-facing weight limit of your son's car seat? If it is 33 lbs. or higher, I would recommend keeping him rear facing until he reaches the seat's rear-facing weight limit (this is the current recommendation of the American Academy of Pediatrics and of all certified child-passenger safety technicians, because rear-facing provides significantly better protection to the head, neck, and spine, particularly for young babies/toddlers)
More info here: http://www.car-safety.org/rearface.html